cypress mulch

[frankykeno]

does anything need to be done to cypress mulch (buying it from Home Depot most likely) before it's put in with a snake as far as it carrying any bugs or bug eggs...I think I saw a forum somewhere that said it should be baked first?

[daniel1983]

I dont use mulch......but I am pretty sure I remember Becky saying that she bakes hers....better safe than sorry

[dystopia]

i dont use it either but if memory serves, you bake it at 200 degrees for 20 mins.

Hope that helps

[steelsack]

You'll need to bake it over boiling temp for a good half hour or so. 250 should do the trick for you. Just make sure you leave it in the oven long enough for the mulch to heat through and you should have no worries.

[Neumann]

Here's what I do.

I use fir chips but I'm sure cypress can be treated the same. You can either bake or freeze your substrate to kill any potential bugs. In the winter I just put it outside for 24 hours at below freezing temps and that kills everything. Now that it's spring, I bake it in the oven at 250F. for 45 minutes (I'm sure 30 is fine). I've also heard some people state that they sift the smaller particles out of their cypress mulch with a screen of some sort.

[SatanicIntention]

I baked it at about 300 until it was totally dry... So, the whole day. Buy either the double milled or the shredded. Double-milled it softer. Then when you place it in the cage, put newspaper underneath, about 2 sheets, and then about 2 inches of cypress. It conducts heat wonderfully.

I use deep cake pans, and put as much as I'll need in a few of those, and put it in the oven, tossing it every hour or so so it gets totally dry. I filled Amani's tub with it and still have 90% of the bag left, and it's a BIG tub. It should last for a good while.

Hope it works well for you

[frankykeno]

Thanks Becky, we weren't even aware there were different grades of cypress mulch. The stuff we looked at was pretty "chunky" so I'll call around to Wal-Mart, Home Depot and Lowe's to find the right stuff. We'll use just paper towels or newspaper only with Punkin at first to better check for mites, poop, etc. as suggested here. Quick question...does it have to be blank newspaper or is just regular stuff okay (no problem with ink is what I'm asking)...also...do you have to tape the paper down so the snake doesn't get under it or is that even a problem really?

Oh too funny...we were at Wal-Mart checking stuff out...the sales clerk that helped us said she used to work at a pet store and anything that says "reptile" on it gets massively jacked up in price...LOL...she agreed it's not the most cost effective place to buy stuff and was a huge help in finding all the stuff on our list

[SatanicIntention]

That's awesome that the WalMart worker was so helpful. We have a few at our WalMart that will go out of their way to help you.

When I was using newspaper, I used the regular stuff(since it's free and the ink is soy anyway) and taped it to the bottom and taped the layers together so they wouldn't slide around. The hides and other stuff in the tub helps hold it down, and if the hides are secure enough, the snake probably won't go underneath the paper. I found my cypress at Home Depot outside. I think it is the shredded kind because there was a finer mulch also. Being as this is the first time I've bought this stuff(and it has worked wonderfully, I might add), I just thought that once this bag was gone, I would try the other stuff and see which worked better.

After I baked it and put it in the tub, I took out the big chunks or pieces that were pretty sharp. Just don't want her to hurt herself accidentally.

So, do you have the cage up and running yet?

[frankykeno]

Not yet Becky, we are going out this weekend to purchase everything. We are waiting for the weather in northern Michigan to settle out...it's been all over the board up here...in the past 10 days we've had 80 degree weather all the way to under 40 and snowing...nuts!....Punkin is being driven 5 hours north to us by her current owners as they have friends up here with a cottage so they are waiting for a bit of decent weather for the snake's sake as well as their own enjoyment of a weekend up north.

Too funny really, every day Mike comes home from work he asks if I got the email that Punkin is coming. Reminds me of the last days waiting for me to go into labour with his son....it's like "it'll happen when it happens dear" LOL

[recycling goddess]

what a great thread! i'm pulling it out of the archives as i do have one question though... do you HAVE to add the newspaper on the bottom or can i simply make a 75% mulch and 25% aspen mix and forget the newspaper...

Aleesha