emp. bedding help

reptileboy101

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Nov 23, 2006
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I, just got an emp scorpion two days ago. And I was wondering if I could use zoo med terrarium moss for him. That is the only moss the pet store in my town sells. But I didn't want to use it if it was bad for the scorpion. I use it for my vietnamese centipede and he seems fine.

Thanks, Joseph
 

Brian S

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Not familiar with all those pet store bedding products but I would guess if its ok for the pede it would be for the scorp. As long as it holds moisture. You can also go to Wally World and get a bag of Schultz's spaghnaum peat moss. Thats what I use for everything.
 

EAD063

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Not familiar with all those pet store bedding products but I would guess if its ok for the pede it would be for the scorp. As long as it holds moisture. You can also go to Wally World and get a bag of Schultz's spaghnaum peat moss. Thats what I use for everything.
I threw some of that in an enclosure for a while, I felt the crickets could hide too easily and the scorps couldn't find them. Bit by bit it came out, but I don't see why you can't use it. If you want you can goto home depot or another home and garden store and get topsoil, (clear bag, looks kinda nasty almost), throw some in a disposable baking pan with aluminum foil on top and bake it to sterilize it. I ran some subtrate through a sifter once and it actually came out great. But if you don't want to I think you can get away with that moss.

EDIT: I have no idea why I quoted you Brian..:? :}
 

reptileboy101

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Ok, thanks. I'm going to go with the topsoil. Like EAD063 said, the crickets can hide every were, and then the scorpion or centipede cant find them.
 

EAD063

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Cool, it's only like 5$ for a 12 pound bag. If you have access to a sifter you should use it, makes the sub. very fluffy, easy to pack and free of sticks and rocks, asthetically it looks great. If you don't have one, you may be able to rig one up quick by making a box or triangle frame out of wood, and stapeling screen on it, put it on a bucket and force the good dirt through with your hand.
 

H. cyaneus

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I bought the biggest thing of peat moss from walmart sometime last summer and I still have about 1/4 of it. Only problem is it takes some work to get water to hold in it. I gernally mush it together but that's a little dirty. I used the eco-earth stuff from PetCo for a while, I liked it. But way to expensive.

Mike
 

EAD063

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If you bought one of those large (white) bags.. that is canadian saphgum, an no, it doesn't hold water as easily as the peat... what stopped me from using that stuff was possible comtamination and it I feared pests would be able to sneak into the bag is this what you are talking about? I had plan to see if I could get a nice ratio of that stuff to soil this summer to see how it went. :)

PS there is a product could "coco green", which is like under a dollar a brick. The eco earth is sort of expensive so I got in the habit of cutting the bricks in half before expanding them, so usually 1 and 3/4 a birck can fill a 10 gal, and I use the remaining 3/4 to setup deli cups, 2.5 gallon breeder took only like a half, so I was above to use the rest to mix with sand for a desert tank... So conserving for me works, and probaly have saved me a couple $ using it sparingly. So in total 3 bricks can get you sort of far, for me it was a 10 gal, 2.5 gal and mixed with sand to fill a 20L.
 
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reptileboy101

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Ok, I do have a sifter, so that's what i'm going to do. What do you put your oven on to bake it, and how long?:confused:
 

Brian S

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I've never baked any of it and never had any problems.
 

EAD063

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Ok, I do have a sifter, so that's what i'm going to do. What do you put your oven on to bake it, and how long?:confused:
I used an aluminum disposable baking pan, with tin foil on the top.. for like a half hour or 45 minutes at 350 ish.... Brian says he never baked any of his, and he is very accountable.. I use to not do it, but I like to make a mess so I've done it the last few times. So I guess it's your choice then. :)
 

reptileboy101

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I use to not do it, but I like to make a mess so I've done it the last few times. :)
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOkkk;) I went to walmart which is the only store around here that has a garden center, and all I could find was potting soil. So I had to get that. Is this a good thing or not?:? I obviously don't want to hurt the scorpion.
 

EAD063

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Make sure it's got as little chemicals as possible. The one time i bought that stuff I got the one enriched with vitamins or something like that, it seemed the most friendly. It did have vermiculite in it *those styrofoam balls type things), which I dislike immensly, but people do use it. I got a ton of it out using a fine mesh fiberglass screen (the top to al old snake tank actually {D ) and I it did a good job, like I said, that stuff bothers me. I don't see why not though.. Are you sure they didn't have topsoil? I guess you could always venture into the woods and find some nice soil, I say in the woods because things like lawn chemicals can leech pretty far. Then definently sift and sterilize that. I've done that before when I was much younger.
 

Thaedion

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Trivial correction

...It did have vermiculite in it *those styrofoam balls type things), which I dislike immensly, but people do use it...
Trivial correction... LOL.

those Styrofoam balls are perlite. Vermiculite is a member of the phyllosilicate group of minerals, resembling mica in appearance vermiculite

Thaedion
 

EAD063

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Trivial correction... LOL.

those Styrofoam balls are perlite. Vermiculite is a member of the phyllosilicate group of minerals, resembling mica in appearance vermiculite

Thaedion
Thanks Mike, I knew it was close and considered looking it up for future knowledge but it was right about time for me to goto sleep!!! Perlite is synthetic then correct?
 

~Abyss~

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You know I usually go shopping around looking for petshops that have particular items for cheap. I know where to get like 50 crix for under $2, eco-earth for about $1.50, Tanks starting for like $5(10gal). But i guess it's a nuisance having to go from store to store but if you find some cheap eco-earth that stuff is great.
 

Thaedion

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ok, is perlite bad for the scorpion? Will he eat it?
Perlite is a generic term for naturally occurring siliceous rock. The distinguishing feature which sets perlite apart from other volcanic glasses is that when heated to a suitable point in its softening range, it expands from four to twenty times its original volume.
Perlite is volcanic glass that has been exfoliated. I doubt it has that 'gamy taste and smell' so they won't be interested it eating it...:D

And as Ed mentioned "Make sure it's got as little chemicals as possible." If in doubt ask an employee, (wally world employees probably know as much about the chemical contents of top soil as an inner city 1st grader) So when I bought top soil for one of my tanks (at a specialized garden center), I asked the garden center worker a few different ways, lastly I mentioned it was to be bedding for live animals and "are you sure it has NO chems?"

Regards Thaedion :cool:
 
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reptileboy101

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Ok, I just wanted to make sure that he isn't going to eat it. I think the potting soil is almost chemical free, or if not it has very little.
 
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