Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi Folks,
I use cypress mulch in my BRB tank. I have bagged up the older stuff when I have cleaned out the tank and changed the substrate.
If I go through the old stuff and pull out the poop and urites(?) that might still be in there, do you think that if I was to soak it in bleach water and let it air out for a while (a week or so)then maybe bake it to kill any possible bugs, think it can be reused? Or use a baking powder soulution to nutralize the acid? Then dry it.

I know it's only $7-10 a bag, I'd just like to be able to reuse it instead of throwing it away

Thanks,
Rob
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"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
0.1 Creamscicle corn
0.0.2 Normal(?)corns
0.1 Black Pine
1.1 Bearded Dragon

Seems like a lot of work but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Do you not want to throw it out because you don't want to be wasteful?
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

>>Seems like a lot of work but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Do you not want to throw it out because you don't want to be wasteful?

That's pretty much it. Just thinking that if it can be reused, why not? I can throw it in my mulch pile or out in the bushes. If it can be cleaned up, I might do that.
Rob
-----
"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
0.1 Creamscicle corn
0.0.2 Normal(?)corns
0.1 Black Pine
1.1 Bearded Dragon

I'd probably be more interested in mulching the stuff. I don't think would hurt the snakes but I bet it would lose some of the "luster" over time. Maybe you could get two or three washings out of it and then compost.
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Mike Lockwood
www.tooscaley.com

I used to clean my cypress substrate but didn't use bleach. I just rinsed it really well and let it air dry. I got tired of doing that and switched to newspaper a couple of months ago. Cleaning is VERY easy. I just dump the old, wipe the cage out with a disinfectant wipe and put new newspaper in. Keeping the humidity up hasn't been an issue. When my BRBs are getting ready to shed I really boost the humidity by placing a wet sponge in the cage with them.

Compost it if you feed live or fresh kill. Reuse it in your garden or something if you feed f/t. It should go cleanist to dirtiest, so....inside snake cage to outside ground or trash/landfill.

Where does cypress mulch cost 7 to 10 a bag? I can get it for 2.50 for 3 cubic feet.

>>Hi Folks,
>>I use cypress mulch in my BRB tank. I have bagged up the older stuff when I have cleaned out the tank and changed the substrate.
>>If I go through the old stuff and pull out the poop and urites(?) that might still be in there, do you think that if I was to soak it in bleach water and let it air out for a while (a week or so)then maybe bake it to kill any possible bugs, think it can be reused? Or use a baking powder soulution to nutralize the acid? Then dry it.
>>
>> I know it's only $7-10 a bag, I'd just like to be able to reuse it instead of throwing it away
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Rob
>>-----
>>"I reject your reality and substitute my own" Adam Savage
>>0.1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa
>>1.0 Creamscicle motley corn
>>0.1 Creamscicle corn
>>0.0.2 Normal(?)corns
>>0.1 Black Pine
>>1.1 Bearded Dragon