ZooMeds Forest Floor Beding

Has any one used ZooMeds Forest Floor Beding Cypress Mulch

[Devin Edmonds]

We used it at work a few times. It's plain old cypress mulch that is put into a small bag with cool pictures of reptiles on it and then sold for an outrageous price. You can find large bags of cypress mulch at garden centers for cheaper. I think there are better substrates out there for dart frogs, in particular coconut husk fiber based soil mixtures. Sphagnum moss works great for temporary setups. Some people simply use pea gravel. I would also be concerned about the small splinters that come along with the larger wood in cypress mulch. I've seen snakes with this stuck under their scales and I can imagine that it might irritate small sensative amphibians like dart frogs. Good luck,

[Greenstar]

why not just use peat moss mixed with orchid bark, that should works well and you could get good size bags of each for the price of one thing of cypress.

Danny

[Arklier]

Originally Posted by Devin Edmonds

We used it at work a few times. It's plain old cypress mulch that is put into a small bag with cool pictures of reptiles on it and then sold for an outrageous price. You can find large bags of cypress mulch at garden centers for cheaper. I think there are better substrates out there for dart frogs, in particular coconut husk fiber based soil mixtures. Sphagnum moss works great for temporary setups. Some people simply use pea gravel. I would also be concerned about the small splinters that come along with the larger wood in cypress mulch. I've seen snakes with this stuck under their scales and I can imagine that it might irritate small sensative amphibians like dart frogs. Good luck,

That depends on where you live. if you live in the midwest or further east, it's easy to find cheap cypress mulch meant for landscaping. If you live on the west coast, if you want it, you either pay through the nose to have bales shipped (if you can find somewhere that will ship them), or you pay through the nose at seven bucks a for an 8 liter bag at Petco or whereever. There is literally none here outside the pet store. None. All the mulch used here for landscaping around here is either cedar or pine, or a mix of the two. Obviously totally unsuitable for animal enclosures of any type.

Personally, I like cypress mulch as a 'barrier' level. You lay down the screen on top of your LECA or egg crate, then put about an inch of cypress mulch down, then cover that with your dirt or moss. Makes for good drainage, looks natural, and doesn't break down.