Eco earth yes or no?

trailblazer295 · 04-19-17, 04:28 PM

Hey all

My current substrate mix is cocohusk chunk bricks with cypress mulch.

But I'm open to other alternatives. I've asked various people and heard a wide ranging opinions on it. I have heard many say it's dusty when dry, clog up the pits, might mold. It's just more confusing then when I started asking people. Some say great others say no very bad for BPs or boa.

Would a eco earth mixed with coco husk chunks work?

I'm looking for substrate to keep the humidity up in a BP (50-60), BCI (55-65) and a SD retic (55-65). Living in Canada humidity drops fast in the winter time my house being 30-40%, I haven't gone through a summer (40-60) with the cages in the basement of the house, they were upstairs last year and was okay.

I'm aware of the environmental impact of cypress. I've had mold issues with just coco husk.

regi375 · 04-19-17, 04:39 PM

I use eco-earth in some of my cages, and as long as you keep up with cleaning then it's good. I generally have the same issue as you (I live just south of the Canadian border). It'll hold the humidity in well. Haven't experienced any dusty issues myself either. Hope this helps!

TRD · 04-19-17, 05:20 PM

Cypress will work against mold... EcoEarth on the other hand does not. Have you considered putting in EcoEarth+Cocohusk and putting an army of tropical springtails and pillbugs to fight mold? Nothing better than having your own personal cleanup crew to pick up all the bits and pieces after some general spot cleaning and eat up any mold to boot.

trailblazer295 · 04-19-17, 05:26 PM

Interesting idea, hard to find clean up bugs here. I tend to clean out the whole cage every 6-8weeks.

jjhill001 · 04-19-17, 06:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailblazer295

Hey all

My current substrate mix is cocohusk chunk bricks with cypress mulch.

But I'm open to other alternatives. I've asked various people and heard a wide ranging opinions on it. I have heard many say it's dusty when dry, clog up the pits, might mold. It's just more confusing then when I started asking people. Some say great others say no very bad for BPs or boa.

Would a eco earth mixed with coco husk chunks work?

I'm looking for substrate to keep the humidity up in a BP (50-60), BCI (55-65) and a SD retic (55-65). Living in Canada humidity drops fast in the winter time my house being 30-40%, I haven't gone through a summer (40-60) with the cages in the basement of the house, they were upstairs last year and was okay.

I'm aware of the environmental impact of cypress. I've had mold issues with just coco husk.

Have you had issues that make you wanna change substrates?

I follow the BHB guy Brian Barczyk on youtube and he's recently partnered with a company called herptopia.com that makes all sorts of products from coco fiber after using some of the product. Supposedly they use some special patented process that removes all the dust to be used in other animal products (cat litter or something).

He really seems to like it and I've actually seen it in several of his cages as he walks around his snake room.

Might be worth looking into if you're worried about dust.

trailblazer295 · 04-19-17, 06:52 PM

There is still dust from coco husk and cypress anyway, not dust free. I'm inquiring due to the impact of cypress and the varying humidity levels through the year. Finding something that looks natural and provides more stable humidity is the goal.

dannybgoode · 04-19-17, 11:14 PM

I always thought eco earth was coco husk no? Looking at the description it is...

https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/zoo...aMkaArRp8P8HAQ

trailblazer295 · 04-20-17, 04:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dannybgoode

I always thought eco earth was coco husk no? Looking at the description it is...

https://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/zoo...aMkaArRp8P8HAQ

I've been using the chunks to date not the finely ground stuff.

BillyCostume · 04-20-17, 06:01 AM

I'm using Eco earth in one of my enclosures, it can be a bit messy but I haven't had any mold issues with it.

**Andy_G** · 04-20-17, 09:02 AM

Danny, here in Canada coco husk is the chunks, while coco coir/coco fiber/eco earth is the soil like substrate. It's easily confused though as people (even myself sometimes) will use the terms incorrectly.

I'm not a fan of coco coir/eco earth because of how dusty it is when it dries out and also I have found it to be more prone to mold than other substrates just as you have noted. I'd be sticking to the husk chunks in your shoes. Springtails and isopods are available at almost every expo if you ask around.

dannybgoode · 04-20-17, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy_G

Danny, here in Canada coco husk is the chunks, while coco coir/coco fiber/eco earth is the soil like substrate. It's easily confused though as people (even myself sometimes) will use the terms incorrectly.

I'm not a fan of coco coir/eco earth because of how dusty it is when it dries out and also I have found it to be more prone to mold than other substrates just as you have noted. I'd be sticking to the husk chunks in your shoes. Spring tails and isopods are available at almost every expo if you ask around.

Thanks for clarifying Andy. I rarely use it in isolation preferring instead to use it as part of a mix.

For a 'chunky' substrate I'd go for orchid bark as I find it gentler and better at controlling humidity than coco haul but again tend to mix it in with other ingredients.