Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im getting ready to use cypress mulch for the first time now do i have to prepar it or use it straight out of the bag...thank you

I use it right out of the bag. It comes really wet (least the stuff I buy), though, so depending on how well your cage holds in humidity, you might want to let it dry first so it's not way too moist.
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch

somneone told me that monitors and tegus skin is difrent than a snake and that they used it strait out of the bag also is tis tru or should be on my guard about mites

I think it would be pretty unlikely that there would be lizard mites in cypress mulch. At any rate, I've never gotten mites from it. I use it on lizards AND snakes, usually straight out of the bag. But it can stay moist for weeks in certain containers, and if your animal isn't designed for that, it could cause problems. If the cage has a screen top, it will dry out completely in a day or two.

animals currently on unsterilzed cypress mulch:
blood python, rainbow boa, stiletto snake, IJ carpet python, Timor monitor, crocodile skinks, mandarin ratsnakes, chinese king ratsnakes, Hog Island boa

instances of reptile mites in past 2 years: 0

instances of tiny harmless white bugs that nevertheless creep me out: 2, probably more if I looked harder
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"The serpent crams itself with animal life that is often warm and vibrant, to prolong an existence in which we detect no joy and no emotion. It reveals the depth to which evolution can sink when it takes the downward path and strips animals to the irreducible minimum able to perpetuate a predatory life in its naked horror."
Alexander Skutch