Coconut fiber

[Sandra]

I'm not going to ask for advice since I don't plan to use this substrate with my leos, so please don't post things like "go with papertowels/repti-carpet/slate" as you always do. I only want some constructive discussion on a substrate that for once, it's not sand.

It's a general opinion (I don't know in the USA, but in Europe at least it is) that coconut fiber (not chips) is a perfectly safe substrate, setting aside the fact that it retains humidity which is not advisable for leos.

It is a loose substrate, and like anything that fits in the mouth of our geckos, it can be ingested and probably will sometimes. What makes it safer that other organic loose substrates? I'm usually not convinced with unfounded reasons that people give like "calci-sand is alright because it is digestible, the bag says so". I have to find proofs and explanations that make sense before having an opinion.

But nobody has given me any reasons to use coconut fiber that I thought were enough convincing. Most people just say "It's biodegradable", "It's digestible", "It's made from vegetable matter"... So is, for example, corn cob litter and I don't think it is a suitable substrate (it reminds me to gravel vegetable-version, which it is very popular here too).

Opinions? :main_yes:

 

[ReptileMan27]

Coco fiber(aka bed a beast) is not a bad substrate but its not good for leos. Its meant for more tropic/hummidity loving species,it hold moisture good. Leos like it dry, I wouldnt reccomend it for leos, not because of impaction or anything, just because its not a natural thing for leos. I use it for my tokay geckos and one of my AFTs, it works great for them but they require high hummidity.

 

[dragonflyreptiles]

I use coco fiber in my humid hides but not as a substrate.

 

[spykerherps]

I use coco fiber in all my other geckos inclosures(except for levis). I recently switched to using it in my leo's lay boxes was using vermiculite. works fine for that, have not had any problems, but not for leo substrate.

 

[PaulSage]

I use coco fiber in my humid hides but not as a substrate.

Same here. Well, I used to, but it was kind of annoying because it gets pretty dusty. Even though it does hold humidity pretty well, it seems to dry out faster than other similar substrates. Coconut fiber doesn't "clump" the way some other substrates do, which I think contributes to it's "safeness" as a substrate. Also, it seems pretty resistant to mold, unlike that corn cob crap that starts molding before you can fill up your spray bottle.

 

[Sandra]

I'm not saying that it's a bad substrate. Right now I think that it's the safest loose substrate because I've not ever seen a reptile dying from coconut impaction, but I wanted to know what makes it safe.

I know that it's not perfect for leos due to its capacity to retain humidity, but let's say, for african fat tails since they are similar. If they eat it probably nothing will happen, while any other substrate would be harmful.

I guess it's a bit of everything. Sand may be small but it clumps. Other substrates like wood chips don't clump that much but are so big that could be fatal if ingested. If coconut fiber is small and doesn't clump, and the fact that it's digestible (that although it's not definitive for choosing a substrate always helps when it's swallowed), it makes of it a safer substrate than others.

I don't like corn cob anyway, I used it as a bad example. It seems to be liked here as a substrate for desertic lizards because of it 'being digetible' and dry, but as you said, I've read in some websites that it molds easily and in some birds websites (it seems it's quite popular to use it for birds) they say some of their birds died from impaction due to the corn cob litter. I don't like the gravel-like 'format' either. But the few people here I've talked to that have used this substrate say that they haven't had any issues with it.

 

[gecko_man2]

I have had some adult white's tree frogs die from coco fiber impaction. I switched my leopard gecko moist hides from vermiculite to half and half. Seems to hold the moisture better and longer.