Repti-Bark Harmful?

[Steven210]

I have repti bark in my terrarium for my cornsnake. When I put the mouse in (frozen pinky mice) sometimes the repti bark clings onto the mouse... I have only fed her once. Last time i was standing by with tweezers picking the pieces off as she was swallowing it. And she freaks out when I put her in another location like a diff box or something. Is repti bark digestible? what should i do?

 

[leoman777]

try placing a sterilite tub in the cage and put her in the tub then put the pinky in. good luck!

 

[Brewster320]

No, retpi bark will cause impaction if ingested. the best thing to do is to feed her in another container. If she freaks out don't put her back right away, leave her in there with the mouse, close the container, and put it in a quiet area for awhile, if she doesn't eat try it again next week. She'll get hungry and eat the food eventually and learn that the container means food. Thats what I've done with my corn and will be trying with my garter soon two, he'll be more tricky thoughe he is a finicky eater.

 

[ReptileMan27]

Defently need to be careful and either feed outside the cage or put newspaper or something down over the substrate while feeding. Bark and mulch contain large pieces that if ingest could be a prob. Things like aspen shavings will generally pass right threw if ingested.

 

[Steven210]

I fed her today in her terrarium but she consumed the pinky mouse on top of some peat moss I have in there so I didn't worry about any impaction. I will try moving her to a separate container during her next feeding... I dont want my hand to become food when shes bigger hehe

 

[Gregg M]

IDK, I have been using cypress mulch from the garden center for about 20 years with snakes... Never had an impaction... I have used reptibark as well for certain species for many years without issue as well... There is VERY LITTLE danger of snakes being impacted by substrates because of their short, straight GI system...

 

[eyelids]

One word MITES... I used that reptibark stuff several years ago with my Striped Albino Cal King and it was infested with mites...

 

[Gregg M]

Hey Mikey, sorry to inform you but reptile mites do not infest bagged substrates... Reptile mites infest reptiles and their cages...

What you can find in reptile bark and other mulches are substrate mites... These do not eat your reptile and they are actually beneficial as they eat rotten vegitaion, fecal matter, and funguses... They are like a little sanitation crew...

 

[eyelids]

That's interesting because they weren't around before I added the bark... This was like ten years ago btw... Maybe it was a conspiracy to keep me from having snakes...

Anyways, I'm glad you know your stuff because there's no need to spread disinformation...

 

[Ian S.]

Try covering the feeding cage with a blanket or a towel for about 5-10 min. then put the mouse / pinkie in. Leave the cage covered of course. A seperate feeding container will help cut down on it's feeding response also depending on how often you handle the snake. Good luck!