Reptile Bark stuff...

[Napoleon]

Yeah so I have some of that Repti bark stuff. And...Instead of buying a whole new package of it everytime I clean the cage, I was wondering if I could clean it? I heard there was a way...But I don't know how. If anyone does know...Please tell me.

[Blink]

You could spot clean, like I do with Aspen.
You should replace all of the Repti-Bark ATLEAST once a month.

[gen]

No, I don't think you can really clean it and then put it back in. If you want something you can clean and put back in instead of buying it new, I'd suggest reptile carpet or indoor/outdoor carpet/ astroturf. Or newspaper or paper towels which you can just throw away and replace. I've used bark, reptile carpet, newspaper, and paper towels. My fav so far is paper towels.

[Blink]

Oh, sorry. I guess I read his post wrong.
If you read the Repti-Bark bag, it says you can boil the bark in hot water and re-use it.
I'd personally go with news-papers or paper towels if you want to save money.

[Napoleon]

Oh wow. Yeah. I usually buy a new bag each month. And it isn't all that expensive, I was just wondering if there was a way to clean it.
I guess I need to read the package about that...Maybe I'll just try paper towels.

[Kara]

Boiling the bark can be a huge mess. If you're going to do it, put it in a big rubbermaid & pour boiling water over it. You could even use a weak bleach/water solution followed by a thorough rinse.

Another thought - since reptile bark is made of chunks of fir bark, it doesn't tend to have quite the absorbancy of a finer-milled substrate. If you're bent on using a natural substrate you may want to look into cypress mulch, which can typically be purchased for $3-$4 per bag at a Home Depot/Lowes type garden center. Just make sure you don't get anything containing cedar, which is toxic.

Food for thought.

K

[padiente]

I have basically pressure cooked my Repti-bark in the past to clean it, as well as spot cleaning it, it does need to to be replaced at least twice a year though. More often if you are not expeienced with cleaning wood products.

[Napoleon]

Thanks for the advice. I just cleaned out his cage today, soaking the wood in boiling water. The results were pretty nice.