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Forest bark (questions regarding humidity)

Spirit

Spirit

New member
Just a few questions.

Does it dry out fast (do you have to mist to raise the humidity levels)?

Has anyone had problems with bugs, mites, or scale rot?

How often does it need to be changed (do I have to buy a new bag, or can I bake it)?

Anything else would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance. :)
 
ive used it before and i dont like it. its expensive and unsanitary. it doesnt soak well and does attract some bugs. go with shredded aspen.
 
I've not used it spirit, but a friend has and uses it mixed 50/50 with beach bark chips to help keep the humidity stable. Can't tell you if its 2 high or low when used on it's own though, but she did have some problems with humidity levels.
 
I have not used the exo terra product, but have used repti bark and nature bark. I did not experience any problems, but have stopped using these types of substrate. Both of these products stained my hands and made me kinda itchy............Hmmm, I wonder what it's doing to my snakes? There is a whole thread on this over at the "other" forum site and Kathy Love and Don Sodderberg both had some interesting things to say. I personally found it too dry and not very absorbent. The viv's that I used them in were very "smelly". Like I said, I did not try the exo terra product,and I'm not going to. I believe they're all the same.
 
I have Forest Bark in my Viv. at the moment. It's been in use for almost a month, with only spot cleanings. This morning when depositing Sunshine back into her home i noticed, as best I can tell, a baby Mantis,(about 2 cm long) of some sort moving in the bark. I fished it out and headed for my daughter's bug-keeper, but it leapt(sp) for freedom. I've since cleaned everything out and replaced old bark with new, filtered through the old bark with no other bugs found. I've never seen any Mantis types around here so I can only assume it's from the Forest Bark. I will not buy more of this stuff, but could there be any other minute insects here that could harm a snake? Could it contain mites? Am I over-concerned about bark ?

-JD
 
Spirit you're back!!! :) I was wondering where you went. lol anyways, I've used that stuff before and it is pretty good, but you need to check it out before you take it home. I brought home a huge bad only to find out that it was infested with little flies from go knows where. As long as you keep up with sprayi g it is very good for higher humidity levels, but I don't use it for my corns. I use it just for the boas and pythons. The problem I found when I used it with corns is that there are sometimes some decent sized sticks and twigs in with it and unless the humidity is kind of high, they can dry out and I would assume are not very comfortable for the corns. Also low humidity can cause it to be very dusty as well.
 
If you want something that holds more moisture and looks different than aspen, try cypress mulch. I believe that some types, at least, are made from leftovers from whole trunks, rather than just the bark, which is most likely to contain more insecticidal components than other parts of the tree. It is also widely available, and cheap. We used it successfully for many years for boas and pythons during our Glades Herp days.

Although there could be small bugs in it, we never had any problems with them. The wood mites you could find in it do not feed on reptiles. But if you are concernd, you could always bake it in the oven if you only have a small amount at a time. Spreading it out in a thin layer on a smooth surface for several days in the sun (in warm, dry weather) would probably convince insects to find a more hospitable place as well.
 
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