cypress mulch

[kats0518]

Can you use the cypress mulch that home depot sells versus what thet sell in pet stores for a sulcata tort ?

 

[stinax182]

I'm not sure. if you can find sterile mulch, that would work. but i have a feeling the mulch might possibly come with fungi spores, bugs, eggs, and other various environmental...things haha.

when i bought dirt from lowes, i baked it in the oven to kill any organisms. baking 40+ pounds of dirt was NOT FUN. but i didn't want little mushrooms growing lol.

not sure how baking mulch would go. hopefully someone else will chime in.

 

[Sezdawg]

I'm not an expert by any means but sure trying your best to get rid of the creepy crawlys and fungus and such might be good to try. But in nature there's nobody there to get rid of them for the torts... Just my thinking haha. I'm sure there are differing opinions though!

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I've also used compost from Home Depot in my enclosures with no issues

 

[schmodygirl]

From what I have read on here, as long as is is natural and not the painted stuff it is safe. Hopefully someone with more experience will be along soon

 

[mattgrizzlybear]

Yes and it is a heck of a lot cheaper at Home Depot!

 

[RosieRedfoot]

Here it's only $2.18 a bag a Lowe's, home depot is about $3. Just check out hardware stores. Orchid bark can work too but is a bit more expensive.

 

[Tom]

Yes you can, but its a case of buyer beware. Because you really don;t know what has been done to it wherever it has been sitting before it was bagged shipped and you bought it. I like to think that if its specifically marketed for inside a reptiles enclosure, the pet store stuff has had more caution exercised, but this may be an illusion that I have created for myself. I usually use the hardware store stuff. Been doing it for various reptiles since 1986. Have not had a problem yet.