Mixing Reptichip & Cypress Mulch

[D-.No]

So I’m making the move to what I’m planning on being a 85% ReptiChip (coarse coconut chips) and 15% cypress mulch.
I’ve inspected the product and it looks clean/pest free but I hear a lot of people recommend baking the substrate first.
Looking forward to the upgrade from aspen but I was wondering if anyone has any tips for me so I can avoid excessive trial and error?


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[Gio]

Buy cypress from a trusted source and there is no need to bake it. If you bake it, it will dry out and negate the purpose, which is often to retain humidity.

If you are concerned, freeze it for a few days. I've never had any critter issues with the Repti or the cypress. There is no way I could bake any of it with the amount I use, but I will put a couple large bags in the chest freezer. There is no humidity loss when you freeze it.

I mix both substrates and only completely replace them every 6 months. I will spot clean and re-add most of the time. Keep in mind, I give all of the animals here a winter break and they don't produce waste, other than an occasional urate, from late October until late March.

The reptile companies that sell the cypress seem to sell clean product. I would not buy from a landscaping store or company that sells for home and garden purposes.

Good luck.

[Animallover3541]

I use this mix too and I love it! I've never baked my cypress mulch and have never had any issues.

[D-.No]

I was actually thinking about bringing water to a boil and adding the substrate thinking if there was any pests that would do the trick.
Thanks for the responses everyone


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[Bogertophis]

I was actually thinking about bringing water to a boil and adding the substrate thinking if there was any pests that would do the trick.
Thanks for the responses everyone


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That's not a bad idea, actually- a good compromise. It might help, though the amount of boiling water compared to the amount of substrate means it will cool off pretty fast- unless you make "mulch-soup", but then you'd have to drain it, & that would get very messy.