I need quick help from anyone who knows, I was told to get coconut coir, but here at the store they only have loose coconut fiber... Is that the same thing? or which is better?
KimandKarasi said:I'm hearing cypress is better than coconut... But the cypress looks all splintery, should I strain out the little splinters before adding it to my tank? Or shoul I stick with coconut?
KimandKarasi said:Keeping it moist = spraying water I'n the tank every now and then? I was mostly confused because another site says humidity causes respiratory problems in sulcatas....
Mordy said:KimandKarasi said:Keeping it moist = spraying water I'n the tank every now and then? I was mostly confused because another site says humidity causes respiratory problems in sulcatas....
thats pretty outdated info. most of the info ive gathered says that humidity is essential for sulcatas. prevents pyramiding and keeps them healthy. whenever my cypress looks dry i add water.
StudentoftheReptile said:Mordy said:KimandKarasi said:Keeping it moist = spraying water I'n the tank every now and then? I was mostly confused because another site says humidity causes respiratory problems in sulcatas....
thats pretty outdated info. most of the info ive gathered says that humidity is essential for sulcatas. prevents pyramiding and keeps them healthy. whenever my cypress looks dry i add water.
Ditto. It mostly stems from the general misconception that since sulcatas don't live in a rainforest or North American, they MUST live in a desert. Deserts are dry = low humidity.
In reality, it stems from an abundant lack of understanding of what a desert actually is, what humidity actually is and how it works, and the natural behavior of sulcata tortoises (the latter of which we admittedly know very little about, yet everyone has an opinion on the "right" way to care for them...lol).
What little information we DO know about wild sulcatas is that they do NOT live in deserts, they are very secretive, and until recently, babies have never really been encountered. The only ones that have were found in....(wait for it)...a marsh. Go figure!
EricIvins said:Cypress Mulch is an outdated substrate. Coco mulch is much better at holding moisture and better for the animals. Not only that, but the Cypress Swamps where this mulch comes from are being harvested at an exponential rate, with no way of being sustainable...........Once they're gone, it takes centuries for these Forests to come back........
Google Element 6" mulch brick and go from there........Coir is a fine ground version of Coconut Mulch.......
KimandKarasi said:I have contacted every nursery and lawn store I'n my area and further and everyone keeps saying "we have the liner, but no mulch..." and others just straight up tell me they've never heard of that before... I live in Houston Texas, so if anyone HAS bought coconut mulch close to there please let me know.. And when I googled it, everywhere it brought up said such and such place had it in 2006 and 2008, but nothing else comes up any later than that...
KimandKarasi said:I have contacted every nursery and lawn store I'n my area and further and everyone keeps saying "we have the liner, but no mulch..." and others just straight up tell me they've never heard of that before... I live in Houston Texas, so if anyone HAS bought coconut mulch close to there please let me know.. And when I googled it, everywhere it brought up said such and such place had it in 2006 and 2008, but nothing else comes up any later than that...
KimandKarasi said:I drove about an hour north, but I finally got it. I would've done it online (and I will from now on...) but I needed it pronto, my new enclosure is set up and I wanted to get my little girl out of the rabbit food asap...
Thank you I really appreciate all this help, sometimes I feel like a complete idiot, but I was only doing what I was told. Granted it was faulty info....jason g. said:KimandKarasi said:I drove about an hour north, but I finally got it. I would've done it online (and I will from now on...) but I needed it pronto, my new enclosure is set up and I wanted to get my little girl out of the rabbit food asap...
I understand that, I was told calcium sand, to start with then cypress mulch, then cocoa core. I didn't know what to think. Then Tom directed me to a link where he did some tests on pyramiding and vital shell and tort in moisture. Soon as I find it I'll post it. Unless someone beats me to it.