Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I lost my 7 year old horned frog today after I decided to try a new substrate on him- coconut husk bedding. He got really upset when I put him on it, but I assumed it was unfamiliar to him so he needed to get used to it...bad assumption.
It turns out that coconut husk is manufactured with salt in many areas and I believe that salt residue is what caused the demise of my frog. So I am posting as warning to all to rinse your substrate carefully or use something else. My frog was healthy, eating and active. I have to believe there was something in the substrate that killed him as he died the next day after I put him on the new substrate.
You can read more about coconut husk preparation at this site- be sure to scroll down to the section on coconut husk:
coco husk

i didnt read every word but it looked like that site was talking about coconut husk bark chips, did you have chips or were you using something like eco-earth or bed-a-beast? im assuming you dechlorinated the water you used to soak it in? (if it was one of the shredded coconut bark bricks that i mentioned).

I’ve been a little leery of the coconut husk substrates for toads. When every they molt, it’s 3 days before they will eat again. It seems like to much of it sticks to their skin when they eat their skin. If I catch them molting and wash them off first, they are fine the next day. I don’t know what else to use.

I feel the same way about the molting- this husk stuff gets all over the toad and they ingest alot of it. I have found that the best substrates for toads is paper towels or Kaytee Soft-Sorbent bedding. The Soft-sorbent bedding is made from wood fiber into little pellets that roll off the toads so they don't eat it or drag it into the water. Plus, it absorbs the waste so it is easy to find and remove. I have tried soil,moss,eco-peat, paper towels and carefresh bedding and the toads seem to like this Soft-sorbent the best.
As you know toads are quite messy, so ease of cleaning is the issue. The only problem with this product is that is has to be used dry, so if you have a species that requires high humidity then it could be a problem.

The site talks about chips, but all the coconut products are just ground up chips, so if there is salt used during manufacturing then it would remain in the product whether its chips or grinds.

yeah, but i dont think they take one companys product and toss it into their grinders, so i highly doubt the reptile companies are using salted bark chips.

Maybe so, But I e-mailed all the companies that sell coconut husk to ask them about salt content, and NOT ONE has gotten back to me.
I can only assume from the lack of response that they either don't know, or don't care.

when i have emailed companies about different things it has taken up to about 2 weeks for them to reply, so dont assume anything yet. and i will warn you now, it is usually a disclaimer type of informational email, not necessarily anything at all you were wanting or helpful.

I have been using coco fiber (we carry 3-4 brands and I've used all) on Ceratophrys every since the product became widely available both at home and in my retail shop, and I have never had any problems. In fact, those little guys are seemingly impossible to kill LOL! Although, I never doubt any possiblities when it comes to safety, and I plan on looking into this subject. While we're talking about it- anybody know if Wandering Jew (Tradescantia zebrina) is safe for amphibians or other herps? The leaves have little 'hairs' (trichromes?), and I've read that some species in that genus produce irritant sap.