eco earth users

[ilovemysnake]

been wanting to ask this question awhile now, but it's kinda a dumb question.

basically, i HATE the smell of eco earth. smells like a farm, and completely stinks up my room. i cant constantly have candles lit, and ferbreeze gets expensive.
how do you deal with the smell? just ignore it like i've been doing? or is there a trick to make it not smell so bad? :confused::confused::confused:

[Kera]

I think that's just a price you pay with having snakes

[Mikoh4792]

One trick is to not use eco-earth lol. I use kritter's crumble which is basically coco-husk as well but not as fine. Smells fresh as can be

[Terranaut]

You should not be using scented candles or febreeze in your snakes room. Not good for the snakes at all.

[ilovemysnake]

One trick is to not use eco-earth lol. I use kritter's crumble which is basically coco-husk as well but not as fine. Smells fresh as can be

How do your snakes like it? Now that I'm using eco earth, I'm nervous to change. They seem to really enjoy it and borrow constantly. Can a rat snake borrow in kritters crumble?

[Mikoh4792]

They most certainly can...however it doesn't hold burrows as well as aspen or eco-earth(when wet).

[ilovemysnake]

They most certainly can...however it doesn't hold burrows as well as aspen or eco-earth(when wet).

that's fine, theyre constantly making new ones anyway. as long as it is burrowable, it's a plus. where would i go to get it? i havent seen it in any stores?

[Mikoh4792]

I usually just order from amazon. There are two grains though... fine and coarse. If you will be using a thick layer coarse can be great but if not, the feces and urine will just seep to the bottom.

[bigsnakegirl785]

I don't have to deal with the smell. I love it, it smells like a rainforest. It does depend on the brand, though. I got one that smelled like a mix between cinnamon and cough syrup. Even then, it doesn't really stink up the room. I can only smell it when I open their enclosures.

[formica]

i've never used the brand Eco Earth, however I use Coir, and it doesnt smell bad at all, wet grass maybe but not like a farm...why dont you try a diffrent brand, its all the same stuff

and as said, burning wax in particular, is not good for any animal, esp reptiles and amphibians, i doubt febreeze is good for them either

[EL Ziggy]

What's the issue with burning candles in a room with snakes? I hadn't heard that one until today and its something I've been doing. Thanks for the tip

[Shann]

I love the way Eco earth smells. If you can stand it though (because it will make the whole house stink while you're doing it), baking it in the oven will help with the smell some. I just started baking it because I sometimes get little plant mites in it (harmless to snakes, but I don't like them in the cages). It also dries the substrate out more, which I needed in my plastic caving to get the humidity down from 90%. It does reduce the smell slightly though.

[Terranaut]

I don't have to deal with the smell. I love it, it smells like a rainforest. It does depend on the brand, though. I got one that smelled like a mix between cinnamon and cough syrup. Even then, it doesn't really stink up the room. I can only smell it when I open their enclosures.

I agree with this.....smells like outside and smells for about a day.

[formica]

What's the issue with burning candles in a room with snakes? I hadn't heard that one until today and its something I've been doing. Thanks for the tip

burning paraffin, which is what most candles are made from, release toxic chemicals like benzene - paraffin itself irritates the lungs, in some animals more than others. it can be fatal to invertebrates and fish to

[EL Ziggy]

burning paraffin, which is what most candles are made from, release toxic chemicals like benzene - paraffin itself irritates the lungs, in some animals more than others. it can be fatal to invertebrates and fish to

Wow, that's nice to know. Thanks Formica.

[LiL Zap]

You should consider using aspen bedding. It's economical and there's no odor whatsoever. It's great for colubrids.

[Starbuck]

i like aspen a lot for my snakes, you can buy it from TSC or similar for MUCH cheaper than 'snake branded' at pet stores. Just make sure it is ASPEN not cedar or pine mixture.

I've never used eco earth for my snakes, but when i used it for my tarantulas and geckos i never noticed a smell (though i made sure it was pretty dry before i added it to the cage).

[poison123]

I always though eco-earth smelled good. Mine never smells like "farm".

Never use topsoil :)

[Sharlynn93]

just smells like dirt to me...and only when i open the enclosure...reminds me of the great outdoors, so i like it...

[formica]

just smells like dirt to me...and only when i open the enclosure...reminds me of the great outdoors, so i like it...

def smells better than febreeze! :D

[Sharlynn93]

def smells better than febreeze! :D

most definitely!

[kelzerman]

def smells better than febreeze! :D

Haha I agree! I have never had a brick that has smelled like a farm... Like the above it does have a dirt smell to it. I have 8 tarantulas and a couple of my snakes ok it and it has never been strong.

Where are you getting it from?

[smy_749]

I love it too. Top soil smells like sh*t, especially when you have a ton of it in your living room.

[poison123]

I love it too. Top soil smells like sh*t, especially when you have a ton of it in your living room.

I agree. Top soil does smell very bad at first but after time the smell go's away.

[CosmicOwl]

I agree. Top soil does smell very bad at first but after time the smell go's away.

I love the smell of dirt. Even better is the smell of finished compost. I always used to dig holes and play in the dirt as kid though.

[TheZoo]

I know you have a few exotic birds along with your snakes and you really should not be using fabreeze or sented candles around exotics or most pets for that matter

[Starbuck]

I know you have a few exotic birds along with your snakes and you really should not be using fabreeze or sented candles around exotics or most pets for that matter

good catch Zoo. Hopefully they aren't kept in the same room, but i have had friends' budgies die from teflon fumes across the house, not even in the same room.

[Lubeybooby]

I mix my Eco-earth with repti bark or Cyprus mulch and it tones the smell down a little bit. It doesn't bother me to bad on its own I'm just not a fan of how fine and dirt like Eco-earth is alone.

[mclund]

My wife lost a bird to febreeze years ago and her cat was losing patches of hair. We haven't had it in the house since. I know they say its pet friendly, but can't prove it by me. I have used cypress mulch as media for snake cages. Barely a smell, it's cheap and holds humidity well.

[Brylee1233]

...I like the smell of eco earth...

[Terranaut]

This was mentioned in post #4 of this thread.

[mclund]

This was mentioned in post #4 of this thread.

So it was, but you didn't mention anything about my wife's cat losing hair.:wacky:

[Hotchkiss]

Skimmed the first page and last page of this thread, Just stuff about candles...

Anyway, I change my ecoearth every month or so. I don't really notice a bad smell except when my kingsnake poops a lot...

[KORBIN5895]

I just changed my cocohusk for the first the in 14 months......

[SnakeyJay]

Edit- just seen it's been covered...

[TeaNinja]

i mix reptibark and eco earth and i don't mind the smell one bit. i also do not change it often at all, i just spot clean every so often. it gets kind of dusty so i spray it down with a spray bottle, but i don't really mind the smell of damp wood either. i'm strange.

[Terranaut]

So it was, but you didn't mention anything about my wife's cat losing hair.:wacky:

I would have but your wife never mentioned it ;)

Sorry....had to ;)

[mclund]

I would have but your wife never mentioned it ;)

Sorry....had to ;)

touché' love it!