Substrate?

[Pythonlovers]

Hey everyone,
For all the people who keep a few reptiles what do you use for your substrate? Cause ATM I have 4 snakes and I use knitter crumble, but I cleaned them out over the weekend and brought a new bag and used the whole bag!? Like I can't be buyer a whole bag everytime I clean them, I'm not made of money haha

 

[RedFox]

Four enclosures to one bag isn't that bad. I used to use a whole bag to fill a 4x2x2 enclosure.

Why don't you look at buying coir peat blocks from bunnings? It is basically the same thing and one block costs less then $2 and makes up to 9L.

You could also look at buying hemp from your local garden/mulch shop.

Both options would be much cheaper than paying $15-$20 for 20L of kritters krumble.

 

[bohdi13]

Four enclosures to one bag isn't that bad. I used to use a whole bag to fill a 4x2x2 enclosure.

Why don't you look at buying coir peat blocks from bunnings? It is basically the same thing and one block costs less then $2 and makes up to 9L.

You could also look at buying hemp from your local garden/mulch shop.

Both options would be much cheaper than paying $15-$20 for 20L of kritters krumble.

will most garden shops have a supply of hemp? never knew this but it sounds like the way to go! 8)

 

[Pythonlovers]

Thought of coir peat but I was just seeing what others used, and what bohdi13 said do most garden/ mulch places stock this?

 

[Rogue5861]

will most garden shops have a supply of hemp? never knew this but it sounds like the way to go! 8)

Hydro shops can probably get your some hemp lol


Rick

 

[Rogue5861]

Coco coir (fiber) or coco mulch (bark chips) are great for holding humidity. Its a little dust when dry but should be fine if slightly misted.

As said bunnings do blocks, also do a 90ltr block which is a cheap an effective, i buy the 90ltr ones for my frogs.


Rick

 

[bohdi13]

Hydro shops can probably get your some hemp lol


Rick

ahahahha, was waiting for this comment. ill just head for a trip up to rockingham reptile traders, they sell hydros.:lol:

 

[Pythonlovers]

Cheers for the feedback everyone!

 

[Pythonlovers]

Okay, just at work and had this thought, is coir peat suitable for all pythons, cause as stated it can be dusty when dry.. And I don't wanna put my albino or bredli as risk of anything... For my greens it would be fine but any other suggestion?

 

[andynic07]

ahahahha, was waiting for this comment. ill just head for a trip up to rockingham reptile traders, they sell hydros.:lol:

They sell hydro or they sell hemp? lol . Hemp is great to use but it isn't readily available around my area at the moment, it is also better for the environment that coir peat because it is made in Australia rather than shipped in from overseas.

 

[Bart70]

Just make sure if buying garden oriented products that they have not added fertilizers to them......Most of the Coir Peat blocks at Bunnings these days do and you have to be careful to select the one that is fertilizer free.

At my Bunnings there is only one that is free for fertilizer and it is often out of stock.

Just something to watch out for.....

 

[Striker]

The little blocks of Coir Peat from Bunnings are good and don't have anything added (from what I can work out). I've used it at times. I just hate the process of soaking it to expand it and drying it out but if you have an easy efficient way of doing that they're good. And they're only a couple bucks per block.

 

[RedFox]

Only the small coir peat block with the blue label is fertiliser free if you decide to go the bunnings route. Use hotwater to expand it, use half the water the packet says to use.

Thomassss on here gave me a great tip to use a towel to wring it out. Just lay the peat on the towel, fold it over, step on one end and twist. After that it should be good to go into the enclosure. I use it for my womas and the humidity levels are fine.

 

[Pythonlovers]

Cheers for the feed back everyone! How long does coir peat last for once you have expanded it?

 

[Rogue5861]

Cheers for the feed back everyone! How long does coir peat last for once you have expanded it?

What exactly do you mean? It goes from being compacted like a block of paper or scrap cars into lots of small fibers, it would have no use by date as such.


Rick

 

[Bart70]

The little blocks of Coir Peat from Bunnings are good and don't have anything added (from what I can work out). I've used it at times. I just hate the process of soaking it to expand it and drying it out but if you have an easy efficient way of doing that they're good. And they're only a couple bucks per block.

Be careful....When I was there recently, every lot of 'small blocks' had added fertilizer.....They may have been out of stock of the ones you normally get, but all small blocks were 'fertilizer added' when I was there.

 

[disintegratus]

I use the coir peat from Bunnings for most of my snakes, haven't had a problem so far. I usually expand it with boiling water, then let it sit in the bucket for a day or two. It's usually still wet when I put it in the enclosures, but it dries out within a couple of days in the enclosures with lamps. In the enclosures that are just running heat cord tiles, it stayed too wet for too long, so I just use newspaper in those ones, going to swap over to brickies sand soon, just haven't had the time yet. The brickies sand will be for the Bredli, Darwin and Olive, and I'll probably feed them out of the tank once I've changed over.

 

[Skeptic]

Cheers for the feed back everyone! How long does coir peat last for once you have expanded it?

I spot clean every week and do a full replacement every couple of months. My stuff all goes from the enclosures to the garden so it's pretty good value.

Be careful....When I was there recently, every lot of 'small blocks' had added fertilizer.....They may have been out of stock of the ones you normally get, but all small blocks were 'fertilizer added' when I was there.

I get the big twin blocks from bunnings. I haven't seen any little balls or the like in it and I doubt they would add fertilizer without advertising the fact on the packaging.

 

[DaReptileBoy]

Cheers for the feed back everyone! How long does coir peat last for once you have expanded it?

I have abucket full still from last year

 

[yolz90]

Newspaper is a good substrate and it's free