# Zoo med repti bark as background cover?



## Link3898 (Sep 18, 2008)

Hey i cant find any suitable orchid bark (that arent huge peices) so i was wondering if anyone knows if the Zoo Med Repti Bark they sell in big bags at petsmart would be just as good... i dont see how it could harm the frogs since its being sold as a reptile substrate(i know... that doesnt mean much...) and they have a picture of a red eye tree frog on the bag(again... doesnt mean much).... its Fir tree bark if this makes any difference...
i use this bark in my Varanus melinus (Quince Monitor) display and have never had issues. 

any imput would be great, i would like to try to get the bark to start the background tonight if possible..


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## iridebmx (Oct 29, 2008)

i never really asked but i put that in my substrate.have not had any problems with it as of yet .and there are no frogs in it yet either


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## Link3898 (Sep 18, 2008)

hummm.... well i was thinkin about siliconing it to the background and using it in the substrate... i just wonder if this is the exact same thing as orchid bark... if so then there are no problems but i dont know what kind of wood orchid bark is usually..


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## iridebmx (Oct 29, 2008)

not sure of it being the same as orchid but i did have problems with it sticking to silicone in my anole cage(most of it fell off).


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## Link3898 (Sep 18, 2008)

how long did you let it dry out for? ive found when using orchid bark i have to let it become bone dry before it stops falling off, or i have to use a rediculous amount of silicone...


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## Fishman (Jan 16, 2007)

So iridebmx, you have this fir bark in your substrate but don't have frogs in the viv yet? It is not clear in your post if you are saying it is safe for frogs.


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## Sitting_Duck (Sep 28, 2008)

Hey link, wana buy a sharp knife that has a picture of a dart frog on it from me? It's real safe for frogs,because it has a picture of one on it, of course.


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## Link3898 (Sep 18, 2008)

i guess you didnt pick up the two lines of "this doesnt mean much" i know alot of products out there have animals printed on the labels of which the product itself is not so healthy for the animals posted... 

so next time you say something like that please read and reread and then consider what was said... since i stated that the picture meant pretty much nothing, and was asking about whether or not the product was safe to use.


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## Link3898 (Sep 18, 2008)

so no one knows if this is safe for dart frog use?


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## Link3898 (Sep 18, 2008)

OK so i went out after work today and picked up a bag of the substrate in question and it says on the back it can used for tree frogs.

so would it be safe to assume that it can be used with terrestrial amphibians as well?


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## garweft (Mar 11, 2008)

Yes it is fine. I use the four paws version called naturebark in my substrate and also on backgrounds. It makes the backgrounds a little more course and gives it a more heterogeneous moisture profile. That is the knocks and crannies hold the moisture longer than the outer surface. It really helps with the growth of epiphytes and climbing vines. 

For the backgrounds I press a bunch into the wet silicone and then pile some dry coco fiber on top of that to fill in around the pieces. You can also use coco chunks/chips which will last longer.


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## Sitting_Duck (Sep 28, 2008)

There you go again link, I assume it was you who gave me a negative rep comment for my earlier comment. Whether it was you or not, it doesn't matter.

You just said again that since it says its used for tree frogs then you can use it for other amphibians. They can put anything on the bag they want. I'm not saying that particular bark is bad, but that you have to watch out. I'm only saying this so in the future your animals will be as healthy as can be. 

Whoever gave me that comment rep, I'd appreciate if you would spell right...

Heres a quote from another member, I think it fits in quite nicely with this situation.
" The reputation points are given by closed minded individuals who are not capable of defending their position without getting their nose bent out of shape"

and yes, I did delete some words, but nothing that would've helped your case, it would've just made this go more off topic.


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## taherman (Sep 5, 2008)

Not sure how this will affect my feedback, but anyway....

FYI
Zoo-med reptibark is just fir bark, same as orchid bark, and perfectly safe for amphibians. I (and others) have kept salamanders on it for years with no issues. It is very rot resistant, nicely tannic, and cultures springtails quite well.

-Tim


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