# age old question of bedding



## snellos (Mar 9, 2013)

i keep my tegus on cypress mulch, they love to burrow. since the mulch doesn't really hold a tunnel or anything. and i was wondering if there is anything better i see things on aspen but that can't keep the humidity. i was wondering if i can mix in peat moss or something like that to have a little more earthyness to it. any suggestions? or any better bedding to keep them on? 
thanks everyone 
-Scott


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## Dubya (Mar 9, 2013)

I use all peat because I was afraid of impactions from large mulch pieces since I feed in the cage. Keep the peat damp so dust stays down.


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## BatGirl1 (Mar 10, 2013)

Yes. Peat. Dubya advised me too  one block was plenty to fill whole cage  it soaks up tons of water but i had to put in a tub then add water and squeeze together w my hands like making mudpies. Then put in cage. One tub was taking 4 gals of water! I did this with 5 tubs! So my cage essentially has 20 gals of water in there! Niles LOVES it. And as dubya also advised me, get a garden "sprayer " and put just water in it to mist the peat because the heat bulbs will dry it out and you can tell because when damp it's nice and dark but dry it looks kind of reddish brown.


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## laurarfl (Mar 10, 2013)

I'm thinking of switching over to peat or peat/soil this year.


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## Rhetoric (Mar 11, 2013)

I use fine hemlock mulch and it seems to work just fine.


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## snellos (Mar 11, 2013)

they are able to burrow well in the peat moss? also i want to find it completely organic no additives or chemicals right?


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## Dubya (Mar 12, 2013)

snellos said:


> they are able to burrow well in the peat moss? also i want to find it completely organic no additives or chemicals right?



Yes. No additives. They can burrow if it is kept damp.


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## frost (Mar 12, 2013)

where are you getting your peat moss? i got a bag of it and it was barely enough to fill a 20 gallon and it was $5


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## BatGirl1 (Mar 13, 2013)

I got mine in a big block at home depot for 9.00. It was really dry. It swells up considerably once you squeeze water into it. I put it in a tote and for each tote dry it took 4 gal of water. One pkg once moist filled my whole cage. 6x3x3 


And it was the organic peat with nothing added


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## chitodadon (Mar 13, 2013)

I wonder how peat and cypress mulch will do I have so much cypress mulch

from Samsung Galaxy S3


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## Dubya (Mar 13, 2013)

chitodadon said:


> I wonder how peat and cypress mulch will do I have so much cypress mulch
> 
> from Samsung Galaxy S3



You are getting more cypress mulch.


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## Dubya (Mar 13, 2013)

frost said:


> where are you getting your peat moss? i got a bag of it and it was barely enough to fill a 20 gallon and it was $5



[attachment=6637] Where are you getting your peat moss? A 3cuft block is $9 at Home Depot. It may be bigger. Organic and processed. No bugs in it.


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## BatGirl1 (Mar 13, 2013)

Yes that's what I got. From home depot.


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## frost (Mar 13, 2013)

Dubya said:


> frost said:
> 
> 
> > where are you getting your peat moss? i got a bag of it and it was barely enough to fill a 20 gallon and it was $5
> ...



i could only find it in bags, i didnt see blocks when i went there.


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## Dubya (Mar 13, 2013)

In the outdoor garden section.


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## BatGirl1 (Mar 13, 2013)

Yes. It's technically in 'bags ' but it's like a giant brick of it. In outdoor part. Organic peat. You could ask. We had to ask. It's wicked dry but awesome once you soak it. But you have to squeeze it through your fingers.


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## frost (Mar 13, 2013)

hmm,next time i go there ill have to see if they have any in. they dont have cypress in so hopefully they have this. i have a big storage bin that i can use to soak all of it in.


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## Dubya (Mar 13, 2013)

They have it even in winter.


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## snellos (Jun 2, 2013)

Dubya said:


> They have it even in winter.


 
one last question about it, i have the big block, do i need to prevent-a-mite it?


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## SnakeCharmr728 (Jun 3, 2013)

I personally hated the peat moss, it was hard to keep moist because it doesnt absorb water very well while misting, the water sorta sits on top and doesnt soak through to the bottom and when its dry its very dusty. so I switched to regular top soil and have used that for the past almost 2 years for all of my tegus.


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## Odonata (Jun 3, 2013)

I was not overly impressed with the peat moss on its own. Mostly because it did not hold a burrow well, but also as already mentioned the top seems to dry out very quickly. I opted to go with an organic top soil since it is the organic matter that really helps it retain moisture, and added peat moss and sand, probably 50% topsoil overall. Seems to be working well.


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## bfb345 (Jun 3, 2013)

I think I'm just going to stick with cypress


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## bfb345 (Jun 3, 2013)

As long as I watch and make sure none is ingested or feed him outside of his cage it is easier and works well for him


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## laurarfl (Jun 5, 2013)

I just switched mine to an organic soil and bark mixture. So far I love the difference in their skin!


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