Breeders Choice- Anyone Had Problems?

[ozziepythons]

Just want to know if anyone who does or have used Breeders Choice paper pellets has had health problems like gut impaction as a result?
I use it for pythons and small monitors, for which it works wonders, but just put it into a cage for bearded dragons to find one of the not-so-bright specimens eating several pellets. Its been removed, so now just wondering if its lights out for him or if they breakdown and pass the paper?

 

[GeckoJosh]

They will be fine

 

[ozziepythons]

Thats what I'd like to think, but with some of the hype regarding what paper pellets do once ingested I'm somewhat concerned. The next few days I'll keep an eye on the special one who guzzled it, and see what happens.

 

[GeckoJosh]

U would be surprised how many peeps use it as substrate with no probs

 

[thebraddles]

dude, i have it in my beardie tank, my male has eaten sooo many over the past couple of years...cos he aint the brightest of creatures...they will be fine..

 

[ozziepythons]

Yeah I'm not surprised as it is recommended, and I've not had problems with it, only solved them using BC as a substrate. When I've had lizards chew on pellets before they always spit it out as they really don't like it. I'll post a conclusion on this thread as to how the beardie comes through this. My ackie once ate a small stone and threw it up several days later, and didn't experiment with foods again lol.

 

[ozziepythons]

dude, i have it in my beardie tank, my male has eaten sooo many over the past couple of years...cos he aint the brightest of creatures...they will be fine..

Thank You that is good news to hear, as I find it a great substrate and would like to use it for my beardies. Your experience with it is what I was after, and cheers for putting my mind at ease

 

[yommy]

Had a friend send me the below statment and after a hatchy childreni die from swallowing the stuff i agree.

If its a python stick to newspaper, fake grass or marine carpet and you'll have no issues the 8 GOOD reasons are as follows:

8 Reasons Not To Use Breeder's Choice

I feel this is an important topic.

1. It causes problems when sloughing due to the extreme high absorbency of the pellets (sucks all of the moisture out of the air).

2. Respiratory problems due to excessive dust, particularly common with snakes/lizards that dig underneath it.

3. Possibility of pieces getting stuck in the snakes mouth, or consumed then causing impaction.
Again it high absorption properties can cause havoc internally.

4. It encourages people to 'spot clean' instead of disinfecting the cage thoroughly. Often urine will soak through to the floor and will be absorbed by pellets which are then left behind when cleaning. Also most people won't bother to disinfect the floor; they just scoop and replace leaving all the bacteria behind. This is a very poor hygiene practice.

5. It is often hard to notice when your snake has relieved itself, especially if it has only urinated and even more so if the cage has a lot of decorations (eg. fake plants). You should see what the result is if these urine soaked pellets are left in a cage for several weeks/months!

6. Although not usually as serious as the above mentioned, another problem I have came across is if animals through the course of digging/burrowing in it, accidentally fill the water bowl up with pellets, they quickly suck up all of the water, leaving you with some thirsty animals!

7. I have also heard stories of people finding staples and other such things in their pellets which obviously can't be good.

8. Mites love it which equals sick animals as a result.

I hope this is enough to steer you guys clear of this product. Really when you weigh up all the risks it just isn't worth it, especially when you have newspaper, which does the job perfectly, so freely available. With its dual uses, as good read and then herp substrate, you can’t beat it.

As with everything in this hobby, it’s all personal choice, but be informed and know all the pro’s and con’s of some of the husbandry things involved. At the end of the day it’s about the welfare of the animals entrusted into our care.

 

[jasonryles810]

I use it and love it

 

[Slytherin]

I use the similar, 'Back To Nature' paper pellets for my python with no probs. I try to feed him up in the branches (arborial snake) to avoid any worries about him swallowing it. Before I put it in his enclosure, I toss it in a sieve to remove any excess dust and pick out the odd tiny piece of coloured plastic that might be in it. I only do all this for my own peace of mind and haven't had any hassles with it.

 

[Ultimatedragon]

I have used it for the past 6 years and have not had a problem , with bearides and pythons

 

[Adrienne]

Fake grass

Just got myself a Spotted Python, first snake or any reptile for that matter, and was really interested in the fake grass idea. Has anyone used this? If so, how successful was it? Thinking it's got to be easier than having gravel to wash and dry out before you can reuse. Thanks Adrienne

 

[Snowman]

it's a personal choice I guess... I use it and never had any problems... especially with it sucking all the moisture out of the air... seriously how small a viv and how little ventelation do you have or would you need for it to do that? it's just paper after all!!!!!

 

[Sdaji]

I have used it for quite a few years with a range of lizards and snakes.

The people who say it is crap invariably have little or even no first hand experience using it.

I have found that snakes slough better on it than on newspaper.

I have never had an animal develop a respiratory problem with it, and I keep animals on and in it which spend a lot of time burried under inches of it. Animals which bury themselves naturally live in dirt burrows, which are much dustier than newspaper pellet dust.

If you put it in water, yes, it swells right up, but it's the same as us eating dry bread or popcorn - you'll just be a little bit thirsty. It might be dangerous for baby snakes (I don't keep baby snakes on it, but I am sure it would be fine) but when snakes and lizards in my care have eaten a pellet or two there has been no trouble at all.

If you had an infestation of mites I would certainly get rid of it and switch to newspaper or no substrate until the mites were well and truly gone, but for me this hasn't been an issue as I haven't had a mite outbreak for over 10 years. You certainly won't introduce mites to your collection from Breeders Choice purchased at the supermarket, and you should never be introducing a potentially mite-carrying snake into your collection. If you practise good quarantine mites shouldn't be a problem, and if you do have mites, yes, get rid of any particulate substrates.

I can't guarantee that it's safe, but for me and everyone else I know of who has used it for a good number of years it hasn't presented any problems.

For the record, I use it for elapids and lizards. I have not used it for pythons, but many people do and they say the results are excellent. It certainly suits some keepers when keeping some species of reptiles.

 

[wokka]

Had a friend send me the below statment and after a hatchy childreni die from swallowing the stuff i agree.

If its a python stick to newspaper, fake grass or marine carpet and you'll have no issues the 8 GOOD reasons are as follows:

8 Reasons Not To Use Breeder's Choice

I feel this is an important topic.

1. It causes problems when sloughing due to the extreme high absorbency of the pellets (sucks all of the moisture out of the air).

2. Respiratory problems due to excessive dust, particularly common with snakes/lizards that dig underneath it.

3. Possibility of pieces getting stuck in the snakes mouth, or consumed then causing impaction.
Again it high absorption properties can cause havoc internally.

4. It encourages people to 'spot clean' instead of disinfecting the cage thoroughly. Often urine will soak through to the floor and will be absorbed by pellets which are then left behind when cleaning. Also most people won't bother to disinfect the floor; they just scoop and replace leaving all the bacteria behind. This is a very poor hygiene practice.

5. It is often hard to notice when your snake has relieved itself, especially if it has only urinated and even more so if the cage has a lot of decorations (eg. fake plants). You should see what the result is if these urine soaked pellets are left in a cage for several weeks/months!

6. Although not usually as serious as the above mentioned, another problem I have came across is if animals through the course of digging/burrowing in it, accidentally fill the water bowl up with pellets, they quickly suck up all of the water, leaving you with some thirsty animals!

7. I have also heard stories of people finding staples and other such things in their pellets which obviously can't be good.

8. Mites love it which equals sick animals as a result.

I hope this is enough to steer you guys clear of this product. Really when you weigh up all the risks it just isn't worth it, especially when you have newspaper, which does the job perfectly, so freely available. With its dual uses, as good read and then herp substrate, you can’t beat it.

As with everything in this hobby, it’s all personal choice, but be informed and know all the pro’s and con’s of some of the husbandry things involved. At the end of the day it’s about the welfare of the animals entrusted into our care.

Re 4 & 5- The routine use of disinfectants should be discouraged as should continual use of any chemicals.The only bacteria present in the cage have generally come out of the animal in that cage and so the occupants are used to them. The obsession with cleanliness and "nuecing" everything in sight can be as bad as it is good.

Re 8 - Mites DONT equal a sick snake. Mites to reptiles are about as dangerous as a mosquito is to you. Whilst there is a risk of disease transfer, blaming substrate for mites is wrong.They originally come from another live host rather than dead substrate.If you use secondhand substrate then you might get more than you bargain for but generally substrates will not cause Mites.

 

[miss2]

i use it on my indoor tanks for my bluies and shingles - never had a problem