Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am using the Peat Moss you can get from a gardening store for my babies. This is the ground up type, but most the substrates I see in pictures are mosses in their natural state. Which is better, or does it matter at all? On that note, is Spanish Moss OK to use? Thanks a lot.

>>I am using the Peat Moss you can get from a gardening store for my babies. This is the ground up type, but most the substrates I see in pictures are mosses in their natural state. Which is better, or does it matter at all? On that note, is Spanish Moss OK to use? Thanks a lot.

The peat moss you are using is a great stable for rearing your young boxes. It is easily replaced, very absorbent and not difficult to maintain. The other mosses are each specific in their needs to stay healthy as they are living mosses.

In my pictures the moss is living; and would be severely damaged if keep constanly with boxies. Also if purchased dry and moistened it would rot rather quickly.

I let my young boxies exercise in the live moss and use it for pics due to the contrasting color.

I also have living Scottish Moss which is hardier and kept in my outdoor and some indoor pens.

Spanish Moss an aerial plant; lives off the bark of trees in high humidity areas.

It is common in garden shops as garnish for hanging plants.

I would not recommend Spanish Moss as a substrate as it would interfere with feeding, being very stringy, and rot as a bottom substrate extremely quickly.

Ric K.

Excellent reply from Ric!!

Note that Spanish moss is not even a moss, despite the name.
Also be careful that the peat moss you have does not have fertilizer added. More recently I see fertilizer added to all of the potting soils and peat moss, especially the small bags of miracle-gro brands that are found in the chain stores (Home Depot etc.). This is annoying to me. The larger bales of peat moss, for outside garden use, generally are pure peat moss and are fine.

Just a quick word of caution from an overly vigilant keeper..
When I use any type of moss, soil or the like from a garden store, I do make sure it's organic with no chemicals added. Then I also worry about mites or pests being in it so I bake it in the oven for an hour or so at 250 degrees to make sure that I kill off anything bad in it.
Depending on what I am using, driftwood for decor. bricks, rocks, or whatever I'll bleach some things, bake others before I use it.
You might think about that when you're setting up a substrate or decoration.
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PHRatz