Allergic Reactions to Substrate

[Druzy]

Has anyone experience any allergic reactions with substrates. I bought a bag of Natural Choice aspen bedding at Petsmart, and the smells was horrific. I had to switch it out ASAP. When I bought Zoo Meds shredded aspen it had no scent. Does aspen usually have a strong odor?

[Eric Alan]

Natural Choice doesn't make aspen bedding - it's a type of dog food. Are you sure of what you originally bought or where you bought it from?

What does the smell of the bedding have to do with an allergic reaction? Was the reaction your own or your animals?

Yes, aspen has a smell to it. It's not as strong as cedar, IMO, but it still has a tree smell to it right out of the package.

[Druzy]

My mistake it was Great Choice. The smell was really strong that it irritated my eyes. I don't know if it was an allergy trigger or not. I don't have much experience with aspen, but this bag smelt really strong.

[Eric Alan]

It is definitely possible to have an allergy-like reaction to smells, but I would think it'd be unlikely for it to be an actual allergic reaction if the Zoo Med aspen didn't cause a similar irritation (unless there was something else in the Grreat Choice bag causing the strong odor).

Either way, you did the right thing for yourself by switching out the bedding if it was causing you discomfort. There are plenty of other substrates, and even brands of substrate, you can use that will be equally as good for both you and your pets.

[Druzy]

The Zoo Med aspen did not cause any irritation at all. Now the great choice aspen sure did. I don't have much experience with aspen. I tend to use cypress mulch for my reptiles, but wanted to experiment with other products. Sometimes I feel guilty for using cypress. Am I the only one that feels that way, and; if so any recommendations of other substrates.

[Kamerick]

I use repti bark