Bake your soil!

[Syn]

If you are using organic soil and you don't have it covered, be sure to bake it!
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I have recently had at least two crested gecko get pinworms due to "bad" soil.

She was fine when I received her, as were all of the other geckos, but after I caught her eating soil a couple times, she has come up with pinworms.

Each of her cagemates had perfect fecals as well. No contamination issues.

I have since had to move them into separate cages, (blindingly pink tubs ).

I know that geckos are different from chameleons, but, they can get pinworms, too!

There has been at least one or two other people who have had issues with pinworms from organic soil.

Better safe than sorry!
​

Sabrina

 

[cushcameleon]

I'm assuming this only applies to organic loam soil you've used? Have you tried using coconut husk, peat moss, sand, etc.?

 

[Sang]

well, i am also using a organic soil from home depot as well.

i did have a light case of pin worms at least teh eggs a few months ago. So the association with the soil and the pin worms could be linked.

 

[Syn]

I'm assuming this only applies to organic loam soil you've used? Have you tried using coconut husk, peat moss, sand, etc.?

This was in a natural vivarium for crested geckos. I haven't tried using those, no. The soil was for the plants.

 

[thealissa]

If you have anything wood in the cage, this should also be baked about once per month to kill off any bacteria growth.

 

[prettykttkat]

Hmm, I have been using organic soil for a few years and never had this issue but I guess it could happen. Did you know sometimes parasites can come from feeder insects and rodents? Especially if you get your feeders from petstores? The insects munch and crawl on fecal matter(on things like egg crate,etc.) and if fed to your reptiles can get parasites. I read about this in a book called understanding reptile parasites. Also when you first got your cresteds did you ever get any fecals done? Pinworms are very common in reptiles and sometimes do not always show up in one fecal sample. Reptiles should get 3 (come back as clean) fecals done before they are deemed parasite free. Also to totally eliminate recontamination the cage should be clean/disinfected and then spot cleaned/disinfected every time they defecate while being treated until 3 fecals come back clean in a row (done every two weeks). It sucks to do but it is worth it in the end so the reptile does not get reinfected.

 

[Syn]

Seeings as these are crested geckos (I only feed them CGD) they have never eaten crickets etc..

Yes, I had fecals done by a friend and I had sent a couple samples to them for each crested.

 

[dragongoddess]

I get the annoying black gnats with the organic soil from Home Depot. Not as serious, but I think baking the soil is a good idea. At what temp to you bake soil?

 

[Syn]

I've heard 200 and the upwards of 350.. I also got those annoying gnats... I really wish I'd baked the soil.

I either got the soil from home depot or lowes.

 

[Malicious]

I get the annoying black gnats with the organic soil from Home Depot. Not as serious, but I think baking the soil is a good idea. At what temp to you bake soil?

Those annoying gnats are fungus gnats. The only way to get rid of them is to allow the soil to completly dry out. They lay their eggs in the damp soil. The adults only live for 2 days, so you can imagine how many eggs they lay!!


I get them from time to time, and baking the soil is not really the answer.


-Jay

 

[Syn]

Unfortunately by the time I had learned about the way to get rid of gnat eggs, I already had red wrigglers in my soil, about $30 worth of them.. but after removing the soil and displacing all of it, I haven't seen many gnats since. I think it just needs a quite scramble with your hands every now and then.

 

[Lizardlover]

baking soil kills beneficial microorganisms in the soil inhibiting plant growth, I did a science fair project on it,without the microorganisms the plants will just die.

 

[luckykarma]

I had decided a year ago to explore soil the chams could eat and wouldn't harm them. What you have to realize is all this "organic" soil have manure in it and many times chicken manure. This is exactly what we want to avoid.

After searching for months I finally found a cactus mix that contained no manure what-so-ever. No worm issues and they've been eating it for a while. Plus I had to repot a Alii Ficus tree and the nursery even recommended using a cactus mix. Tree and and Chams are fine.

 

[DJnSoCal]

I had decided a year ago to explore soil the chams could eat and wouldn't harm them. What you have to realize is all this "organic" soil have manure in it and many times chicken manure. This is exactly what we want to avoid.

After searching for months I finally found a cactus mix that contained no manure what-so-ever. No worm issues and they've been eating it for a while. Plus I had to repot a Alii Ficus tree and the nursery even recommended using a cactus mix. Tree and and Chams are fine.

+1. I think cactus mixes are generally a good way to go since it tends to be more porous and most of us are misting/dripping so frequently sometimes regular soil can become too moist. There isn't a need for the soil to retain much water since the plants are getting watered numerous times a day. But, might not be good for everyone.

 

[luckykarma]

Also get the cactus mix that doesn't contain the little white rock which I presently forget their name. If I can find the bag I'll post it. I looked at quite a few cactus mixes before I found this one.

 

[Pure]

baking soil kills beneficial microorganisms in the soil inhibiting plant growth, I did a science fair project on it,without the microorganisms the plants will just die.

What were the exact results of your experiments? What methods of providing nutrients to the plants did you test?

If you think about the processes involved in plants taking up nutrients. Other than these micro organisms breaking down organic matter into nitrates for the plants. I can't think of any use these organisms serve for sustaining the plants. The short of it is, use fertilizers are baking your soil.

I've always baked my soils/rocks/sand (planted tanks) at 350+. Not that high of a temp is needed, but it heats the core of what ever your baking faster. Depending on how fast I wanted to heat the soil, I've baked it as high as 500.

Jay, Just a note: Baking the soil will rid your soil of gnats. Not that the heat kills the eggs. I have no clue if it will or won't. I highly suspect they wouldn't survive temps of 350 but have nothing to back this up. But what it will do is dry the soil out, thus killing the gnats. Provided you let it bake long enough.

 

[prettykttkat]

I have cresteds too. Not everyone that has them only feeds them CGD. I occasionally feed mine insects.

 

[Lizardlover]

What were the exact results of your experiments? What methods of providing nutrients to the plants did you test?

If you think about the processes involved in plants taking up nutrients. Other than these micro organisms breaking down organic matter into nitrates for the plants. I can't think of any use these organisms serve for sustaining the plants. The short of it is, use fertilizers are baking your soil.

I've always baked my soils/rocks/sand (planted tanks) at 350+. Not that high of a temp is needed, but it heats the core of what ever your baking faster. Depending on how fast I wanted to heat the soil, I've baked it as high as 500.

Jay, Just a note: Baking the soil will rid your soil of gnats. Not that the heat kills the eggs. I have no clue if it will or won't. I highly suspect they wouldn't survive temps of 350 but have nothing to back this up. But what it will do is dry the soil out, thus killing the gnats. Provided you let it bake long enough.

after a few weeks the plants in the baked (organic) soil died within a few weeks.

 

[Pure]

But did you just stick the plants in the soil and do nothing more than water them? If that was the case..then yes I can see them dying.

 

[Lizardlover]

oh I see what your saying, if you fertilize them they should be fine. I gotcha now. No i didnt fertilize them.