Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The leaves to use are oak and magnolia, right?

I believe that you can use whatever (as long as they're chemical free and such), but people prefer oak or magnolia because they don't break down in the high humidity environments as quickly as other leaves.

it's best to use those with a lower pH and a better tannin level; hardwood (oak, maple, walnut), fruit (citrus), flowering (magnolia). the tannin demotes bad bacteria growth and leaves less for nasty bugs to feed on. good bugs like fruit flies will love magnolia leaves. the trick is to get them ready. we bag and soak ours, others just wash and dump them in. either way is fine. soft wood leaves shouldn't be used though.
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Thnx,

Deven