Substrate and Pooping Questions

[JMiller24]

Hi all, I have a couple of questions if anyone has time.

1. Substrate (I went back for many pages and checked the threads on substrate but I could use a little help still). I have been using Reptibark for about a year now and both Toothless and I like it, however, I recently put together a custom cage and it would be way too expensive to routinely fill it with Reptibark. Right now I am trying to choose between two options.

On amazon I have found shaved aspen for 21 or 22$ for 8 cubic feet (with a "Prime" account the shipping would be free)
A Lowes and Home Depot near me carry cypress mulch. His enclosure seems to be pretty dry all of the time so I thought cypress might be the way to go.

Which of these do you guys prefer? I think I would definitely choose the cypress mulch but I am having trouble determining whether or not it has been treated with chemicals.

Here are the links to the cypress near me. Do you guys see something that I don't that would indicate this has not been treated with chemicals?
http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R ... ifications
http://www.lowes.com/pd_97677-1802-CRRG ... facetInfo=

As far as substrate I'm really open to suggestions, I just know that buying ReptiBark from Petsmart will bankrupt me going forward haha.



2. About a month or so I took Toothless to the vets and the vet determined he had some sort of parasite (I could have sworn he said amoebas). He put TL on a weeklong regiment of an antibiotic which we "pretty much" administered successfully. My parents are currently taking care of him while i hunt for an apartment and I know they missed a day of the treatment. Anyway, ever since then I am not seeing any poop at all. One time I found some diarrhea and another day a tiny (for lack of a better word) log. Other than that, nothing. That isn't like him. Usually he takes pretty large poops right where he pees. I took him back to the vet who went as far as giving him an enema and he still didn't poop. He wasn't showing any weight loss or loss of appetite though so the vet didn't think it was a problem. He definitely is eating, although he has been staying buried far more than usual. I am guessing that the prolonged buried time is due to the winter weather up where I live. Anyway, does any of this seem out of sorts for you guys? The main reason I want to find some poop is so that I can get a fecal done, but even sifting through the bark is not giving me any results.


Thank you for your time,
Joe

[JMiller24]

One bump before defeat.

[Richard.C]

If hes gone down he wont poop,needs to get active,even just a little

If theu sense cold,and more to the point go and curl up in cooler area, there metabolism shuts down,thats how they hold condition in lean times,eg dry season or long cold winters for more temperate occuring species

They need full optimum heat to function at there peak,one of the joys of brumation,cage stays clean alot longer,lol

[JMiller24]

Thanks Richard! Haha, good point about it being cleaner.

Just on the off chance, you have any thoughts on shredded aspen substrate? I'd like to get cypress at some point but I want to find some I know isn't treated.

[Vegasarah]

Aspen is great, I think a lot of people use it. Cypress is also pretty good, but it is almost always treated with nasty chemicals. You can find bags of the 'Forest Floor' bedding at petstores which is untreated cypress. But you'll run into a high price like the reptibark. I would go with Aspen if I were you. But make sure that it's Aspen and not any other kind of wood shaving.

[StaceyLeigh]

I use Aspen most of the year for all 3 of my Northerns. I use Repti-bark for Winter because of humidity issues. It is very dry here in Winter (upstate NY) and I can mist the repti-bark which holds moisture better than Aspen. I really prefer the Aspen as it is much cheaper, easier to see poop for spot cleaning, and the skinks seem to like it better also to bury in.

[JMiller24]

Thank you so much guys! One last question if I may. Which kind of Aspen bedding do you use? I noticed on the "bible" caresheet that he recommended not using certain kinds because of the "splinters". Which brands do you guys like?

This is what I would like to get

http://www.amazon.com/Kaytee-Aspen-Bedd ... en+bedding

Anyone have any experience with this?

[StaceyLeigh]

The brand I use is Great Choice, I buy it at Petsmart, and it is very reasonable. It is shavings and they feel quite soft, not splintery at all. I find it in the small pet section. The Kaytee brand looks good as well.