Substrate Smell?

CleanMachine

Arachnopeon
Joined
May 4, 2007
Messages
27
I just put in that Zoo Med Eco Earth compressed coconut fiber into all of my cages. Its the stuff you put into water and it expands into about 8L of substrate per brick. I noticed after about a day, it is starting to have a smell to it. It is not an incredibly bad smell but you notice it. For those of you who use this, or those who mix water into substrate, is this normal or is this a sign that it is stagnant. Thanks.
 

P. Novak

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
6,218
Yeah. It does have a smell to it, but not a very noticable one. I think it's perfectly fine and no need to worry about it.
 

P. Novak

ArachnoGod
Old Timer
Joined
Sep 12, 2005
Messages
6,218
distilled, and I'm NOT saying it smells bad! I can smell it only if I'm only a couple inches away from it, but it's actually a nice refreshing smell.
 

LeilaNami

Arachnoking
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 8, 2006
Messages
2,164
I use tap water to make it. The dry has no smell and the moist parts have that nice earthy smell.
 

DrAce

Arachnodemon
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 22, 2007
Messages
764
Sniffing Dirt

I think the smell you are noting is normal, and nothing to be worried about, unless it becomes quite potent.

On a different note, I would NOT recommend sniffing dirt up close. Many types of peat, dirt, potting mix etc contain Legionella, a genus of bacteria which thrives on slightly warmed and slightly moist dirt. The resulting infection is known as Legionellosis, and while it's unlikely, sniffing dirt will greatly enhance your chances of catching it.

I only raise this because my Dad got a dose of it, from soil, and I've seen how nasty it can be.

There are other nasties that can grow in soil, especially if it is one of those damned 'organic' brands (because 'organic' and 'natural' are somehow better for you, much like lions, tigers, bears, and ebola... but that's a debate for somewhere else...), so I think it's important to note that sniffing is not recommended. However, you should not be petrofied (pun intended) of the soil.
 
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