coco shells

N

niajetze

New member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
137
Reaction score
3
Points
0
Location
north wales
Country
United Kingdom
Display Name
carrie
I was wondering if I could use cocoa shells for my tiger set up (currently housing a fire bellied newt). They smell REALLY nice and are easily obtainable here (used as an alternative to bark in gardens) i have checked and can get hold of organic .....though obviously i would still wash it before using.
 
I have never heard of cocoa shells as a substrate material, so I did some googling. See:
http://netvet.wustl.edu/species/reptiles/pough.txt
"Amphibians and reptiles often ingest bedding material with food, and cage substrates
should be chosen with this possibility in mind, and several substrates commonly used for bird
and mammal cages are harmful for amphibians and reptiles. Appropriate substrates keep the
animal dry, such as newspaper, indoorþoutdoor carpet, sand (only for species that normally
live in sand), gravel (smooth particles that are fine enough to pass through the digestive
tract), crushed oyster shell (especially good for tortoises and large lizards and snakes),
hardwood mulch and bark chips, and peat and sphagnum moss. Materials that swell when
they are swallowed, such as ground corn cobs, kitty litter, the pine shavings used in rodent
cages, and cocoa shells, should not be used (Demeter, 1989)."

The other danger from cocoa shells is that, if they are left accessible, dogs will eat them and can be poisoned.
 
thanks for that... I was considering th possibility of them being ingested by a tiger salamander perhaps they could still be used as a bedding for small amphibs (that cannot eat them) but certainly not sutable for any of mine at this point ......

THANK YOU!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
  • Shane douglas:
    with axolotls would I basically have to keep buying and buying new axolotls to prevent inbred breeding which costs a lot of money??
     +1
    Unlike
  • Thorninmyside:
    Not necessarily but if you’re wanting to continue to grow your breeding capacity then yes. Breeding axolotls isn’t a cheap hobby nor is it a get rich quick scheme. It costs a lot of money and time and deditcation
     +1
    Unlike
  • stanleyc:
    @Thorninmyside, I Lauren chen
     +1
    Unlike
  • Clareclare:
    Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus Japanese . I'm raising them and have abandoned the terrarium at about 5 months old and switched to the aquatic setups you describe. I'm wondering if I could do this as soon as they morph?
     +1
    Unlike
    Clareclare: Would Chinese fire belly newts be more or less inclined towards an aquatic eft set up versus... +1
    Back
    Top