Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've hesitated to use this substrate because of it's smell. Almost everyone (especially the retailers) say it's safe, but my nose says different. Am I being paranoid, or is fir bark (Repti-Bark) toxic to reptiles?

Lou~

I'm not so sure Reptibark is fir bark. Nor fur even...lol
I think it might be orchid bark
I had used it for quite some time with only one ill effect.
When dampened, it seems some color leeches out, and dyes the snakes bellies a reddish brown color. It wipes right off.Once a week when I would go in and clean things, I would take the snake out, and with a damp towel, just wipe em down.
Once I realized where the stains on my snakes bellies were coming from, I switched to cypress mulch.
Which by the way is a whole lot cheaper than repti bark.

I use lots of Repti-bark for my humidity loving snakes-retics, bloods, and BRB-and I like it very much. I have no problems or worrys about injestion. One thing to be aware of: Repti-bark is not heat treated as that would remove its moisture holding porperties and it may harbor mites or mite eggs. I kept getting mite infestations and found out that every time I put in fresh Repti-bark I got snake mites. Now with every new bag of Repti-bark I spray some Provent-A-Mite inside the bag and seal it up for a day-no more mites. By the way Equate Bedding Spray at Wal-Mart has the same exact contents as Provent-A-Mite and sales for $4 a can! Bill

Equate bedding spray? Where is it you found this? I haven't been able to find anything that contains the same ingredients as provent a mite to use..

Thanks in advance.
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Randall L Turner Jr.
www.aircapitalconstrictors.com

I get their "Stop Lice - Step 3" spray. $5.99 for a 5 ounce spray bottle. 0.50% Permethrin.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

Chris...
I'll pay you to walk in and buy my lice medications for me...lol
I use Black Knight to treat my herps and bedding.
I still have 2 cans left.
Someone a while back told me the same thing about the lice sprays.
I wish I could still get Black Knight.

Has anyone compared how much substrate you get for the $$ with these two products?

I recently used my first brick of eco-earth and liked it but forgot to measure how much there was. I used it to add moist areas to several boxes so I really did not get a feel for how much there was.

At any rate, it did not seem like much. I might be willing to pay a bit more for the repti-bark provided it's not significantly more expensive.

BTW, repti-bark is fir bark, as is most orchid bark.
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Current snakes:

1.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Silver/Yellow)

3.4 Gonyosoma oxycephala - (Green)

2.1 Gonyosoma janseni - (Black)

most all barks are from the white fir tree as chris said, and you may be thinking that since fir is in the pine family its not good...relax. the harmful oils are contained in the actual pulp of the wood...not the bark.

What is this equate bedding spray you are talking about? where in walmart can I find it?
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-Chris

The reason mainstream thought is thought of as a stream is because it's so shallow. -George Carlin

A fool doesn't learn. A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others. Which one are you?

My Website
Rat/Corn snake care sheet I wrote

Current snakes:
0.1 Licorice Stick Black Rat (Lola)
1.0 Black Rat (Frankie)
1.1 Texas Bairds (Jose and Rosa)
0.1 Blue Beauty (Brunhilde)
1.0 Green Tree Python (Claudius)... coming soon

B. fusca nymph

........................wal-marts brand name,it's found in the band aid section.it's commonly used for killing head lice.NEVER put this product directly on an animal.have fun!

The difference is...you can spray the enclosure with the snake still in it when you use Black Knight.
I dont know if equate can be used that way. Is this what you meant by dont spray directly on the snake.

I would use the Equate or Step 3 Lice Spray just as directions on the can of Provent-A-Mite says: "Do not spray animal directly" Remove animal/water bowl. Spray substrate/cage furniture and let dry completely. Use in well ventilated area". It is my understanding that the disbursing/carrying substance in the spray can be harmful until it drys and evaporates leaving behind the bug killing ingredient that is suposed to not be harmful to reptiles. Bill

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