Bed-a-Beast vs peat moss...can't find celluclay

[edesign]

Well...I'm sure this has been answered and I swear I read it here somewhere, problem is I cannot locate that particular thread Tried searching for "bed" (too short), "beast" (came up with pretty much nothing relavent), and similars.

I bought a 50 pound bag of play sand from Home Depot yesterday (about 40 pounds more than I'll use in 5 years...unless i get more scorps ) and went hunting for celluclay again today. Hobby Lobby didn't have it, another local crafts store didn't either, and I'm at work before any of the other pottery shops open and get off after they close so that's a no go All they had was the stuff you have to put in the oven to harden or plaster of paris.

I looked for coconut husk bedding (or whichever it is) at the two local petstores (we have more but they're worthless...unless you like fish or birds)...nada. I looked for paver base at Home Depot...nada, not even sure what else it might've been under. I bought a small bag of peat moss while I was there and a brick of Bed-A-Beast at Petsmart...figure I can return one or the other.

Which is a better substance to mix with the sand to help stabilize for burrowing? All the reports I've read using peat moss say they use celluclay, bentonite, and the rare paver base (one person far as I know) as well. I wish some of the shops here were more knowledgable about this stuff but from the looks of their invert displays...HA! 2 emps in a 20gallon tank on wood bark with no hide and a single water dish about 1.5" deep and some nasty funky water. They used to have some in a much nicer display, not sure what the deal is. But i digress...if anyone could shed some light on the superior of the two, B.A.B. or peat moss it would be greatly appreciated. Was hoping to have it mixed up tonight and start to dry so when the scorps get here they'll be ready to go.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

Just use peat! I doesnt matter that much! you can use potting soil too. I find regular potting soil dries up and definatly hold shape much better than peat. Its not that big of a deal! At least to me it isnt!

 

[edesign]

nm...just found out that Bed-A-Beast IS coconut fiber lol

i'm gonna whip up a batch of each and see which might hold up better...fun on a monday night

 

[pandinus]

what is burrowing? arizonensis?

 

[Wade]

Is it for a dry enclosure or a moist one? The coconut coir products (Bed A Beast, T-Rex forrest bedding, Zoo Med Eco Earth, etc) have a nice fiberous texture that helps support burrows, but it will mold if kept too moist. Peat is better in a moist environment by far.

Wade

Edit:

After thinking about it for a moment, I relaized that since you're using sand you're probably setting up something dry.

My feeling is that dry peat is dusty and will cause whatever scorpion you have to have a dull sheen.

One thing I did was to dig up natural, clay-rich soil from my yard and mix in a handful of this with moist sand. I mixed it thourouly, and then packed about 3" of it into the tank, and finally I wet down the surface. Then I let it dry completely (which goes faster if you set it on a heat pad or have a lamp over it).

The result is a hard, but "carveable" substrate the scorpions can build permanant burrows in. I used only a small ration of clay soil to sand, the burrows will crumble if I'm too rough with the cage, but the hold up well otherwise. More clay in the mix would make a firmer burrow, but it will also stick to the scorpions if you overfill the water bowl accidentally. Too much clay and you will make a solid brick you'd need a pickaxe to break up.

 

[RaZeDaHeLL666]

Nah peat doesnt leave a dull sheen! It packs it self down fast due to its fluffiness!

 

[Wade]

It's very dusty when dry, and seems to annoy the heck out of some desert scorpions. Sand based substrates seem to work better IMO. For desert species that is, for forest species (and non-burrowing scrubland species) I use peat extensively. It holds burrows well when moist, but not so much when dry.

Wade

 

[edesign]

what is burrowing? arizonensis?

yes, the arizonensis...although i noticed on invertcare.com they listed the Smeringus as a burrower as well, haven't heard of anyone's really doing that so I'm not too worried about getting that substrate perfect...i mean, what could be funner than digging up the equivalent of greased lightning with an attitude?

I've also run in to another problem...haven't been able to find a suitable divider for my tank and I'm not about to go buy a jigsaw to cut the plexi i have. And cutting it repeatedly with a utility knife is going to be WAY too time consuming...so I'm thinking i may just put the arizonensis in the 10g tank by itself but fear that's a tad large for just one. And go find a good size Kritter Keeper for the S. maesensis, has the added plus of not having silicone in the corners to climb lol. Here search function...here boy! *whistles*

wade, it is for two desert species, H. arizonensis and S. mesaensis...i've also read about possible mold problems with the coconut as it holds moisture very well. May not work too well considering our normal ambient humidity levels unless i leave a heat lamp on most of the day, guess I'll pop open the bag of peat and have a go with it. No clay around here that I'm aware of in the ground...now, if i were back home in Alaska, i'd have enough clay for everyone here on the boards lol.

Thanks for the advice and if anyone wants to throw any other comments in please do! just found out that the address i had them sent to via USPS doesn't guarantee true next day air service they shipped this morning and am hoping they don't have to sit in that box until Thursday...keepin my toes crossed.

 

[Wade]

For what it's worth, Darrin Vernier (of Golden Phoenix Exotica) says he keeps all his Hadrurus on just plain, clean dry sand. He indicated he had problems with other substrates for that genus, and that plain sand has worked best for him.

If you wet the sand down and let it dry thouroghly, it will usally stick together even without any clay (although it crumbles easily).

Be careful with your humidity, I've had crappy luck with Hads in the past, which I think is due to my very humid animal room. Since Louisiana is even more humid than Virginia it could be an issue for you. Maybe not though, my animals are in the basement which tends to compound the problem.

Wade

 

[Highlander]

I use coconut fiber products and have never had any problems with mold.