Anyone use reptisoil?

[jamest0o0]

Looking for a soil substrate that is safe, most of them had coco fiber, sphagnum moss, and/or bark in them which i've heard can all build up and be impaction risks. Saw Reptisoil "Zoo Med Reptisoil is a special blend of peat moss, soil, sand, and carbon". This doesn't seem bad, the pictures don't show any chunks of stuff in it. Just hoping someone here had experience with this.

 

[ali9021]

I use no substrate because I heard it was safest for the cham. I just pick up with a plastic bag and wipe down the floor with a clean rag every day

 

[jamest0o0]

@ali9021 I agree with you, but i'm trying to do a bioactive. Otherwise i'd be doing the exact same.

 

[poison]

A healthy and well hydrated animal will pass small amounts of substrate. You can really use anything for a bioactive substrate. But I believe you will be using live plants? I would have suggested organic top soil from Home Depot super cheap but horrible for most plants. I use ABG mix. This does have chunks of charcoal and other stuff in it as well as soil and very fine moss. Abg is great because unlike just plan coco fiber or just plain soil it water pases through it and doesn't build up do to be larger chunks that are in there. If you're not worried about the plants I'd just go with organic top soil or organic potting soil from Home Depot( which is better then potting soil imo) both would be perfectly fine for a bioactive environment.

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah i planned on having plants in it. I was looking at ABG mix and heard great things, but didn't know how to feel about the fibers and bark in it. What's the consistency of it like? I just want to feel okay knowing if my cham eat's some it won't cause problems. I also have bags of scotts topsoil. That stuff has sticks and rocks all through it, but could probably sift it out somehow.

 

[poison]

Hi, it definitely has chunks in it. One thing you can do is use abg mix then layer a couple inches of top soil over it.

 

[poison]

Here's a pic in one of my empty enclosures. Hard to show you just from a pic but yes I would describe it as chunky. Along with chunks of charcoal it also has Josh's frogs false bottom mixed in.

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah i think i'll buy some, even if i go with something else, it sounds like it'd be great for the plants that i cover up and for having as my lower layer like you said. Thank you for helping out

 

[Extensionofgreen]

ABG mix is fine for growing tropical plants, but I would not use any substrate with particles of bark, charcoal, perlite, or osmunda and have those aggregates exposed to the chameleon. A chameleon can certainly pass soil it accidentally ingests, but those times and others are indigestible and likely to cause blockages. Use Promix HP or something similar ( I prefer Sunshine Mix #4 ) and mulch that with a covering of dead leaves, such as almond or Magnolia leaves. If you cap your potting mix with topsoil you will have plants with rotting roots and very wet substrate.

 

[jamest0o0]

@Extensionofgreen thank you! So i'm looking at the sunshine mix #4 you mentioned, that would make a suitable bioactive substrate as long as i cover it with the leaf litter? I notice it has perlite and things in it that can cause blockages, so i'd just cover that with the leaves? Sorry if that's a dumb question, just nervous to screw it up.

 

[Extensionofgreen]

I've used sunshine mix#4 exclusively in my parsons enclosure and although it has perlite, the perlite is small and easily passes, if ingested. My animals also do not intentionally eat the soil as some chameleon will do.
Yes, Sunshine MiX#4 is one of the best products for growing plants in our heavily misted enclosures and it can be used as a bioactice substrate. If you want to really amp it up for the plants, mix some HollyTone 1/2 cup to 10 quarts of sunshine mix and 1 cup of Osmocote fertilizer for indoor/outdoor plants. The fertilizer will not hurt a thing, and remember, you will be covering your substrate, to prevent ingestion and it won't harm the bioactive organisms.

 

[jamest0o0]

Thank you so much! Will definitely be trying this.

 

[AZChamFan]

ABG mix is fine for growing tropical plants, but I would not use any substrate with particles of bark, charcoal, perlite, or osmunda and have those aggregates exposed to the chameleon. A chameleon can certainly pass soil it accidentally ingests, but those times and others are indigestible and likely to cause blockages. Use Promix HP or something similar ( I prefer Sunshine Mix #4 ) and mulch that with a covering of dead leaves, such as almond or Magnolia leaves. If you cap your potting mix with topsoil you will have plants with rotting roots and very wet substrate.

I have to ask out of curiosity - are the dead dried leaves digestable?!! It seems like a piece of dead dried leaf could be almost as bad as a piece of bark unless the leaf can actually be digested. Once again - I'm just curious as to why the leaves are ok!! Not challenging the method or saying it's wrong!!! Obviously living leaves are digestible so I guess dead ones should be as well - for some reason they just seem like they'd be more difficult!!! Even if they are, can any cham digest leaves? I understand that veileds in particular have this ability but if a cham does not naturally eat leaves is their digestive system still capable?

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Dead leaves won't be any harder than the exoskeleton of a superworm and chameleons eat them with high frequency. Also, when using large leaves. The entire leaf wouldn't be consumed, only a small bite, should an errant tongue strike bring one to the chameleon's mouth. I actually caught a parsonii munching on dead leaves from one of the plant in its enclosure. It was doing so voluntarily.

 

[Ilike4hornedchams]

I use eco earth a good deal because it does a great job fighting the growth of fungus or mold even it it gets wet a lot. I highly recommend eco earth! I used it in like 4 of my enclosures!

 

[jamest0o0]

@Ilike4hornedchams i'm pretty sure eco earth is not a good idea because it can build up, especially the chunks and fibers. Also with a bioactive substrate, molds and fungus are part of the cycle for it to be effective. Usually they are not dangerous in this setting. (This is what i've gathered form my reading)

 

[poison]

plain ecoearth though much better then topsoil really isn't the best options for most plants. I've had very little success growing a lot of plants other then pothos or more water loving plants. Water buileds up in coco fiber and it really has no nutrients for plants. The point of the bioactive substrate is to prevent mold though no doubt in a moist environment/ enclosure some my grow in the enclosures early stages. Mold is harmful to humans and animals if exposed to it an access amount. The bacteria and bugs will eat the rotting plants, wood, or poop preventing any mold from growing. If it does happen to grow no doubt they would eat it.

 

[AZChamFan]

Just another little note on mold. I use plain peat moss (very fine) since I don't have live plants, and I was getting a little mold just on the branches where they enter the peat moss. I added some springtails and it's amazing how well they cleaned up the mold. I was concerned they might not do well in pure peat moss but they seem to be thriving as I see a lot of them in there! They are great little cleaners!!

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah i get the point of a bioactive is to prevent mold, i just meant that mold is a natural part of the cycle. Springtails and other critters along with the bacteria in the soil are supposed to keep the balance like you guys mention. I won't be worried about mold unless i see the entire substrate covered which hopefully won't happen!

 

[Extensionofgreen]

Ecoearth is coir based, as is sunshine mix #4. The sunshine mix has been composted to remove phytotoxins and leached of any harmful salts. Coir is more stable in pH and more suitable for long term plant health. It's not any more dangerous than peat moss, which is also a fibrous material resulting from the decomposition of spahnum moss. Peat moss is no environmentally friendly, as they destroy the fragile bogs to mine the material. It's acidity makes it resistant to molds and bacteria, but also unsuitable for plant growth, without added buffers, which will eventually wear off, causing a peat based potting mix to drift to acid and cause issues with plant growth in the long run. Most potting mixes will suffer this drift towards to acid for most plant, but some resist it longer than others. In wet environments, expect a couple years of optimum performance at most.