Just curious if anyone uses peat moss or potting soil for their pets. What are the pros/cons if you have.

Not peat moss. I use a combination of ORGANIC potting soil and coconut husk shred, that comes in the compressed bricks. It has to be organic.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

I use a mixture of potting soil, dirt and sand for my monitors. It works could for holding humidity required for keeping burrows intact.
My enclosures are sealed as much as possible though. Use potting soil without a sealed enclosure and the heat lamps will dry it out rather quickly. You don't want to be adding water on a daily basis to soil, as it becomes quite mucky.

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Mike
"Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you." - Mother Teresa

It really depends what critter you are using the soil for. So what ARE you using the soil for? Its different for different herps.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

Is their a reason you say no peat moss? Or you just dont use it?

I currently am using potting soil(yes it is organic! no perlite/vermiculite/fertilizers) & peat moss mix for my golden gecko, & a rose hair tarantula. My friend keeps his emperor scorpions, and rose hair tarantula on just potting soil. And, I have another friend who keeps his BP on peat moss. I was mostly asking about how BP would do on soil/moss substrate, because I am getting 3 very soon - and I have a huge bag of both. But I was curious to see if people were using this type of mixture, with what animals, and if they would recommend it or not.

Its not that you shouldn't, I just don't like it personally in my own mix.

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My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

all of my snakes are on cocofiber. its cheap, easy to scoop out there waste, and it holds moisture well.

as for peat/potting soil, the substrate in my huge viv housing 2 Leucs is roughly a 1/1/2 mixture of sphagnum peat moss, pine bark chips, and organic top soil. some of the higher parts of the viv are just a 1/1 mixture of sphagnum and soil. don't really think there are pros and cons to most substrates. its mostly just preference as long as they wont harm the animal.

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i'd be better off opening my own small zoo.

I bought some soil type substrate from the pet store one time for my ball python I didnt like it. It got stuck on him and it got in his water bowl from it getting stuck to him then him going for a soak.

I personally don't like it because it messes up the water really bad and can cause the snake to look dirty. I used to use it for my corns because they like to burrow in it, but it wound up being better to just use hides and carpet the enclosure.

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“The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not ‘Eureka!’ (I found it!) but ‘That’s funny…'"
- Isaac Asimov



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