# Substrate question



## klowery10 (Jun 3, 2021)

I have been reading that fir bark can cause neurological issues in Tegus and other reptiles due to the oils in it.... but zoo Med makes a product called reptibark that is literally fir bark. Is this a safe product? I would find it hard to believe that zoo Med has a widely distributed product that is unsafe for the animals they make it for. I mix it with coconut husk (eco earth) for my tegu. Wondering if i need to switch it up.


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## klowery10 (Jun 3, 2021)

I may have answered my own question- this seems to be made from Douglas fir trees, which do not possess the toxic oils of others.


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## Merlot (Jun 9, 2021)

You’ll probably want to mix it up anyways simply do to cost and volume you’ll be using for your Gu. Is your Gu still small and you’re using this right now? Look into a mixture of play sand/top soil mix with some cypress mulch and sphagnum moss in it


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## Roadkill (Jun 9, 2021)

First: In the pet hobby community, people spread a lot of stories without ever checking the veracity. Make it a health concern, and that is even more addictive: gotta share this, makes me look intelligent! And if you've ever played that "telephone line" game as a kid (one kid starts a phrase, whispers it to the next, and so on down the line) you know the message gets changed as people misunderstand the message, often deliberately embellished to strengthen the point. Some coniferous woods have volatile compounds that some individuals are hypersensitive to. This is sort of akin to saying some may be allergic to it. Do we flip out about eating peanut butter because some people are allergic to it? "DON'T EAT PEANUT BUTTER, IT'S TOXIC!!!!!" No, we don't. We understand there are individuals with different sensitivities and the reaction they have is intrinsic to themselves and the compound. For some reason, that understanding doesn't seem to pass on to anything else. If one reptile had a reaction to a wood, well then it's toxic to all of them. Pine and cedar typically get this mistreatment. It's good to be aware of some potential health issues, but it's not necessarily right to say 1 out of 100000 is hypersensitive, so they're all sensitive. Always practice caution, not hysteria.

Second: There is literally next-to-no safety regulations with regards to pet products. As someone who used to work intimately in the pet industry and actively tested many products, I'd easily say 90% of the products on the shelf are pure crap/never been tested/someone just slapped a label on something to sell it. There are many products out there with neurotoxins in them labelled "safe" (with a fine print of "when used properly with caution"). Just because it's put out there by Zoo-Med (or any other pet company) does not mean it has been tested for safety. Always inform yourself.


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## Dude Bro Man 433 (Jun 9, 2021)

klowery10 said:


> I have been reading that fir bark can cause neurological issues in Tegus and other reptiles due to the oils in it.... but zoo Med makes a product called reptibark that is literally fir bark. Is this a safe product? I would find it hard to believe that zoo Med has a widely distributed product that is unsafe for the animals they make it for. I mix it with coconut husk (eco earth) for my tegu. Wondering if i need to switch it up.


Rose city reptiles has a video on substrate that I did , super cheap and a game changer for shedding, no more stuck shed on toes. Peat moss 


klowery10 said:


> I have been reading that fir bark can cause neurological issues in Tegus and other reptiles due to the oils in it.... but zoo Med makes a product called reptibark that is literally fir bark. Is this a safe product? I would find it hard to believe that zoo Med has a widely distributed product that is unsafe for the animals they make it for. I mix it with coconut husk (eco earth) for my tegu. Wondering if i need to switch it up.


topsoil and play sand been doing this for awhile now, and it works for bioactive when you put your cork bark oak leaves and isopods


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## klowery10 (Jun 9, 2021)

Merlot said:


> You’ll probably want to mix it up anyways simply do to cost and volume you’ll be using for your Gu. Is your Gu still small and you’re using this right now? Look into a mixture of play sand/top soil mix with some cypress mulch and sphagnum moss in it


I use 2 bags of this + 3 eco earth bricks and a pack of sphagnum moss for a 6 x 2 enclosure. He is about 2 feet long now. I have no complaints about the substrate. He usually burrows into the cave that i made for him where most of the moss is concentrated.


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## ColdBlooded1 (Jun 9, 2021)

klowery10 said:


> I have been reading that fir bark can cause neurological issues in Tegus and other reptiles due to the oils in it.... but zoo Med makes a product called reptibark that is literally fir bark. Is this a safe product? I would find it hard to believe that zoo Med has a widely distributed product that is unsafe for the animals they make it for. I mix it with coconut husk (eco earth) for my tegu. Wondering if i need to switch it up.


I use organic potting soil, mixed with organic peat moss and my guy LOVES it, he sleeps in his little burrow that he makes, you can't even see him. I keep it misted so it doesn't get too dry and his sheds are always great.


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