Is spaghum moss good at keeping the humidity up? I was thinking of putting it on top of the reptile carpet in my water dragon's cage. Is there any problems with the moss?

__________________
~Tara~

0.0.1 Water Dragon (Saki)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Kahlúa)
0.2 Dogs (Macy, Tracy)
1.2 Cats (Teddy, Betty, Christy)

Yes it is good for keeping humidity up, but I don't like the smell of it when it's wet, so I just keep it in a moss box: a mostly closed plastic container with the wet moss in there and place it on the warm side of the tank. If the snakes want higher humidity, they hang out in there. I also mist the rest of the terrarium regularly.

__________________
Andrea

Do NOT use vermiculite in any way that an animal can come in contact with it. It is very sticky when wet and if swallowed can possibly result in impaction. If it dries out it becomes dusty and is damaging to the lungs if inhaled.
It is fine for incubating eggs but that is about it.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

i deleted my previous post cos it was bad information (apparently). sorry if I misguided anyone. my mistake. i personally dont have a need for moist hides, so I prolly shoulda just kept my mouth shut. i was just stating what I haveheard some breeders use for moist hides. again, my mistake, i appologise

Danni

No problem, Danni!
That is one of the things we envisioned for this site is to be able to dispel some of the misinformation that abounds in herp keeping!

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Well said Merlin,,,even experienced herpers are wise to learn more on a daily basis

__________________
Ken
"Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem." -- Ronald Reagan

You probably run the same risk of impaction with this as you would with any kind of bark or particulate substrate.

I tried using sphag moss for a while on top of the soil in my planters to keep humidity up. When I put it in my water dragon immediately jumped on it and starting thrashing about sending it flying everywhere. I couldn't figure out if she really liked it and was playing, or if she was doing the "get this stuff out of my plants" dance.

In the end I took it out because it was making a huge mess.

Actual sphagnum moss as used in herp enclosures is not particulate. It is long strands and if it is accidentally swallowed is no different than any other vegetable matter they would eat and would be fully digestable.
Sphagnum PEAT as sold for soil amendment is another product.

__________________
Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Thanks Merlin, I stand corrected.

The only Sphagnum moss that I found in stores around here was very twiggy and didn't look like it would go down very well. Took forever to sift through it and at least half the bag was waste.

So are there any kind of mosses that are good to use?

__________________
~Tara~

0.0.1 Water Dragon (Saki)
0.0.1 Crested Gecko (Kahlúa)
0.2 Dogs (Macy, Tracy)
1.2 Cats (Teddy, Betty, Christy)