Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Is fir bark a suitable substrate or is it toxic like cedar?

Just curious, thanks in advance.

it might be safe, but why not just use newspaper, its the safest?
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jake

my addiction:
1.1? normal ball pythons (lazlo and izzy)
0.1? amelenistic corn snake (zyklon)
0.1 blizzard corn (blizz)
hybrid breeders association
hybrid haven

I have a really hard time maintaining humidity, but at any rate...

I've read conflicting information (what else is new re herp care) about fir bark. Some claim that since fir is related to pine it's toxic, others that only the wood matter contains the harmful oils, and that the bark is safe...

I'm just curious as to which information is correct.

Well, I think the best substate for keeping humidity is Cypress, it's very cheap and great for your animals...why use anything else? Aspen or newspaper if humidity is not a problem. Take care, Andy
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I definitely planned on buying cypress, but the Home Depot didn't have any, they had a bark mulch but the ingredients weren't listed so I didn't buy it.

iuse fi bark for my gecko cages, it is good for keeping in humidity, i have never had any mold issues with it, and the type i get is bark and small lava rocks, the size of the stuff i buy is large enough that the geckos cant ingest it.
as for alot of the brands out there they have pieces of wood as well as the bark this is a very different stuation, fir wood is very long, fiberous and sharp, and will cause splinters for your reptiles.

so if you are buying it try to see what the material looks like first some companies will mix it with other substances and fertilizers, so be careful what you buy, only get bark and rock mix no other ingredients.

the stuff i use is called faffards orchid bark, it comes in clear bags so you can see if it is still good, do not buy any that have mold or funguus already

oh sorry i forgot to mention, as for the toxic side of fir bark, it is safe, exoterra sells it as bed a beast.

Yeah I saw Exo Terra's bag for sale online in my search for info so I figured it was ok, but I wanted to make sure. Thanks for your help!