Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently adopted a box turtle. His mulched outdoor enclosure has cocoa mulch. I had not read anything about that being toxic to turtles but am just checking. Apparently it is toxic to some animals. I haven't let Nemo outdoors since I read about possible toxicity.

Also, the mulch is infested with some type of small jumping flea like thing. I sprayed the entire garden with Jurassi Mite and it killed them. Am thinking any new mulch will need to be treated just as the indoor area is for bugs. Any words of wisdom on this matter?
My blog with turtle and garden pics

Most of what we think of as being toxic to turtles is based on known toxicity to other animals. Toxicity in turtles, and reptiles overall, is poorly understood. My guess would be that theobromine, the compound found in cocoa that is toxic to some creatures, wouldn't hurt a turtle. That is just a guess, based on what I remember about the differences between the adrenal systems of mammals vs. reptiles. However, I wouldn't risk it! There are a lot of alternatives available with no history of causing problem.

P.s. Neat blog. I'm up at 5, drinking the first of many cups of theobromine-laden coffee, and about to head to the gym...I think I need to use some of your relaxation techniques. Although, the gym may actually be my "Zen". Hehehe.

Thanks, Ken. I was thinking I could put a layer of Repti Bark down over the existing mulch since it seems to repel insects too and "kill two birds with one stone". Somehow that seems not a good metaphor here. lol. Glad you like the blog. I love Nemo's yoga pose

Hello,
Not too familiar with Cocoa mulch. I use a mixture of peat and sphagnum moss. The two work well in keeping the moisture and humidity. You could also try orchid bark,seems to be popular as well??!! Jeff

I had never heard of cocoa mulch either.

Looking it up, apparently it does contain both theobromine and caffeine. Were I faced with this problem I'd just remove it completely from the areas the turtles would be in and maybe even elsewhere in the yard since it could be harmful to other pets as well.

That's what we decided to do--remove the cocoa mulch from Nemo's enclosure. I live a few miles from Hershey and love chocolate. I thought mulch was mulch. I made sure I checked the list of toxic plants before doing the garden but nothing mentioned on mulch. Am glad I happened across the article about cats and dogs. Actually Nemo seemed to just not like it when he was in there. He does like his ReptiBark. Thanks for the feedback!

I'm not sure about reptiles, but it is definitely not good for dogs and I believe cats as well. I'd remove it to be on the safe side.

Cocoa shell mulch is a by-product of chocolate processing: in some parts of the country it is readily available and inexpensive (near Hershey, PA, for example).

It has a lovely, somewhat chocolate-y aroma, a dark brown color, somewhat 'fine' texture, and in the eyes of some gardeners, is more attractive than other mulches.

Other gardeners feel that mulch should not just look good, but should function well, and in this regard cocoa shell mulch falls short.

It would not be my first choice for a mulch in my garden, let alone as a substrate for any of my pets.