Anyone tried Sani-chips with Retics?

[ReticulatedGuy]

I love giving my retics the best possible environment I can.

With a B.S. in Animal Science, I have published papers in herpetology and am proud of it.

Yet when it comes to domestication experience can quite often serve as the best form of knowledge.

So with that being said, I have tried many forms of substrate with my retics;

-Newspaper
-Paper towels
-Reptibark
-Aspen

And while all of these are fine in their own way, they have their drawbacks. For example, reptibark is great but also incredibly expensive for such a small amount.

I've noticed a lot of people using sanichips for their colubrids though. While it's also aspen, I know this stuff goes through heat treatment and other preparations.

Any experience with sanichips for your retics would be appreciated!

OR if you have great experience with other substrates, let me know!

[Tsubaki]

I seriously dislike anything like sani chips for retics, fungus always seems ends up growing when a little too much water spills.. I love my bedding, i use a mix of rough Cocohusk / ground coconut husk and Peat ( unfertilized ofc, you could potentionally leave out the peat but i like the weight it gives to the whole). I'll probably never use anything else again. I crumple up some dried moss over it, looks really pretty. It does have some downsides, for me they are minimal enough to overlook. I'm sure there are other great beddings, but i'm sticking to this one.

Upsides:
Never had fungus, even when humid for prolonged periods of times.
Hold enormous amounts of water, which is nice for shedding (dump water on it)
The holding water is also great for ' accidentally ' tossed waterbowls.
Easily scoop out dirty parts, the pee doesn't run everywhere.
Cheap, always an upside.
My retics like to dig through it, they also seem to like laying on it.
Works well with predatory mites.
Looks natural, great for pictures.

Downsides:
It sticks to your hands very easily (also washes off easy) but it does require some extra sweeping. (i would not vacuum it, makes your vacuum smell earthy < Experienced.. lol)
If you completely let it dry out, it becomes a bit dusty so it is not wise do do that.
Potential mites are hard to spot, but then again you can work with predatory mites. (I haven't had mites in years)
The bags are really really heavy and kill my back with the amount i go through!
You have to mix it yourself.
Pee isn't always as easy to find, but i usually manage.


Here's a picture of what it looks like.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Xena63_zps394fe00c.jpg

[ReticulatedGuy]

I seriously dislike anything like sani chips for retics, fungus always seems ends up growing when a little too much water spills.. I love my bedding, i use a mix of rough Cocohusk / ground coconut husk and Peat ( unfertilized ofc, you could potentionally leave out the peat but i like the weight it gives to the whole). I'll probably never use anything else again. I crumple up some dried moss over it, looks really pretty. It does have some downsides, for me they are minimal enough to overlook. I'm sure there are other great beddings, but i'm sticking to this one.

Upsides:
Never had fungus, even when humid for prolonged periods of times.
Hold enormous amounts of water, which is nice for shedding (dump water on it)
The holding water is also great for ' accidentally ' tossed waterbowls.
Easily scoop out dirty parts, the pee doesn't run everywhere.
Cheap, always an upside.
My retics like to dig through it, they also seem to like laying on it.
Works well with predatory mites.
Looks natural, great for pictures.

Downsides:
It sticks to your hands very easily (also washes off easy) but it does require some extra sweeping. (i would not vacuum it, makes your vacuum smell earthy < Experienced.. lol)
If you completely let it dry out, it becomes a bit dusty so it is not wise do do that.
Potential mites are hard to spot, but then again you can work with predatory mites. (I haven't had mites in years)
The bags are really really heavy and kill my back with the amount i go through!
You have to mix it yourself.
Pee isn't always as easy to find, but i usually manage.


Here's a picture of what it looks like.
http://i270.photobucket.com/albums/jj100/Senna-Ichurin/Xena63_zps394fe00c.jpg


Awesome response man, thanks a bunch.

I actually love coconut husks. I have tried them before but the point you make with regards to the dust was the reason I shyed away from it.

I did however, just make my own custom humidifying system that should last a good 10 years or so. (House of hydro ultrasonic, FDA approved plastic bucket and FDA piping.) So I might try it again and see if the humidifier works more.

I guess one other thing I might do is sift the bedding before use. I know retics are relatively susceptible to URI. Not a boa level of susceptibility but it never hurts to be safe.


Thanks again for the experience!

[IW17]

I use a similar setup only I use cypress mulch and topsoil. Costs about $5 to fill a 6x2 enclosure about 4 inches deep. I buy it from a local gardening shop. Just make sure it has no pesticides or additives. It is dusty at first so just make sure you water it down when you first put it in.

[Tsubaki]

Its not as dusty if you mix it with peat, or just use peat + large pieces of cocohusk. Peat forms more of a solid plate when it dries, i just use a plant waterer once a week and have had no issues with dust.

[IW17]

The only reason I didn't use peat is when I tested it side by side with topsoil it shed a lot of water whereas the topsoil absorbed it all. Not sure why this was, as most everyone I've spoken to uses a peat mix like yourself. I wonder if it was simply the specific brand or type I used? Have you ever had this issue tsubaki?

[Tsubaki]

I never had this issue, however once peat has completely dried out.. i knead some water through it, or it will lose its ability to absorb as good and water will flow through or sit on top. I try to never let it get that dry. :)

[IW17]

Ah gotcha my testing was simply pouring water on both.

[ReticulatedGuy]

Thanks for the discussion guys. I think I might go back to coconut husk and sift it prior to laying it down.


Does anyone know where to buy safe coconut husk in bulk?

[pitontheprowl]

You might look into Reptichip

Reptichip Premium coconut substrate - Home (http://www.reptichip.com/)