# aspen bedding?



## BillieJeAn (Aug 14, 2011)

i was at wal mart browsing their pet section
and i saw this stuff called aspen bedding, it says "all natural, scent free, dust free, non toxic, non allergenic, no wood oils, scent free. for small animals- gerbils, hamsters, mice and all others. for large animals- guinea pigs, rabbits, rats, ferrets birds and reptiles."
it was $1.97 for a large bag, 560 cu inches (9 liters) expands to 1250 cu inches (20 liters)
i bought it for my tegu it was the cheapest thing i've found and it seems to be safe, he loves it. 
just though i'd share!


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## Strange_Evil (Aug 14, 2011)

aspen is horrible for tegu's. You will have major humidity problems and it doesn't hold burrows we'll. I use it for my snakes i house in tuns and that's it. Aspen is not the type of substrate you want to mist a lot either.


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## Neeko (Aug 14, 2011)

I agree with strange evil. Haven heard food reviews on adorn for Tegus. I use Eco earth for babies cypress mulch for adults. $20 for 24 quarts at petco. Try your local hardware store too but make sure its all cypress not blend bc it can have harmful woods in it if its the blend.


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## BillieJeAn (Aug 14, 2011)

Strange_Evil said:


> aspen is horrible for tegu's. You will have major humidity problems and it doesn't hold burrows we'll. I use it for my snakes i house in tuns and that's it. Aspen is not the type of substrate you want to mist a lot either.



my tegu want burrow  never has, he instead uses a giant hut i bought for him. 
but the humidity problem makes sense, he has a humidifier and soaks in his tub, so would it still be a problem? just super curios thanks for the heads up though

oh and the humidifier is tiny, so there isnt too much humidity just thought i'd clarify


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## jtpowers (Aug 14, 2011)

Aspen is often used by breeders for ball pythons and particularly easy to clean, and they really stand out against it so it's easy to inspect the enclosure....BUT it can be a LOT harder to get your humidity up with it. Unlike cypress, it isn't so good for misting or retaining humidity. If your tegu has a good water tub for soaks and your cage is well enclosed, it might do the job, but you'd have to pay close attention to humidity. Tegus don't spend so much time in a "humid hide" as ball pythons do, as they have to be out to bask. Cypress holds a more constant humidity rather than going through bigger variances.
While I am sure some folks may have success with it and I don't know that I would rate it "horrible" like pine or (worst of all) cedar, I personally would rate it as at least less than optimal and if you use it, you'll just have to pay closer attention to all factors impacting your humidity. 
For me, the advantage of aspen being a lot easier to clean and inspect is outweighed by these factors, and the fact that if you feed your tegu in a separate bin (good idea to avoid accidental ingestion of substrate anyway) and either let him have a daily "potty soak" or provide a large enough water pan, the substrate will probably be lower maintenance anyway and so the "ease of cleaning" aspen provides is sort of a moot point.


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## Strange_Evil (Aug 14, 2011)

BillieJeAn said:


> Strange_Evil said:
> 
> 
> > aspen is horrible for tegu's. You will have major humidity problems and it doesn't hold burrows we'll. I use it for my snakes i house in tuns and that's it. Aspen is not the type of substrate you want to mist a lot either.
> ...



I once had a Chinese water dragon, and as all know the humidity needs for them are often over exaggerated. My humidity stayed around 55%, but i had a large water dish he could soak, and he always shed good, no missing tails and was very healthy. 

So to kind of answer your question, i guess as long as your feeding a good diet( i read fruits help sheds) and its not to dry like below 55% and he has access to the water dish at all times especially during sheds he should be good. I would definitely add a humid hide though, get a rubbermaid tub and flip it, and spray it heavily and you could add some moss to it.

Still if you can try getting something other than aspen.


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## james.w (Aug 14, 2011)

Tegus like to dig and will burrow. Aspen does not allow either of these. I would try and find some top soil and play sand and use that as your substrate.


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## BillieJeAn (Aug 14, 2011)

james.w said:


> Tegus like to dig and will burrow. Aspen does not allow either of these. I would try and find some top soil and play sand and use that as your substrate.



mine doesnt burrow or dig. im not sure why, it may be because he doesnt have any toes though. :/
okay, thanks i will try that!


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## Strange_Evil (Aug 14, 2011)

BillieJeAn said:


> james.w said:
> 
> 
> > Tegus like to dig and will burrow. Aspen does not allow either of these. I would try and find some top soil and play sand and use that as your substrate.
> ...



How'd he lose his toes? With you or a previous owner?


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## BillieJeAn (Aug 14, 2011)

previous owner, i drove an hour and a half to get what she said was a "healthy tame sweet baby columbian" when i got there he was living in a 20 gallon aquarium, (plenty big enough for him at the time) no substrate, super skinny, blisters on his back, no front toes, and fairly aggressive. 
so i bought him despite his aggression and health because i couldnt stand to see him like that. (i say he but im not sure what he is, he's only ten maybe eleven months old) 
now he's fat and over a foot long, still aggressive though, impossible to handle. but i love him anyways 
i say he's a rescue because he kinda is 


Strange_Evil said:


> BillieJeAn said:
> 
> 
> > Strange_Evil said:
> ...



he has a hut next to his humidifier, he likes it pretty well, and he always has a good shed, but i will find something other than aspen, thanks for the info it helps a lot!


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## bonedoc (Aug 15, 2011)

I agree with the above posts, Aspen is not the bedding of choice for high humidity needs. We used Cypress for out Tegus, we did the best we could to find well ground up cypress so the pieces were small. It worked very well. 
I do use Aspen for my black throat monitor, but his himidity needs are not the same. Plus he has a large tub to soak in and get showers regularly. He loves to lay in the bottom of the tub with the shower on. The main benefit with him in cleaning and maintainance...He is a large lizard, 5' and 30lbs. He eats 6-8 full size rats a week. So when he has a bowel movement...you know it....lol!


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