eco earth

[mainelygeckos]

Anyone else use this stuff? I got it for the first time and man it sucks lol...Have to soak the whole cube for 30 minuutes and then a huge mess to clean up after I squeezed out all excess water and placed some in each moist hide instead of the forest moss I had..now my question is...after I have place the remaining eco earth in seperate tubs (since I don't have one large enough to hold it all ) do I leave it to dry out and spray it as I use it or keep it wet with a cover for when I use it? I don't want it to mold in the container and of course idk if it will lol It's the only thing besides forest moss for them at the petstore here they don't carry very good stuff...tho the forest moss has worked fine I decided to switch bcause, well, they are not from the forest lol

Also this is a feeder question but did not want to post twice..I do not breed crickets but buy like 50 or so every 2 weeks to give my geckos but I want them to be alive to feed so I feed the crickets dog food and wet a paper towel in a cover for water..problem is they keep dying..what do you think I am doin wrong?

 

[spykerherps]

Well I have never had a problem with using it or making it for that matter. just stick it in a 32 qt sterilite container and add water usualy warm or hot. then check in on it in a few and it should be ready to go. maybe a little squeezing. only if you add too much I don't think I go by the directions on the package. its just a reflexive thing now.

use what you want and let the rest dry out when you need more just add water. I have never had a problem with it molding.

also if you aren't up for all the work I believe there is an alternative product that comes loose and dry(not in a brick).

 

[mainelygeckos]

Thanks for the response..ya I know they have it loose but local petstore sucks and carries very few options..loose eco not being one of them..So I opted to get the brick of eco earth and I will let it dry out and remember next time not to add the water it called for on the pacage lol ..thanks so much for the info

now..about those crickets?

 

[ang3l3s]

i buy a g every month and lose 25%, when 1 dies it emits a gas which kills other crickets, also they have small life spans so u r not doing anything wrong .. they just suck

 

[mainelygeckos]

k I knew they sucked lol but ya thanks for letting me know that I hate them terribly but I like to get some and gut load them occasionally so my babies have a little variety and not having mealies all the time but I am thinking about investing in Dubias in t he future cause I don't wanna mess with crickets if I don't have to

 

[ballin]

potato slices are the best because they give the crickets water and food and I have had no problem with mine, they seem to survive better with potato then a lot of other things.

 

[Pepper]

Pet store crickets die!

I breed my own, and have not had one die on me, except when their lives are over as adults. I keep them warm and give them fruits and veggies and they are fat and healthy!

Even when one dies none of my other ones die.

 

[acpart]

Eco earth: if you use the right amount of water (1 gallon) you shouldn't have to squeeze anything out. If you think it's too wet, just let it sit for awhile and the water should evaporate. I love eco earth and use it in all my lay boxes. The extra can be stored in a large ziploc. It doesn't dry out and doesn't get moldy. I've stored it that way for months.

Crickets: they need warm temps, water source but not a lot of moisture, a place for every cricket to stand (not on top of another cricket) and food. This is how I keep my 1000-2000 crickets: 10 gallon tank, 1/2" or so of gutload on the bottom, several pieces of egg crate so they have a lot of surface area, 4 small dishes of gel crystals (I get the crystals in bulk and make my own). For feeding I take about 450-100 out and put them in a 12"x6"x9" (approx.) critter keeper. They don't last long in there because I have a lot of geckos and a beardie. I don't think the moist paper towel is doing good things for your set up.

Aliza

 

[Alliemac]

I agree about the eco earth. I LOVE it for humid hides and do all my leos. It holds moisture really well and it doesn't mold like moss does sometimes. If it does dry out it's looser than the original brick so in the future you don't have to soak all of it.

I started with it only because I have a ball python that was having shed issues due to tank humidity. We switched to eco earth and problem solved. Then one day I ran out of moss so I just used the earth since it was on hand. The rest is history.

 

[mainelygeckos]

Thanks so much for all the info!

Aliza ok I will remove the paper towel lol and I keep 50-100 in a KK when I buy them. They have a paper towel tube to climb on so no stepping on eachother as well as a couple pieces of crumpled newpaper. Should I put the dog food in the blender so its smaller? Then coat the bottom with it? I'm not trying to breed them lol just keep them alive til feeding time. Will get the gel crystals cause it should last along time too and not have to rewet it every day. I am def gonna look into dubia tho cause I really do not want to mess with these guys much longer. Thank goodness for my mealy farm lol now just waiting for babies worms.

I am glad I got the eco earth and very nice to hear it doesn't mold so ziploc it is lol 2 of my geckos are in their moist hides and seem to love it. My adult male I have had for 3-4 weeks and he never used his moist hide at all therefore I needed to help him shed the other day. Since getting the eco earth he hasn't gone to any other hide. Guess he didn't like the forest moss I had

Thanks so much for all your help everyone!

 

[Shadraak]

eco earth, or coconut fiber, i've had a lot of problems with it molding, if in a humid hide etc... it was fine in my crested cage at the bottom, however i just put a brick to soak up and get ready and i went in there in abotu an hour later and it was alreayd heavially molded, so i dont like it anymore, i'm gonna stick to sphag. moss, as it's got acids and stuff in them to kill bacteria etc..

 

[LizMarie]

Weird. I've had the same brick of Eco Earth since November/December and never had a problem with it molding at all and it's in a Zip-Loc Bag under my bed. It still smells fresh and retains the moisture.

 

[Shadraak]

must be me then things mold easy in my house guess it's just very dry, may be that it is old too i'm not using it anyway cause it had a strong smell to it, not sour, but def. almost like cedar.

 

[Alliemac]

What brand are you using? Maybe that's the difference?

I've never noticed a smell either other than for the first hour or so while it's soaking. I've had the same brick in my ball tank since Feb I think. We just empty the tank and rewet it about once everything 3 weeks or so to keep the humidity up. Compared to having to mist 3 or 4 times a day eco earth is my hero. lol

 

[Pepper]

So how much water should be added to one brick? I bought one of these because theres more and its cheaper than in the bag dry. My Salamanders will love it

 

[acpart]

So how much water should be added to one brick? I bought one of these because theres more and its cheaper than in the bag dry. My Salamanders will love it

1 gallon of water to 1 brick.

Aliza