For humidity lovers

[splashy07]

I recently stumbled upon this substrate while browsing the Josh's Frogs site, and I thought it would be beneficial for those who keep Indonesian species, especially Halmaheras. I have found it to hold humidity longer than anything else I have experimented with. It is orchid bark. Here's a picture of the bag. Oops sorry it's upside down.

[kayla990]

Yay! Looks good, we've got Exo Terra Forest Bark mixed in our substrate, which is basically re-branded Orchid bark (But don't mind it's a little more expensive vs. orchid bark; since we don't have access to Josh Frogs in Europe - at least we know it's not been treated with chemicals/safe to use!).

What ratio do you find effective? We've got nearly a 2:2:1:1 of Coco Coir: Sphagnum moss: Exo Terra Forest Bark: Zoo Med Cypress Mulch.
Seems to work well for now (and feels quite nice to rummage through), but if you found other ratios worked well - I'd love to hear!

[splashy07]

I use this straight up in their hides when shedding is imminent, or I will go half with traditional repti-bark for the rest of the enclosure. I use cypress mulch for some of my snakes, so at times this is mixed in. I don't really measure exact. Pretty much depends on what I have left, actually, as I keep Northerns and Easterns and don't have to worry about high humidity. I primarily use this for my tropical insects. It is marketed for amphibians and similar so I think it would be ideal for Gigas types. You may be able to find it or similar at a local garden center, just be one hundred percent sure it is not treated with chemicals. Way cheaper too when not marketed for pet trade. I have kept Halmaheras in the past, wish I knew about this stuff then!

[kayla990]

Ahh good plan. As in the 'cave' section - the moss sticks to the coco-coir too much, so that's a good idea to use it primarily in the hide

Sounds like you've got a good collection going on. Saw the pics of your Halmaheras, they were gorgeous! Curious, how come you went for Northerns/Easterns instead? I'm guessing not worrying about humidity is a big bonus ^__^

[splashy07]

Decision based on nothing other than I wanted to breed, and Halmaheras are darn near impossible. I find them to be the most beautiful of the Gigas clan. And mine were tame as puppies. They now reside with a friend of mine who owns a breeding facilty, waiting on what happens there.