Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just replaced all the aspen in my blueys cage with this stuff and he hates it.He's been scratching to get out since..I finally had to put a t-shirt in there to settle him down.Its pretty messy stuff too and he dirtys his water fast.
I really thought he would love digging in it, its so natural like.I made it about 2inches deep.Took all three bricks to cover his cage which is 4x2(8sq feet of space total).

I wonder how it spot cleans? I think I might have wasted my money but hes stuck with it till next full cage cleaning anyways.

We tried it too.... gads what a nightmare!
We also tried the coco chips... still too much dust.

Try the alfalfa or aspen pellets (not chips) or paper pellets (Purina litter - Yesterdays News). The pellets aren't nearly as dusty and the skinks can dig a bit.

The tee-shirt was a good move... all of our skinks love their blankets (no matter what the material). I think they like the softness, yet form-fit of cloth. Try a piece of fleece, ours love that stuff. Or an old hand towel.

Morgana
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I think the eco-earth is toomuch like dirt, which may be why skinks don't like it as much. Cypress mulge, aspen, etc seems better to me, more like the forest floors they normally live in (or at least I think it's forest I can't remember right now LOL).

I thought about the cloths, but what do you do with them after they are soiled? Just toss them? or do you wash them? I certainly don't want to be washing them with my regular laundry and it costs to much to do them separately....however I can get used towels cheap at the Thrift Store (Salvation Army or other such used clothing store). Curious if it is worth it though? Is there risk the skinks can get their claws caught on the cloth and tear the claws off? I know this is a risk with many other animals,reptiles included.
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PHLdyPayne

If we could get cypress mulch, we would probably use it - but here in the Pacific Northwest - it isn't available. We even checked - but the shipping fees would be ridiculous!

We use the fleece squares - toenails don't seem to get caught in it. Since we have 35-40 of these to wash at a time - it makes for 2 washer loads. For those of you with only one or two skinks - it would be much different.

Small towels might have loops that toes can possibly get caught in. Use a tee shirt instead - cut arms and neck off, making a blanket. We have done that too.

I have seen folks decorate their skink enclosures with tons of silk vines and plants; stones and wood - and even statues! I should think that would pose more of a hazard on toes than a cloth... and think of the cleaning challenge!!

Our skinks enclosures may be simple, not elaborate and beautiful - but our skinks are comfy.

Morgana
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I DONT use cypress mulch from my area, Ive tried it twice and both times got mites on all the animals that used it.To bad cause it works pretty well.I might try that Carefresh for him..I really didnt like the aspen bedding as he got a partial impaction this last spring from eating some with his food and had a difficult time passing it(nice big vet bill too)..
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1.0 ball python
0.1 BCI
0.1 Northern BlueTongue
0.1 normal cornsnake

Yes -you have to treat the cypress mulch - I have heard that before.

The paper bedding isn't too bad - at least it passes through if eaten - and much less traumatic on the digestive tract!

Morgana
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try training your bluey's to eat in a different location. Mine is trained to eat on the kitchen floor. If yours is older, it may take some effort to get them to accept it outside of cage.

this does stop the risk of impaction.
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1 Eastern Blue Tongue Skink
2 Tarahumara Mountain Kingsnakes - Knoblochi
1 Thayer's Kingsnake - Thayeri
2 Golden Greek Tortoises
1 Pyxie Frog - 14 years old

Placing a plastic lid, sheet of cardboard or other flat object ontop of the substrate and putting the feed dish on it will help reduce injesting of substrate as well.

The carefresh bedding I have used before with my rodents and found it to be very dusty and thus difficult for me to use. The 'Yesterday's news' pellets are note dusty and great for larger rodents such as guinea pigs (I don't think it will be good for mice and rats as they can't make 'nests' out of it, as they can with carefresh, aspen or kiln dried pine shavings) but as we are talking skinks here...not sure if they wuld be able to burrow in the pellets as well as other substrates.
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PHLdyPayne

I just chuck it in with the rest of my laundry(my sock and underwear load that I bleach).Ive had my skink for almost 4yrs now and Ive never had a problem.I dont think skinks are big carriers of salmonella mostly cause they are not egg layers if thats what your worried about.
Im getting him off this stupid eco earth its in his water and gets in his eyes and food, cant be good for him.
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1.0 ball python
0.1 BCI
0.1 Northern BlueTongue
0.1 normal cornsnake

My skink got really "sneezey" with aspen & ecoearth. I tried carefresh, which I found clogging his nostrils, probably because he loved to burrow in it. I've used indoor/outdoor carpet before & cleaned it w/ a hose, but that was a hassle. I've finally resorted to newspaper. He's healthy on it, but it's far from lovely & he gets ink on his belly & the bottoms of his feet. Maybe I'll try the pelleted substrates. Any of the above-listed problems with these?

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Robins Critters
1.0 Corn snake Jack Skellington
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.0 South American Boa Elvis
0.1 Western Hognose Addy the Adder
1.0 Tricolor Hognose Yoshi
1.3 Leopard Geckos Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.2 Crested Geckos Fox Mulder, Peek & Boo
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles Squirtle II & Yurtle II
0.1 Pacman Frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
0.2 Tiger Salamanders Tiger & Sally
1.1.2 Firebelly Newts Wayne Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 Cats Gus & Mena

We have tried pelleted newspaper and pelleted alfalfa - both were good.

Morgana

Great, thanks. I think I'll try them. I also put a T shirt in the habitat for Indigo & he just LOVES it! I'm so glad I read this thread. I'm always looking for new things to stimulate him. I was thinking of giving him a small water bottle with some colored water in it. I figured he might enjoy moving it around & seeing the water move. Or maybe put some floaty things in the water...
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Robins Critters
1.0 Corn snake Jack Skellington
1.1 Hog Island Boas Harley & Isaboa
0.1 Albino Sonoran Gopher Snake Jasmine
1.0 South American Boa Elvis
0.1 Western Hognose Addy the Adder
1.0 Tricolor Hognose Yoshi
1.3 Leopard Geckos Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.2 Crested Geckos Fox Mulder, Peek & Boo
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo
1.1 Eastern Box Turtles Squirtle II & Yurtle II
0.1 Pacman Frog Buffy the Cricket Slayer
0.0.1 Sulawesi Red Toad Mr. Toad
0.2 Tiger Salamanders Tiger & Sally
1.1.2 Firebelly Newts Wayne Newton, Fig Newton, Olivia Newton John & Thandie Newton
1.1 Cats Gus & Mena