substrate question

[Mimo]

So i was wondering what you guys consider to be good substrate, cause i'm thinking about changing mine.
i'm currently using a coconut bark substrate (not the big chips but the finer bark thingy.. not sure how it's called in english)
the thing i like about this substrate is that it is moist but after a while it completely dries out because of the lights/warmth.

i know alot of people use aspen here but i'm looking for something with more of a natural brown color.
and whats best for my skink?

[Logancrook]

Aspen is very popular. I use repti-bark. Its bigger chunks. I really enjoy repti-bark and it works well for me. Repti-bark also has a nice natural look to it and its brownish. Your light will always dry out the substrate its almost inevitable. good luck though and i hope i helped!

[donkeybuff]

I love cypress mulch for the humidity. It has a nice light brown color and I find that it is easier for the skink to burrow in than repti bark. Logan is right, drying out is pretty much inevitable. I'm not sure if cypress mulch is easy to find in Europe, so you would have to check on that first.

[saisaac]

I am using the orchid bark you can buy in bulk from LLL. It is the same as "ReptiBark" and is actually made from fir bark. Both Chewy and Malla seem to enjoy it and it is not as messy as the aspen. I liked using the cypress, but finding pure cypress in bulk proved to be a little bit of a pain. Many places sell cypress blends which potentially have cedar, pine, or other undesirable mulch in them.

[jclaiborne]

X2 for cypress mulch!

[Logancrook]

How is cypress mulch price wise? Maybe i will switch over if its better...

[donkeybuff]

It's about 20 bucks for a 24 qt bag if you buy it from the pet store. Pretty much the same as any other bagged wood substrate (except aspen, the small animal variety is super cheap). You can find bulk amounts for a few bucks at gardening stores, but I've always bought from the pet store.

[Sebastian]

I like the natural look so I use pure peatmoss and mix it with tree fern and cypress mulch. It's pretty cheap, I bought a huge bag of the peatmoss at a local store for about 10$ (like huge, garden variety sized lol) and a big bag of tree fern from the petstore (most expensive, cost me 20$) and a big bag of cypress mulch (6$) so cost me about 40$ overall. The peat moss is only 1/4 gone, the cypress mulch is almost gone (bought it 6 months ago) and the tree fern is nearly gone but I bought it two years ago. The nice thing about peatmoss is you can keep it as wet as you want or as dry as you want and the tree fern and cypress helps break it up and still keep it loose, plus i've noticed they can burrow in this stuff even when it's fairly dry, no problems. Lot's of people here use cheap wood shavings with success though!

[Logancrook]

Nice to know... maybe ill change Kaji's bedding

[saisaac]

Is the peat moss pure or does it have other odds and ends such as the white airation pieces in it? I used some pure peat moss in my Crested Gecko tanks when I had them, but it molded more regularly than Eco Earth, so I stopped using it.

I've asked elsewhere before, but I'll ask again since we are on the subject: does anyone here use a bio-active soil blend? If so how has it worked out for you? I have considered giving a soil mix or bio-active soil mix a try since it would be more natural.

[Sebastian]

The peat moss that I have right now has extra stuff in it... So I pick out the bits of root and pinecones (you know your in canada when lol) and then I bake it before putting it in. I find it will still mold if kept super wet without a dry out period. I have a northern, so he doesn't need much humidity, but for awhile I was keeping peatmoss in my Crested's tank but it gets so damp at night that it wasn't drying out properly and soon there was gross mold everywhere. So you definitely need good ventilation and enough heat during the day for things to get mostly dry I feel. You could always put in more cypress and tree fern to peatmoss, Like a 2:2:1 mix, that way the peat is still providing humidity and the ability to burrow but the other stuff makes up the bulk and helps keep things a bit drier. Or you could always still a potted plant with big holes in the base in the corner to suck up all the extra moisture!

Hope that helps? My only suggestion with soil is make darn sure there is no fertilizer in it. I've made ABS in the past (thus why I have tree fern in my house lol!) and it grows plants very very well, but you have to remove the carbon I feel for any animal that's going to be burrowing and in potential directly contact with it, so not ideal for BTS.

Edit: The peatmoss I buy does not have the white aeration in it, but still like pinecones and roots.

[Roarschak11]

Where did you get the idea to mix all of these together? Also is there another thread about the bio soil or anything? Sounds interesting. I've been searching for a more organic and dirt like substrate that holds humidity well.

[Sebastian]

I got the acronym wrong, it's ABG mix, it's short for the Atlanta Botanical Gardens and the mix is literally what they use to grow their plants, that's why this mix is popular with gecko keeps and anyone keeping a natural terrarium because it really promotes strong plant growth. However i've found that just removing the charcoal element leaves you with a really pleasant burrowing substrate that holds moisture well but also works well with out water.

You can apparently buy premade bags now, I would suggest that gathering the parts is cheaper in the long run, but if you can't get something like tree fern (notoriously hard to find) you could always just buy a premade bag BUT then you will have to remove all the charcoal....

Here's a few threads and articles i've gathered for you regarding it:
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts- ... g-mix.html
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthre ... ABG-Mix%29 (this link goes through making it step by step)

You can find more links by poking around online, I know there are posts on Pangea and that frog board.

[Mimo]

thanks for all the helpfull reactions.

But i was wondering since everthing wil dry out, what do you guys do to keep it as moist as possible?
Do you spray? or change the substrate more often?

[Sebastian]

Again I have a northern, so I don't really deal with this but what comes to mind is finding a way to cover the portion of the tank you want really moist, have you tried a large humidity box? To my knowledge, while you want it to be humid, you always want a dry out period at SOME point during the day to prevent molding and to allow the skink to breath some fresh air (I believe too much moisture can cause URI?) Again I don't really deal with this myself, but i'm sure some of the others have more valuable feedback in this regard!

[Roarschak11]

It really depends on the species you have. If you have a species hailing from down under, (northerns, blotches, ect.) humidity isn't too big of a concern. If you have an indo or key island though, humidity is a bigger issue. It also depends on the cage you have. If you have a standard aquarium "critter cage" or any other glass tank with a screen lid, it is very difficult to reach the needed humidity for some species, if you can get a mister or fogger and keep an eye out for mold or if your BTS is showing breathing problems or scale problems, these work well, other then that a very absorbent substrate works well. As Sebastian said, a large humid hide with sphagnum moss, or any absorbent moss really, works well. What species do you have if you know?

[Mimo]

I have a merauke and a home-made cage so only the windows are glass.

[Roarschak11]

Oh yea that's right you have the absolutely gorgeous enclosure! I would say going with a humid substrate or adding a humid hide under that ledge your have his bowl under maybe?

[Mimo]

lol nice to know people know me for my terrarium haha

[mark_w]

Mimo I like cypress mulch too. This is not as readily available in Europe as it is in north America and as a result is fairly expensive. If you have it several cm thick, it retains moisture well. For my Halmahera blue tongues which seem to appreciate higher humidity, I spray it once every couple of days. The product that I use is Zoo Med Forest Floor.

Mark.