Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone had any bad experiences using cypress mulch? Is it still recommended for forest/tropical monitors? Thanks, Lou.

I had a water years ago I kept on cypress. I noticed RI-like symptoms, mucous bubbling from the nose, watery eyes and gaping as if to be struggling to breathe. I took it to the vet and he pulled a huge sliver of cypress, like 3" long from it's nostril. The sinus cavities had become infected. The infection was well on it's way to becoming RI by the time I noticed any symptoms. The vet removed the splinter and the infection cleared up within a week. It became lodged in the nostril as the water used its snout to push beneath the mulch.

Leaflitter, or a leaflitter/dirt/sand mixture is a much better choice for forest dwellers.

I was thinking more as an additive to a soil mix because of it's ability to hold moisture and it's light weight and relative cost.

Thanks, Lou~

....depending upon where you live.
People have used cypress as a substrate for a long time. Then again, they also used to use bare floor cages and newspaper. Cypress mulch is dusty, splintery, and in my opinion, more or less useless to the animals. Maybe using it in a dirt mixture is better than using it on it's own, I don't know, never tried it, but like I said, other types of substrates have been found to be more usable to monitors.