Wheat Mulch?

[LittlePetDirt]

Hey guys, so i was going to get the materials to build my blueys new tank today and i decided to take a look in the garden center for substrate. They had this thing called “gardenstraw” which was basically mulch made from wheat straw. It seemed pretty cheap compared to most substrates, and i was wondering if it would be ok as a substrate for a northern. I don’t know if it’s toxic to them or would cause any issues, and i couldn’t find anything online, do you guys have any idea if it’s a good idea or not?

[kingofnobbys]

Wheatstraw has silica microfibres & nano-fibres in it.





from http://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/1931/2/J ... thesis.pdf


Might be OK for feeding to cows and horses, but will be bad for a skink's respiratory system ( long term 24 hr/ day exposure is likely to cause silicosis in the skink's lungs) and the fine micro and nano fibres of silica are also an irritant for the skink's eyes as I can guarantee the straw will be brittle and will break down to make a very dusty environment .

I'd avoid anything from garden centres wrt beddings / substrates. You don't know what pesticides and herbicides are on the stuff.

[LittlePetDirt]

Alrighty, thank you! i’ll keep looking for the substrate that BBQ can live in and won’t eat LOL