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Posted by Doug T on January 26, 2003 at 16:11:35:
In Reply to: Re: Eastern Indigo Blue for 2 weeks posted by GregH on January 26, 2003 at 13:21:37:
Peat moss is quite acidic and slows bacterial and fungal growth. Just ask those 1000 year old mummies they find in Scottish Peat bogs that are so intact the colors of the clothes they wear are still visible.
My experience with peat moss in my indigo hide boxes has been nothing short of a fabulous experience. Perhaps I've got miracle peat moss in my hides, but it NEVER goes bad. If there are urates in the peat, dump it and get new peat. It's cheap and it's not any different than the rest of your substrate in that sense. I can't remember a single time that my indigos passes feces or urates in their hides anyway.
Damp peat moss in the hide box is my cure for retained eye caps. The only times I've had an indigo retain an eyecap is when I have let the peat moss dry out.
My indigos also NEVER soak in their water dishes unless they are too warm. With my Dry's, soaking is a clue that something is wrong. So I wouldn't suggest to a new drymarchon keeper to expect his/her new drymarchon to soak if it's dehydrated. It's more likely that the first clue you get to dehydration is the retained eye cap.
So Greg, Keep the hide with the peat moss, don't let the peat get "wet", but just damp enough that it clumps up when you squeeze it and so it smells moist (You'll know). It isn't the only way to keep things working right with your dry's, but I believe it's the easiest.
Doug T
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::You're welcome.It is my experience that most snakes will lay in their waterbowl if they are either too dry to shed or too hot.It's important to have a sufficient amount of clean water at all times.Usually if I want more moisture in the cage,I'll place a larger water supply close to the heat source.At any rate,I still advise against moss.How do you know it's not wet from urates?Moss also encourages the growth of mildew and fungus in a very short period of time.If you are adamant about using moss,you should change it every day.Take care,
:: Chris
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