Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Would perlite be a suitable incubating substrate for colubrids, Antaresia spp. & Python regius eggs?? What is the difference between perlite and vermiculite?

Thank you.

I've seen both minerals used as incubation media. Perlite is a volcanic mineral composed of silicates. It is processed with heat for more expansion to become very porous & it broken down into various size gradings. It has a mostly neutral pH.

Vermiculite is an aluminosilicate (a form of mica) which has been expanded with heat. It's also graded by size. Vermiculite is mostly neutral in pH, but tends to become slightly alkaline in soils due to its attraction for certain ions when wet.

Both absorb water and both are used for aeration of soils in the horticulture industry. Both minerals are also used as insulation in the building industry.

Vermiculite traps moisture from water within it planar structure and releases it just as easily. Perlite receives moisture through capillary action due to its porosity and releases it in the same capillary mode. Both are sterile medias. Vermiculite is soft when crushed and perlite crunches when crushed due to it more crystaline glass-like structure.

Of the two medias, perlite may be the better choice and tends to be less costly for egg incubation. It is mostly a matter of preference.

Hey,
That is one fantastic reply, thanks for the education. Also, I have been using a mix of the two mediums lately, with some success. I blend the two at a ratio of 50/50 and add water to the touch as apposed to weight. I blend till the medium just clumps in my hand and does not drip. Too wet, and your egg's are doomed, too dry and quite possibly you'll have the same results.
-Angel
-----
In life you can fall many times, but you're only a failure, if you don't try to get back up!
Evil Canevil

np

Use both mediums. Two part vermiculite, one part perlite.
Dampen with hot tap water. Should clump in your hands, but crumble loose.

Mike