Reptile prime

[zina10]

I like it MUCH better then Reptichip.

Any of those "blocks" of Coco chips, no matter what brand, need to be expanded with water. The positives about that are that you get a LOT more product once it is expanded, and you usually pay less.

But...

No matter which trick you use to get the block to expands with as little water as possible, the finished product is still far more wet then I would like. When used in "tubs" this creates 100% humidity for a long time. Creates a LOT of condensation which in turn keeps the substrate wet.

You also need a huge bin to store that mass of wet, expanded coco chips. I ended up keeping them in a huge bin and "turning" them every day with a hand shovel, trying to get them to dry quicker.

If someone uses cages, it would probably work out fine. A cage will dry these shavings out far quicker then a tub, esp. since its always rather challenging to keep humidity UP in cages or tanks.

But for tubs, "I" want to control the humidity. I want to start with a DRY product and then mist as needed !!

Reptile Prime is also easier to clean. You SEE the mess quite easily and can remove it completely. The bigger chunks in the Coco Chips make it a little harder to see and get everything out.

So basically, it all depends on your needs. If you need a TON of substrate, it might be more economical to go to the dry blocks of Coco Chips. If you have tanks / cages, the chips may work wonderful as well and if you have the space to store the expanded chips, by all means

However, if you don't want to store big bins, if you have tubs, if you don't want to start out with "somewhat wet" substrate, then Reptile Prime is the winner.