peat moss

[wyz]

A month ago I started using wet peat moss in my BRBs hide box.

They just love it !!! Last time I put too much water in the mix and they litterally dove in it They spend most of there time there during the day, completely sunk in it.

Is there a danger using this type of material ? chemicaly speaking ?

Thanks.

WYZ

[BoidKeeper]

I don't have an answer for you but I do have a couple of questions. Is it dirty? How long does it stay wet?
Thanks,
Trevor

[eyespy]

Peat moss is infamous for hosting the fungus Aspergillus, which is a leading cause of respiratory infections and pneumonia. Freezing it before use will somewhat help with this, but aspergillus is such a common mold that it's probably already in your house in small quantities and can really colonize peat moss.

I prefer ground coconut husk such as Bed a Beast or Eco Earth which doesn't have enough protein content to support the stuff.

[Jeff_Favelle]

I would never use peat moss. Sphagnum moss, yes. Peat moss, no.

[wyz]

thanks guys !

darn I though I had found something cheap and effective

WYZ

[Steele]

sphagnum moss is prity cheap to and comes in huge bags holed humity good my BRBs love it

[Kyle Walkinshaw]

Ive been using peat moss for my BRB's. It was recommended by many people and doesnt grow mold, keeps great humidy and is pretty much working just fine. Jeff, why not peat moss?

Cheers, Kyle~

[eyespy]

It doesn't grow visible molds easily, but put some under a microscope and you'd be shocked at all the stuff you find!! Visible molds are too large to invade individual cells and cause disease, the worst they can do is reduce air quality and cause irritant-provoked respiratory symptoms rather than true infections. The microscopic stuff is what poses the true risks.

[Kyle Walkinshaw]

So would you say it would be better to go with a Terra Fibre? That is what I started with but saw mold growing in constantly? Would that mold harm my snake if not taken out immediatly?

Cheers Kyle~

[eyespy]

Since I am not familiar with the brand name Terra Fibre I couldn't say. If it has enough protein or starch in it to support visible mold growht, though, it probably supports a much larger colony of the microscopic ones.

Visible molds are less harmful than the microscopic ones but can still cause respiratory irritation and excess mucus production. That can be a medium for bacterial growth and so eventually a respiratory infection could occur. So I wouldn't go back to a substrate that has grown mold in the past.

[Linds]

Originally posted by eyespy
Since I am not familiar with the brand name Terra Fibre I

Terra Fibre, if memory serves, is the same thing as Bed-A-Beast and Forest Bed. Just plain ol' coconut husk.

Originally posted by wyz

darn I though I had found something cheap and effective

Coconut husk can be purchased for much cheaper than the stores sell if you go to garden centers. I personally don't bother with any of those things for my rainbows, I just use wet newspaper... no humid hides, I never allow the ambient humidity to drop down to the point where they would need a place of elevated humidity to escape. Sphagnum moss works well if you want a substrate for a box though.

[eyespy]

The stuff at garden centers is often not heat-treated at high enough temperatures to denature the proteins and is also frequently contaminated with bits of the hull itself, which poses an impaction risk. The stuff that's sold loose in a bag rather than dehydrated and compressed into a brick is especially prone to mold growth and that's what you're more likely to find at garden centers and home improvement stores.

Many of the products made specifically for reptiles can indeed be bought for less in other places. but coconut husk fibers are not one of them. Plants do better in the stuff with higher protein content, herps do not.