2021 0.1 Candoia paulsoni, Solomon Island ground boa, white phase - Inej

[Bogertophis]

Re-reading, I just realized I think I misunderstood you and the vet tech I know. I meant the topsoils that primarily consist of peat moss, not fill dirt or pure compost. It is just cheaper than buying the reptile specific stuff, especially if you are going bioactive. You could always buy plain peat moss as well.

Please be more careful when offering advice- & be very specific- because many others may read & believe what you say, so it can impact far more than just your own animals. If you wish to revise your post, all you have to do is ask. If you read the bags of topsoils sold for garden use, it will show in finer print (on the back of the bag) what's in it- many will include some percentage of peat, compost, manure, etc.

You can buy bags of peat moss in garden & feed stores, but that doesn't guarantee there's no contamination that would make it unsafe for housing your pets. That's why it costs more to buy these substrates in pet stores- it's meant for & considered safe for pets. The rest is meant for your yard. There can be a small difference, or a HUGE difference- unfortunately, you probably won't be able to tell by looking at it. But you generally get what you pay for, & in the long run, you won't save money if your precious pet gets sick.

Just being "primarily" peat moss doesn't make it a safe choice for pets. Would you buy & drink milk if the carton said "it's 99% milk? And only 1% is arsenic"...no problem, right? And it's not necessarily a problem with the peat moss, but the processing- just like when you see food labels that warn consumers that nuts or other allergens are also processed in their facility. Remember that by law, some contamination is allowed, & they're not going to be concerned with harm if some buyers choose to use their products (topsoil, peat moss etc) for clearly off-label uses.

And all this is really going off topic for this thread...sorry.