Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know there are probably answers to my question elsewhere, but I tried searching and didn't come up with much. I was just wondering what peoples experiance has been if they used repti bark for their corns. I currently use carpet, but I hate how much of a pain it is too clean, and I don't like the look of aspen. So, has anyone had sucess using it? Or hated it? I want some opinions before I switch. Thanks!

I had a Corn in Reptibark, and it didn't work for him at all. He was shedding every 2-3 weeks and this is an adult. Some sort of allergic reaction I guess...as soon as I switched him to aspen it stopped. Not that this would happen with other snakes, just my experience. Used it because it looks very nice and this is a large critter cage set-up in the den. I started not to like it even before I switched because there was too much fine dust. Other than looking good, I wouldn't recommend it for a snake.
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Dale....dgoins222@yahoo.com

Most bark products are dangerous to snakes on many levels. Repti-bark and Nature's bark are pine and fir. This bark contains many natural chemicals that are potentially harmful to your snake. Avoid bark and stick to the wood pulp products. The most widely used in our industry is aspen. I use it and so do most breeders.

Don Soderberg
South Mountain Reptiles
www.cornsnake.NET
South Mountain Reptiles

Any part of conifer trees (pine, cedar, juniper etc) produce oils that have vapor that is toxic on some levels. The most popular use is of course aromatic cedars used in closets and hope chests to kill of keep bugs out.

Most mulches I see come through our shop are conifer trees. So, like Don says NO.

Aspen is a different family of trees all together. Also aspen chips are not a by product of mass lumber production. Aspen is considered a weed tree. It was over planted by a lumber company, in the 60's, after they raped the land of pines. Then out government in their wisdom gave them a grant on find a way to use it!. Hence the creating of particle board and wafer board and all its newer uses. Yes our government gave millions to a company to do research so they could make more money. But is tht surpizing?

Aspen is inert as far as oil vapor and toxins. Bark is very thin so no real mulch of bark is made.

Just a big of aspen history. It is usually grossly over priced for reptile use.

Conifers Bad.

Aspen Good.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.herpzilla.com

Use of cypress for mulches is wiping out a lot of cypress forests in the south. Newer cyress does not resist dekay any more than other trees. Old trees was the key. Just like Fir for sill plates in old homes. Tight rings gave small pithy rings which made it inherently more resistant to insects eating it and rot.

Use pine mulch for your yards please. Or other options that are a farmed raised product.
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Thanks for reading.
Big Tom

www.herpzilla.com

My corn never had problems on the bark and I liked how it looked too. However, I heard that it can carry mite eggs - and I had a skink on the same stuff that died from mites. Also, I got a rat snake and he started wheezing - someone recommended removing him from the dusty bark and also mentioned the mite issue. I went to aspen and, while I do miss the look of bark, my snake stopped wheezing and I stopped worrying.

If you want to keep the look of bark, I made a "make believe" home for my son's plastic reptiles and snakes using all my repti-bark, so I still get to see it but don't worry about it harming anything live! Silly, I know.

Oh, and as for the cost - buy it in the gerbil/small animal section - you get twice as much for less than half the cost (it's in compacted brick form). It only cost me $4 to more than adequately cover a 40-gallon breeder cage, and I spread it thick.