# Repti Bark



## wrmitchell22

Has anyone used the repti bark? It seems like it would work as well as th others I have seen mentioned? 
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752663


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## GeoTerraTestudo

Yep, I use it. It's just cypress mulch, so it's good to use with tortoises and box turtles. You can also buy cypress mulch in bulk at the hardware store, which is just as good but cheaper. However, I think maybe Repti-Bark has been heat killed or something, while cypress chips from the hardware store are still "raw," because it seems I sometimes get tiny little harmless insects (gnats) when I buy the stuff from the hardware store. But I think they're basically comparable. (See "Cypress mulch from the hardware store?")

Basically, I think you can get a lot of pet supplies from the hardware store for cheap, although it might not necessarily be of the same quality. For example, if you buy a heat lamp from the pet store, it will have a ceramic base, which is good for withstanding long-term, chronic heat stress. In contrast, a similar looking lamp from the hardware store will have a plastic base, which means it is not as safe to keep on all the time. Similarly, substrates are okay from the hardware store, but I think they're a bit cleaner from the pet store. This makes sense, since pet products are intended for keeping animals alive and well, and not merely for landscaping. I guess that's why pet store brands can charge a bit more. However, sometimes you can substitute one for the other and save a little money.


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## wrmitchell22

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> Yep, I use it. It's just cypress mulch, so it's good to use with tortoises and box turtles. You can also buy cypress mulch in bulk at the hardware store, which is just as good but cheaper. However, I think maybe Repti-Bark has been heat killed or something, while cypress chips from the hardware store are still "raw," because it seems I sometimes get tiny little harmless insects (gnats) when I buy the stuff from the hardware store. But I think they're basically comparable. (See "Cypress mulch from the hardware store?")
> 
> Basically, I think you can get a lot of pet supplies from the hardware store for cheap, although it might not necessarily be of the same quality. For example, if you buy a heat lamp from the pet store, it will have a ceramic base, which is good for withstanding long-term, chronic heat stress. In contrast, a similar looking lamp from the hardware store will have a plastic base, which means it is not as safe to keep on all the time. Similarly, substrates are okay from the hardware store, but I think they're a bit cleaner from the pet store. This makes sense, since pet products are intended for keeping animals alive and well, and not merely for landscaping. I guess that's why pet store brands can charge a bit more. However, sometimes you can substitute one for the other and save a little money.



Unfourtunately Cypress Mulch is not easy to find in AZ, not sure why, but I am glad to here it will work as well, thank you!


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## GeoTerraTestudo

wrmitchell22 said:


> Unfourtunately Cypress Mulch is not easy to find in AZ, not sure why, but I am glad to here it will work as well, thank you!



I see. Well, remember there are other alternatives to cypress mulch that are just as good or better:

- Orchid bark
- Coconut coir
- A combination of these

You can also mix in some calcium sand with the above fibers to get more consistency and digging texture into it. Real silica sand is not recommended. Although tortoises inhabit sandy soils in nature, and may ingest a few grains here and there, if they eat enough of the stuff, their guts will get impacted (ditto for wood, BTW). Artificial calcium sand, OTOH, dissolves in the gut and even provides a valuable calcium supplement to their diet if they should incidentally ingest it with their meal. Turtles are remarkable dexterous with their mouths, so they usually don't eat something unless they want to, but we're talking risks here. Of course, feeding on a dish instead of directly on the substrate minimizes the risk of accidental ingestion of wood or sand as well.


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## Kristina

Actually, I have to completely disagree. 

Zoomed Reptibark is NOT like cypress. It is in fact fir bark. It does not hold moisture well, and molds. It also will stain a tortoise with the red color from the bark. I am speaking from personal experience.

Calcisand is also a big no-no. It is scented, and actually will induce the tortoise to attempt to take bites. If it is mixed with another substrate, it can cause deadly impactions. If sand is to be used, it should absolutely be natural sand, such as playsand or construction sand. Personally I use no sand because I have tried it and hated it. 

Calci sand is also very fine grade, and has a habit of working its way into eyes and the creases around limbs and the neck. If the substrate is kept damp, as it should be, this makes it worse because it sticks. I have seen tortoises blinded by this stuff.

Your best bet is coco coir, orchid bark or just plain top soil if you can't find cypress. I strongly suggest steering clear from the reptibsrk snd calci sand.


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## wrmitchell22

Kristina said:


> Actually, I have to completely disagree.
> 
> Zoomed Reptibark is NOT like cypress. It is in fact fir bark. It does not hold moisture well, and molds. It also will stain a tortoise with the red color from the bark. I am speaking from personal experience.
> 
> Calcisand is also a big no-no. It is scented, and actually will induce the tortoise to attempt to take bites. If it is mixed with another substrate, it can cause deadly impactions. If sand is to be used, it should absolutely be natural sand, such as playsand or construction sand. Personally I use no sand because I have tried it and hated it.
> 
> Calci sand is also very fine grade, and has a habit of working its way into eyes and the creases around limbs and the neck. If the substrate is kept damp, as it should be, this makes it worse because it sticks. I have seen tortoises blinded by this stuff.
> 
> Your best bet is coco coir, orchid bark or just plain top soil if you can't find cypress. I strongly suggest steering clear from the reptibsrk snd calci sand.



Thank you for your information, does this seem more along the lines of a good substrate?
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3092177


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## GeoTerraTestudo

Kristina said:


> Actually, I have to completely disagree.
> 
> Zoomed Reptibark is NOT like cypress. It is in fact fir bark. It does not hold moisture well, and molds. It also will stain a tortoise with the red color from the bark. I am speaking from personal experience.
> 
> Calcisand is also a big no-no. It is scented, and actually will induce the tortoise to attempt to take bites. If it is mixed with another substrate, it can cause deadly impactions. If sand is to be used, it should absolutely be natural sand, such as playsand or construction sand. Personally I use no sand because I have tried it and hated it.
> 
> Calci sand is also very fine grade, and has a habit of working its way into eyes and the creases around limbs and the neck. If the substrate is kept damp, as it should be, this makes it worse because it sticks. I have seen tortoises blinded by this stuff.
> 
> Your best bet is coco coir, orchid bark or just plain top soil if you can't find cypress. I strongly suggest steering clear from the reptibsrk snd calci sand.



Re: wood chips
Oh wow, thank you Kristina. I thought Repti-Bark was made of cypress, not fir. As you said, fir should not be used, so thank you for setting the record straight on that. I have never tried orchid bark, though, so I can't speak from experience on that one.

Re: calci-sand
Thank you for that information, too. I have always used cypress mulch and coconut coir myself, and have never used real or calcium sand. Having read your account, I will not start using them, either.

Re: soil
I don't use soil with my torties, simply because I don't want them to get, well, soiled. But of course, if one does use soil, it should be without the perlite or vermiculite, because if an animal eats them, they could impact its gut.



wrmitchell22 said:


> Thank you for your information, does this seem more along the lines of a good substrate?
> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3092177



I have never used coconut husks, but rather coconut coir, such as Bed-A-Beast:
http://www.reptilespecialty.com/store/bed-a-beast.html

It is soil-like and retains moisture, but because it is fiber rather than humus, it does not become muddy.


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## Kristina

The coco-bark is better than the repti bark, but, it is big chunks and can be hard for small babies to walk on. It also keeps them from burrowing.

This is a better choice, it is also coco fiber but it is ground fine - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752700

For your hides, this is what I recommend - http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3678493 If you have a Home Depot close by, you should be able to get a large bale of Mosser Lee sphagnum moss for $3.99, a much cheaper option.

Geo, (sorry I don't know your first name  ) sometimes if you don't have experience with something you just don't know. I used to recommend things in the past that I no longer do, because after trying different things myself I learned what worked better for me. 

Orchid bark is in fact a fir back, however it does not have that red coloration and holds humidity well. I assume the two barks come from different species of tree. The fine grade orchid bark is good for babies.


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## wrmitchell22

wrmitchell22 said:


> Kristina said:
> 
> 
> 
> Actually, I have to completely disagree.
> 
> Zoomed Reptibark is NOT like cypress. It is in fact fir bark. It does not hold moisture well, and molds. It also will stain a tortoise with the red color from the bark. I am speaking from personal experience.
> 
> Calcisand is also a big no-no. It is scented, and actually will induce the tortoise to attempt to take bites. If it is mixed with another substrate, it can cause deadly impactions. If sand is to be used, it should absolutely be natural sand, such as playsand or construction sand. Personally I use no sand because I have tried it and hated it.
> 
> Calci sand is also very fine grade, and has a habit of working its way into eyes and the creases around limbs and the neck. If the substrate is kept damp, as it should be, this makes it worse because it sticks. I have seen tortoises blinded by this stuff.
> 
> Your best bet is coco coir, orchid bark or just plain top soil if you can't find cypress. I strongly suggest steering clear from the reptibsrk snd calci sand.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Thank you for your information, does this seem more along the lines of a good substrate?
> http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3092177
Click to expand...


Okay I found a Cypress beddign sold at Petsmart so I guess I am all set  I appreciate the help!


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## GeoTerraTestudo

Kristina, thanks for letting me know that Repti Bark consists of fir bark, not cypress mulch. After reading your post, I checked my tortoise pens and realized that I had made the rookie mistake of buying Repti Bark instead of cypress mulch; no wonder the substrate wasn't holding moisture well. Duh. :shy:

I went down to the hardware store to get a big bag of cypress mulch, but they didn't have any. They only had either brown- or red-dyed mulches and bark mixes containing who-knows-what, so I passed on them. I thought about getting soil, but I was too worried it might contain perlite or vermiculite, so I left. Then I went to the pet store, which did have cypress mulch (Forest Floor), although it was quite expensive. So, I bought a three-brick pack of coconut coir (Eco-Earth), and mixed some of it in with the fir bark to give my Russians a more humid, deeper layer of substrate.

To my surprise, they are not digging more then they did before - perhaps even a bit less. Not sure why, but anyway they are doing fine. Thanks again.

BTW - I guess cypress mulch is not as widely available as I had thought. Also, according to http://saveourcypress.org/ it seems that the landscaping industry (which includes substrate for pets, in this case) is basically threatening wild cypress trees. Maybe it's better to use other humidifying alternatives to cypress, like soil or coco coir anyway?


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## wrmitchell22

GeoTerraTestudo said:


> Kristina, thanks for letting me know that Repti Bark consists of fir bark, not cypress mulch. After reading your post, I checked my tortoise pens and realized that I had made the rookie mistake of buying Repti Bark instead of cypress mulch; no wonder the substrate wasn't holding moisture well. Duh. :shy:
> 
> I went down to the hardware store to get a big bag of cypress mulch, but they didn't have any. They only had either brown- or red-dyed mulches and bark mixes containing who-knows-what, so I passed on them. I thought about getting soil, but I was too worried it might contain perlite or vermiculite, so I left. Then I went to the pet store, which did have cypress mulch (Forest Floor), although it was quite expensive. So, I bought a three-brick pack of coconut coir (Eco-Earth), and mixed some of it in with the fir bark to give my Russians a more humid, deeper layer of substrate.
> 
> To my surprise, they are not digging more then they did before - perhaps even a bit less. Not sure why, but anyway they are doing fine. Thanks again.
> 
> BTW - I guess cypress mulch is not as widely available as I had thought. Also, according to http://saveourcypress.org/ it seems that the landscaping industry (which includes substrate for pets, in this case) is basically threatening wild cypress trees. Maybe it's better to use other humidifying alternatives to cypress, like soil or coco coir anyway?



Wow, that is great info, I had no idea! Thanks for the input


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