Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I have been throwing around the idea of using cypress mulch for my snakes as substrate. I know that it retains a lot of moisture which adds to humidity and that it is relatively mold resistant as well as its not poisonous to the snakes. What I am wondering is, if I bought a bag of cypress mulch from say lowes, should i freeze the mulch or microwave it to kill of potential parasites or is it generally ok straight from the bag? Also, if anyone has any other good info about using cypress mulch, let me know.

1 Ball Python
1 True Red-Tail Boa
1 Brazilian Rainbow Boa (already using cypress mulch and working wonderfully)

Thanks in advance!

I used cypress mulch I bought from the local pet store for about a year. It was marketed as a good substrate for kid play areas (???). Anyway, it worked fine but the one thing I did not like about it was the dust. It wasn't sifted very well and my snakes would occasionally sneeze as a result of getting fine particles of cypress dust in their nose. I'm not sure what others will recommend in terms of disinfecting it but it's not something I ever did. I am now using sifted fir bark chips and while it is a little more expensive, I like it quite a bit better. The petstore uses cypress for all of their enclosures but that's mainly because it's the cheaper option.

I made the switch yesterday from paper towels to cypress mulch. I must say that I like it much more than paper towels. I'm not sure about the dust. I personally haven't seen any dust at all and I was shoveling it out and microwaving it and everything. No dust. I went to Lowes and bought the only cypress mulch they had (I don't know the brand off the top of my head but it was in a pink and clear bag) for $2.30 per bag. I think there were maybe 2 cubic feet. I zapped batches in the microwave to kill potential parasites and put it in the tank. Since then my humidity levels haven't dipped below 50% without misting. I also enjoy the more natural look it has and I feel like the snakes would appreciate something more natural than blinding white paper towels. Also, they have the option of burrowing if they want which adds more security. I am definitely hooked. I don't see a down side to cypress as of yet. But keep the line open and if anyone has any info, or wants to share their experiences, keep it coming. I'd like to know how it is working for other people with other types of snakes and all of that jazz. Thanks!

The dust will come after it dries out.

I use cypress multch for my Amazon Tree boa and I like it. It holds in the humidity very well. The only thing I dont like is if it stays too moist for too long it will get some fuzzy mold on it, but i guess what wont that happen too if it stays too humid for too long

Kyle
Kyle's Reptyles
www.freewebs.com/kyleherp/

A good fact to know is that freezing don't kill many parasite eggs and pathogens. It will only suspend the advancement of the life cycle until they are reintroduced to the proper temperature and and environment. A good example is why you can't eat raw chicken even after it's been frozen. The best ways to kill pathogens is with high heats (Baking, boiling, or microwaving). Specific chemicals will kill choice pathogens such as the medicines when the animal is infected and bleach for cleaning habitats.