Reptichip

[OhhWatALoser]

Hi BP.net gang, glad that I found this thread. I'm JT, the owner of Reptichip LLC and On the Ball Pythons. Would like to take a second to clear up any misconceptions and to answer any questions that you may have about Reptichip. More information can be found on our FAQs page at our website (I won't attach a link here, as we want to be cognizant and respectful of anything that could be perceived as advertising...but for interested parties, it's very easy to find).

Actually I have questions about that page http://www.reptichip.com/faqs.html, given you deleting my facebook comments asking these questions, I didn't think you wanted to answer them. Specifically this image:


You claim cypress does not absorb odor, which I think it has been pretty well accepted that it does. Even my own personal test when I was a new keeper trying different beddings proved it to myself. Odors are still at bay long after the cypress smell is gone. You also claim that it doesn't have longevity between cleanings, can I ask again how you define this? By my definition it has great longevity between cleanings. I would also like to know how you can verify that the cypress we buy is not organic? I mean this wood supposedly comes from these old wetlands, about as organic as it gets imo.

while we are at it, what are the other coconut based products that do not absorb odor? Given coconut is known to naturally have odor absorbing properties.

First and foremost the advantage over cypress: We ceased using cypress due to the rampant destruction of wetland habitats. 68% of the US wetland habitat has been destroyed since 1970 due to the deforestation that occurs to produce cypress products and mulch. A cypress tree takes 40 years to grow to size...so there is no such thing as a sustainable cypress product. We moved to chipped coconut (of the absolute highest quality) which is a sustainable and renewable resource. Here are a few articles for those that are interested in learning more about wetland habitat destruction caused by the cypress logging industry:

http://digitalcommons.butler.edu/cgi...=facsch_papers

http://www.dogwoodalliance.org/2015/...tland-forests/

sustainability is something else that needs to be defined if you are going to claim there no such thing as a sustainable cypress product.

Having bred ball pythons for over 10 years, I've used the gamut of substrates (aspen, newspaper, liners, cypress, different types of coconut, etc..). What we've found is that Reptichip has superior absorption and odor control qualities that far exceed those of triple milled cypress. You can see customer reviews of the difference here.

As for the quality and location that we source our coconut: just like any natural product, there is a wide variety of qualities of raw product. Sri Lanka is widely regarded as having the highest quality of coconut available (a fact that we confirmed here during 9 months of testing). Beyond that, we source from specific locations of inland Sri Lanka where the coconut is not exposed to the salt that is found in coastal coconut products. From the plantations, coconut then goes to our manufacturer where it is highly washed to remove remaining salt, minerals, and tannins that can be found in other products. From there it goes to processing where the coconut is chipped, inspected, pressed, and packaged. Some people assume that because the size of different brand of coconut blocks are similar, they all must be from the same manufacturer or source...this is not the case. The reason that the blocks are similarly sized is that there are only a handful of molds that will fit the German machinery that most manufacturers use to compress the coconut. So far I've seen coconut from Sri Lanka, India, Cambodia, and Vietnam all use the same sizes to compress their product. The quality of the product that is inside the packaging is what matters to us here.

There are many differences between the manufacture of Reptichip and other agricultural based coconut products; the main being that we've invested the time (and money) into ensuring that our manufacturers know and understand that our customers have significantly higher standards than the horticultural industry when it comes to the care and health of their animals. We implement this through our QA/QC at the manufacturer, and here at Reptichip main.

I'm happy to answer any questions that you may have here or in private. My contact information is on every block of Reptichip as well, to include my personal cell phone number, so please fee free to reach out to me at any time. I appreciate the opportunity to share a little more about Reptichip...thanks BP.net!

JT
512-828-2545

instead of just asserting that it is the best and highest quality, perhaps explain what "high standard" means? Why is the low amounts of salt minerals and tannins bad?

I guess my problem is I read your whole faq and actually know very little about your product and currently find parts of it out right false. You assert a lot of things without explaining or backing up the claims. I could be a future customer, but I don't appreciate the infomercial sales pitch then ignored when I ask for real info and clarification. I currently use cypress in my collection and one big benefit I see over reptichip is it doesn't have to be prepped at all, goes from bag to tub instantly. I see on your facebook showing pouring water into a tub of cypress showing it is a mess when you do so, all I can think is why would you do that? it doesn't need it. Comes off at the very least as gimiky to me. I don't want to come off as attacking you, but this is combination of my questions and a few other people's when it has got brought up in conversation. Naturally I want to do what makes the most sense for me and my animals, so besides the debatable deforestation, why should we switch to something that is more work? Genuinely interested in your reply.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Coconut, cypress and aspen are not organic?
Reading this right here is something I had not noticed before and it make me wonder about other statements made about this product.

[Freakie_frog]

I have recently switched all my adults and juvies over to Reptichip. I've used everything from unprinted paper to Sanichips aka the devils dandruff. I've only been on it for about 2 months now but I can tell you that it has one up side to the triple milled aspen I use as well. When it gets damp it doesn't pack down and mold the way the aspen does. So when it comes time for a complete change out it just pours out like marbles out of a bucket. The one thing I've also noticed is that my bigger snakes can push it up and lay directly on the tub bottom this can be a problem especially in the winter if you're like me and cool your room down for breeding.

Over all once you get past the initial soaking of the bricks to get them broke up its a really good substrate.

[OhhWatALoser]

Coconut, cypress and aspen are not organic?
Reading this right here is something I had not noticed before and it make me wonder about other statements made about this product.

I guess it's possible to grow them with unapproved pesticides and fertilizers??? Somehow I don't see that being the case most of the time though, since we also mention habitat destruction.

I have recently switched all my adults and juvies over to Reptichip. I've used everything from unprinted paper to Sanichips aka the devils dandruff. I've only been on it for about 2 months now but I can tell you that it has one up side to the triple milled aspen I use as well. When it gets damp it doesn't pack down and mold the way the aspen does. So when it comes time for a complete change out it just pours out like marbles out of a bucket. The one thing I've also noticed is that my bigger snakes can push it up and lay directly on the tub bottom this can be a problem especially in the winter if you're like me and cool your room down for breeding.

Over all once you get past the initial soaking of the bricks to get them broke up its a really good substrate.

I literally lol'd at that, I bought exactly one bag of sanichips in my life.... Never again. I had problems with aspen molding also, didn't like it at all.

[Freakie_frog]

I literally lol'd at that, I bought exactly one bag of sanichips in my life.... Never again. I had problems with aspen molding also, didn't like it at all.

I use to use sanichips for babies or when I sent snakes home with people at shows. It's pretty stuff to look at with a nice looking ball python on it but the minute they poo or pee its over.

[On the Ball Pythons]

Thanks for the opportunity to answer some of the questions here, and a big shout out to OWAL for asking the pointed questions that others may be curious about. I will attempt to address each as bullet points here:

Actually I have questions about that page http://www.reptichip.com/faqs.html, given you deleting my facebook comments asking these questions, I didn't think you wanted to answer them. Specifically this image:


You claim cypress does not absorb odor, which I think it has been pretty well accepted that it does. Even my own personal test when I was a new keeper trying different beddings proved it to myself. Odors are still at bay long after the cypress smell is gone. You also claim that it doesn't have longevity between cleanings, can I ask again how you define this? By my definition it has great longevity between cleanings. I would also like to know how you can verify that the cypress we buy is not organic? I mean this wood supposedly comes from these old wetlands, about as organic as it gets imo.

while we are at it, what are the other coconut based products that do not absorb odor? Given coconut is known to naturally have odor absorbing properties.

-in regards to odor control, our trials here ranked the high quality coconut (that later became Reptichip) far superior to aspen and cypress in odor control. This is from 9 months of testing using our own collection on a gamut of substrates. Having used triple milled cypress for years, I am very familiar with the several cypress products that are prevalent in the reptile hobby, and was thoroughly impressed and surprised with how much better that the high quality coco performed in the odor control department. Bear in mind that conducting this testing was not done to 'prove' Reptichip as superior...it was done find the highest quality substrate available for MY animals. This test was subjective, but will now seem partial...so don't just take my word for it. You can base decisions off of customer reviews and posts that can easily be found online. Additionally, I'd be happy to send anyone who has commented on this thread (thus far) a free block of Reptichip to compare the odor absorption qualities against aspen/cypress/paper, etc.

-these absorption qualities also allow Reptichip to retain water easily without allowing the surface area to remain wet. Reptichip is easy to reconstitute should it dry...something that is not found in cypress. This allows humidity to last much longer than any other product available on the market. There are many other benefits of Reptichip over cypress (if the conservation of American wetlands isn't enough) to include:
-no risk of impaction or piercing the gut wall should an animal ingest the substrate (as has happened with several of our customers that have made the switch from cypress to Reptichip).
-with the increasing number of scaleless animals in captivity, there is a need for a soft substrate and greater humidity requirements with Reptichip footing the bill perfectly. This won't be possible with a harsher substrate like cypress.
-Cypress is not farmed...it's harvested. Understanding the life cycle of a cypress tree is important here. When a cypress tree takes 40 years to grow to maturity, and only 10% of artificial plantings are successful, you have a product that is dramatically unsustainable at the current rates of harvest. Contrasted with coconut, which is farmed and the fruit (or drupe) is harvest annually...without destroying the source of the product (the palm).

-to my knowledge, there is not a certified organic cypress product available on the reptile market. Currently we are undergoing the process to certify Reptichip under OMRI (the federally recognized organic third party certification agent. This process is intensive though, and costs upwards of $700 annually). Seeing as how we have not completed certification, I think that you are correct in your concern about listing Reptichip as organic, while excluding the other products. I will personally remove that bullet, and we will republish as certified organic when the time comes.

-during testing we compared many different coconut products, and found that the qualities were vastly different (as discussed in my previous post). Some coconut products that we tested scored well below cypress and aspen. Our coconut comes from areas of Sri Lanka that farm specifically for the high quality husk...whereas most other coconut in the world is farmed for the meat, milk, and nut. These husks are a byproduct of the other industries and do not have the same absorption qualities as Reptichip.

-in regards to low tannins, sodium and minerals: I think the majority of reptile owners want the best for their animals. Having a low sodium, mineral, and tannin content is essential for a few reasons...most importantly the health of your animals. I want to know that the substrate that I choose for my animal will only benefit them without any negative impacts. Ingesting sodium and excess calcium/additional minerals is probably not in the best interest for most species...we take great care to address these finer details of animal husbandry here. Same thing with tannins...as they are acidic (and additionally stain your animals and tubs). We want to ensure that our substrate is neutrally balanced and the perfect medium for a wide variety of animals.

Thanks for the questions, and more than happy to answer any more that you may have!

JT

[OhhWatALoser]

-in regards to odor control, our trials here ranked the high quality coconut (that later became Reptichip) far superior to aspen and cypress in odor control. This is from 9 months of testing using our own collection on a gamut of substrates. Having used triple milled cypress for years, I am very familiar with the several cypress products that are prevalent in the reptile hobby, and was thoroughly impressed and surprised with how much better that the high quality coco performed in the odor control department. Bear in mind that conducting this testing was not done to 'prove' Reptichip as superior...it was done find the highest quality substrate available for MY animals. This test was subjective, but will now seem partial...so don't just take my word for it. You can base decisions off of customer reviews and posts that can easily be found online. Additionally, I'd be happy to send anyone who has commented on this thread (thus far) a free block of Reptichip to compare the odor absorption qualities against aspen/cypress/paper, etc.

Performing better is vastly different from not at all. Your chart specifically states that other coconut products and cypress do not absorb odor, despite many of us here having experienced otherwise. How was your test performed? While I would be impressed, I'm not going to assume instruments were used to monitor air quality. So what was your method? what margins did you see among the different substrates?

-these absorption qualities also allow Reptichip to retain water easily without allowing the surface area to remain wet. Reptichip is easy to reconstitute should it dry...something that is not found in cypress. This allows humidity to last much longer than any other product available on the market. There are many other benefits of Reptichip over cypress (if the conservation of American wetlands isn't enough) to include:

I haven't really had humidity issues for a while, so this is actually a non issue currently for me, but i know it is an issue for many.

-no risk of impaction or piercing the gut wall should an animal ingest the substrate (as has happened with several of our customers that have made the switch from cypress to Reptichip).

what evidence do you have that it has no risk of impaction?

-with the increasing number of scaleless animals in captivity, there is a need for a soft substrate and greater humidity requirements with Reptichip footing the bill perfectly. This won't be possible with a harsher substrate like cypress.

First ive heard of anyone having issues, who experienced what exactly?

-Cypress is not farmed...it's harvested. Understanding the life cycle of a cypress tree is important here. When a cypress tree takes 40 years to grow to maturity, and only 10% of artificial plantings are successful, you have a product that is dramatically unsustainable at the current rates of harvest. Contrasted with coconut, which is farmed and the fruit (or drupe) is harvest annually...without destroying the source of the product (the palm).

So it sounds like its not actually unsustainable and just currently being overused. Even this issue is a he says she says, environmentalist say cypress is disappearing, others say it is regrowing faster than it is harvested. Some actual data would be nice, but it's not really the debate i am concerned with right now.

-to my knowledge, there is not a certified organic cypress product available on the reptile market. Currently we are undergoing the process to certify Reptichip under OMRI (the federally recognized organic third party certification agent. This process is intensive though, and costs upwards of $700 annually). Seeing as how we have not completed certification, I think that you are correct in your concern about listing Reptichip as organic, while excluding the other products. I will personally remove that bullet, and we will republish as certified organic when the time comes.

Your chart doesn't say certified organic, it says organic.

-during testing we compared many different coconut products, and found that the qualities were vastly different (as discussed in my previous post). Some coconut products that we tested scored well below cypress and aspen. Our coconut comes from areas of Sri Lanka that farm specifically for the high quality husk...whereas most other coconut in the world is farmed for the meat, milk, and nut. These husks are a byproduct of the other industries and do not have the same absorption qualities as Reptichip.

-in regards to low tannins, sodium and minerals: I think the majority of reptile owners want the best for their animals. Having a low sodium, mineral, and tannin content is essential for a few reasons...most importantly the health of your animals. I want to know that the substrate that I choose for my animal will only benefit them without any negative impacts. Ingesting sodium and excess calcium/additional minerals is probably not in the best interest for most species...we take great care to address these finer details of animal husbandry here. Same thing with tannins...as they are acidic (and additionally stain your animals and tubs). We want to ensure that our substrate is neutrally balanced and the perfect medium for a wide variety of animals.

My animals don't make a habit of eating their substrate so that is a non issue for me. Do animals tend to ingest more substrate on repichip for some reason, such as sticking to prey items more than other substrates. While its not a bad thing, I am having a hard time seeing how this is a bullet point worth mentioning. Never noticed my animals or tubs getting stained with other substrates ive used besides newspaper. Is this a coconut specific issue?

[dkatz4]

What are the advantages of this course chip coconut over the finer coconut products like eco-earth etc? I've always been on paper towels, and am in a bit of a quandary b/c i hate the sterile look of it, and also wish my snake had something a little softer, but the sanitary aspects are, as far as i can tell, unmatched. are there issues with bacteria and fungus? And can you effectively spot-clean messes that are liquid or runny like urine or loose stools (my snake always has perfect firm poops, i'm having a bumper sticker printed). I've seen some comparison vids between coconut and aspen that favored the coconut, and to be honest i'm not a fan of the look of aspen, so really i just need some reassurance that i wont regret replacing my beloved yet ugly paper towels.

[Ensendido]

Thanks for the opportunity to answer some of the questions here, and a big shout out to OWAL for asking the pointed questions that others may be curious about. I will attempt to address each as bullet points here:



-in regards to odor control, our trials here ranked the high quality coconut (that later became Reptichip) far superior to aspen and cypress in odor control. This is from 9 months of testing using our own collection on a gamut of substrates. Having used triple milled cypress for years, I am very familiar with the several cypress products that are prevalent in the reptile hobby, and was thoroughly impressed and surprised with how much better that the high quality coco performed in the odor control department. Bear in mind that conducting this testing was not done to 'prove' Reptichip as superior...it was done find the highest quality substrate available for MY animals. This test was subjective, but will now seem partial...so don't just take my word for it. You can base decisions off of customer reviews and posts that can easily be found online. Additionally, I'd be happy to send anyone who has commented on this thread (thus far) a free block of Reptichip to compare the odor absorption qualities against aspen/cypress/paper, etc.

-these absorption qualities also allow Reptichip to retain water easily without allowing the surface area to remain wet. Reptichip is easy to reconstitute should it dry...something that is not found in cypress. This allows humidity to last much longer than any other product available on the market. There are many other benefits of Reptichip over cypress (if the conservation of American wetlands isn't enough) to include:
-no risk of impaction or piercing the gut wall should an animal ingest the substrate (as has happened with several of our customers that have made the switch from cypress to Reptichip).
-with the increasing number of scaleless animals in captivity, there is a need for a soft substrate and greater humidity requirements with Reptichip footing the bill perfectly. This won't be possible with a harsher substrate like cypress.
-Cypress is not farmed...it's harvested. Understanding the life cycle of a cypress tree is important here. When a cypress tree takes 40 years to grow to maturity, and only 10% of artificial plantings are successful, you have a product that is dramatically unsustainable at the current rates of harvest. Contrasted with coconut, which is farmed and the fruit (or drupe) is harvest annually...without destroying the source of the product (the palm).

-to my knowledge, there is not a certified organic cypress product available on the reptile market. Currently we are undergoing the process to certify Reptichip under OMRI (the federally recognized organic third party certification agent. This process is intensive though, and costs upwards of $700 annually). Seeing as how we have not completed certification, I think that you are correct in your concern about listing Reptichip as organic, while excluding the other products. I will personally remove that bullet, and we will republish as certified organic when the time comes.

-during testing we compared many different coconut products, and found that the qualities were vastly different (as discussed in my previous post). Some coconut products that we tested scored well below cypress and aspen. Our coconut comes from areas of Sri Lanka that farm specifically for the high quality husk...whereas most other coconut in the world is farmed for the meat, milk, and nut. These husks are a byproduct of the other industries and do not have the same absorption qualities as Reptichip.

-in regards to low tannins, sodium and minerals: I think the majority of reptile owners want the best for their animals. Having a low sodium, mineral, and tannin content is essential for a few reasons...most importantly the health of your animals. I want to know that the substrate that I choose for my animal will only benefit them without any negative impacts. Ingesting sodium and excess calcium/additional minerals is probably not in the best interest for most species...we take great care to address these finer details of animal husbandry here. Same thing with tannins...as they are acidic (and additionally stain your animals and tubs). We want to ensure that our substrate is neutrally balanced and the perfect medium for a wide variety of animals.

Thanks for the questions, and more than happy to answer any more that you may have!

JT

I've decided to make the switch to a Coco Chip substrate (not the dusty coir) and interested in trying Reptichip. Do you guys attend any reptile shows in Chicago or Chicagoland area? Would love to avoid shipping costs along with the hefty price tags I've seen online. Thank you for going on the forum and addressing people's concerns as well.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I've decided to make the switch to a Coco Chip substrate (not the dusty coir) and interested in trying Reptichip. Do you guys attend any reptile shows in Chicago or Chicagoland area? Would love to avoid shipping costs along with the hefty price tags I've seen online. Thank you for going on the forum and addressing people's concerns as well.

All the info are on their website

http://www.reptichip.com/where-to-buy.html

http://www.reptichip.com/shows.html