i have sphagnum moss as the substrate, and i was wondering how often i should change it? does it ever rot? how wet should i keep it? what kind of substrates do you recommend/use? any helpful info would be greatly appreciated. thanks
-chip
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RETF substrate question
chipstahoy
Nov 08, 2003 09:33 PM
Replies (5)
cheshireycat
Nov 09, 2003 02:43 PM
Is that unmilled Sphagnum? If so, change it. Bed-A-Beast or other brands of ground cocoa-fiber substrates are prefered, and few other substrates are adequate. Unmilled Sphagnum moss is not, although if it's alive and "stuck" to the ground, it might be. The reason is that frogs will often ingest part of the substrate when feeding, and some substrates are more likely than others to stay in your frog (impaction) and hurt it or kill it. It's really a common way that people lose their pets, so I'd stick with safe stuff. The good news is that Bed-A-Beast is cheap, too.
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame 
chipstahoy
Nov 09, 2003 03:35 PM
what does unmilled mean? i actually got the sphagnum from outside, and then baked it for about 20 mins or so to kill off any crap that might be in there (i heard that was a good way to sterilize it). thanks for the reply
-chip
cheshireycat
Nov 10, 2003 02:22 AM
Is it ground up, like fluffy dirt (milled), or is it pieces of moss that you can grab?
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame
chipstahoy
Nov 10, 2003 02:30 PM
sd
cheshireycat
Nov 11, 2003 04:14 PM
Ah, then get rid of it! Buy a brick of Bed-A-Beast or other such substrate (usually under $5 for a brick that expands to fill a 40-gallon). RETFs are likely to get some Sphagnum moss like that in their mouths when hunting and swallow it down and die or get sick. For most frogs, it's really not a good choice of substrate in that form.
How are you keeping your RETFs otherwise? Temps, tank size, humidity levels, feeding regimen, dusting and gutloading, etc. We'd love to help you make and keep the best environment for them possible, because they can be tricky
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Got hips like Cinderella / Must be having a good shame / Talking sweet about nothing / Cookie I think you're Tame
