How long?

Chris_Skeleton

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Messages
1,309
Okay so I found a bale of peat moss that was free of chemicals and additives. I put it into my two trapdoor spider setups last Saturday and no ill effects. Today I put it in my A. avic's enclosure. How long before I would see any ill effects in case there was something in the peat? I am waiting upon the results of being in my avics enclosure before I add it to any more.

---------- Post added at 10:48 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:08 PM ----------

Really? :?
 

Salamanderhead

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Messages
410
I'm not sure but I would assume there would be variables. The spiders current health, the type of toxins in the peat, how potent it is, etc..
 

MetalheadRAM

Arachnopeon
Joined
Sep 13, 2010
Messages
11
Eek! Its not worth the risk! Thats one of the reasons I use Eco-Earth. Wish I had an answer for you, but honestly if your not sure you probably shouldnt use it in the first place. Thats just my opinion though.
 

Chris_Skeleton

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Jan 31, 2010
Messages
1,309
Eek! Its not worth the risk! Thats one of the reasons I use Eco-Earth. Wish I had an answer for you, but honestly if your not sure you probably shouldnt use it in the first place. Thats just my opinion though.
Well the bag said 100% organic. I'm pretty sure it's safe, but I'm just a little worried because it's the first time I've tried peat.

I would prefer not to use Eco-earth now due to cost.
One bag of peat is like 60 liters and 10 bucks.
To get that much coco you would need almost 8 bags. How much is that? That would be like $64. Plus you have enough for all your spiders and 100 more. There is just so much savings, its a great investment.
 

Hobo

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Staff member
Joined
Jul 27, 2009
Messages
2,208
It should be safe.
I'm sure you would see I'll effects rather quickly. I, too, made the switch from coir to peat. Overall, I prefer peat, but it isn't perfect. While it tends to resist mold better than coir, looks better (IMO), holds better burrows and is generally cheaper, it does tend to compress a whole lot more than coir does as it dries, and is more dusty/dirty than coir. Also, you gotta sift it some as it may contain some surprises. I've found sharp twigs, bits of plastic and gravel, and on one occasion, a click beetle!
 

Moltar

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Apr 11, 2007
Messages
5,438
Ditto Hobo. If it's organic peat with no additives it should be fine. If you're worried about living things being in the peat just bake or microwave it. With any product we buy there's always the small chance that it's been exposed to some chemical or whatever. We can't control that and it's better to just go ahead and use the stuff instead of living in fear of the possibility of contamination. I mean, food gets contaminated sometimes too but if I took the default position of "this food could be contaminated so I should have it tested before I eat" well, I'd never eat.
 

psykoink

Arachnopeon
Joined
Jul 18, 2010
Messages
31
Ive been using the Organic Peat for months now and I havent had any problems at all. Bought a huge bale of it at Home Depot and it works great. The worst part is the dust it creates until you water it down. I put it in with my P. metallica's, P. smithi's, and other really pricey T's. If its labeled organic and used for organic growing then it is not allowed to have any pesticides or other chemicals used in it. I even called the manufacturer of the stuff I bought before I bought it to confirm. They said the same thing.

Dont be so sure that the stuff bought in pet stores such as the cypress mulch and other stuff labeled for reptiles or arachnids is represented honestly either. I have had a few reptiles in over 28 years of collecting that have had issues with stuff thats supposed to be safe for animals. Best advice I can offer is if your unsure call the manufacturer of the product and ask for their testing sheets. All manufactures that produce "organic" products have to provide test data to the FDA to prove their product is indeed free of chemicals.

Chris
 
Top