Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate

This review is more from our snake than us... We love the color, and how it really shows off our Jungle Carpet Python's colors! We also love how it holds moisture far, far better than Aspen. From Xena's perspective, she loves the fact that she can cover up her waste (she's very discreet for a snake, lol). She also loves the way it feels on her scales. She hasn't been able to tell us this, but when we had Aspen substrate, she hardly ever touched the ground. We did a 1/2 and 1/2, and she would curl up on the Coconut Fiber side, and didn't touch the Aspen. Now we're completely switched to Coconut, and she moves around her cage spending almost equal amounts of time on the ground and above it. :) We have bought two bags so far, and that has been enough to do four complete cleanouts of her 75 gallon tank, and replace what we used for general maintenance in between complete cleanouts. My only recommendation is that before you put the substrate down, you put some reptile carpet down first. We have it on the bottom of the tank, with the substrate on top. It helps keep the substrate from being pushed around too much and uncovering the floor, and it also makes it sssooo much easier to clean! We just grab the corners, pick it up, and shake it into a garbage bag. Then we rinse the carpet off, put it back in the tank, and put clean substrate down. It's cut our tank-cleaning time in half.

I bought this for my pet frog and it's by far the best coconut fiber I've found so far. You do not need to wet it, it doesn't need to be expanded, and it is incredibly easy to use and isn't hard or chunky at all. It's soft and perfect for my frog's terrarium. I assume it's best in cases where you put moss over it though, since I think a small animal could crawl under it (cricket, frog, etc.) but I wouldn't know since I always put moss on top. Overall, amazing product and perfect!

We have a leopard gecko in a 20 gallon enclosure with a number of hides and items for stimulation. After a lot of research we have settled on using this substrate as it is natural and very gentle on our little reptile. The material is easy to pour out and doesn't create clouds of dust. It is also easy to scoop for maintenance between heavy cleanings. This bags is about 3 times the quantity of what we were previously buying locally for about 2/3 the price - basically we get a bag free! Strongly recommend this substrate for reptiles and this larger bag for the economics!

This is the only stuff my snake likes. She hates everything else. In this stuff, she digs around and looks happy as a clam... sticking out her little tounge, eyes sparkling with wonder. So cute. It's very soft, easy to clean out dirty patches, and can be sifted in a basic cleaner with ease. Not too dusty, it's heavy enough to stay down rather than float around the room. No allergies with this stuff, doesn't irritate my sensitive nose, even when cleaning it. It doesn't hold humidity very well- but I tried coco husk from zoo med as well, the kind you literally soak to bring to life, and there was no change in humidity. Nothing beats a big water dish and a towel a for a very effective at keeping the humidity in snake comfort range (40%-60%). The snake likes it nice and deep- usually a lot of the bag is needed. But this is a really great price that no pet store can beat. tl;dr Pros: Light, soft, easy to clean, snakes love it, I love it, no allergies, cheap Cons: Need a lot, doesn't increase humidity (But I haven't found any others that don't have that problem so I won't take off a star.)

This is my first time using loose coco substrate and I found it a million times better than the coco bricks I used to buy from Exo Terra. I love that I can just pour it in without the mess and hassle of soaking and breaking apart the bricks. What makes this especially great for frogs is there is not a ridiculous amount of coco string in it. The large amounts of coco string from the bricks would stick to my frogs sticky skin so badly, they looked like they had little fur coats on. I would have to separate out a lot of the string so they wouldn't constantly be covered in it, but with this there is just the right amount of coco string in it. It is very soft with no random sharp chunks like I've found previously with the bricks, which saves me the trouble of hand picking out the chunks so my toads can burrow safely. The only con I see so far is the bag is not resealable so if you're planning on keeping this for multiple changes keep in mind you'll have to tape it closed.

The Zoo Med Eco Earth Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate (24 qts) is an excellent, versatile option for creating a natural, comfortable environment for reptiles, amphibians, and small mammals. I’ve been using this substrate for my ball python, and it works wonderfully in terms of maintaining humidity and providing a soft, burrow-friendly surface. One of the biggest strengths of this substrate is its moisture retention. It keeps the humidity levels in my ball python’s enclosure just right, which is essential for shedding and overall health. The material is soft and safe, and it’s easy to spot clean or replace as needed. Plus, being made from renewable coconut husks, it’s eco-friendly and compostable, which I really appreciate. The 24-quart bag offers great value for the price, providing plenty of substrate to fill even larger enclosures. It’s also free of harmful chemicals, so I feel confident that my snake is living in a safe and non-toxic environment. However, one issue I’ve noticed is that the loose coconut fiber tends to stick to my ball python’s prey items, like rats, during feeding. This can be a bit of a hassle, as I want to avoid the risk of ingestion. To work around this, I’ve started feeding my snake outside the enclosure, which solves the problem but adds an extra step. Overall, despite this minor drawback, the Eco Earth substrate is a high-quality, natural option that I’d recommend to anyone looking for a reliable substrate.

Great price, great product.

So I filled half my crabitat with this and with a pack of the yellow zoo med sand. I'm sure my ratio is wrong and it was not enough for my 40 gallon tank so I mixed it, added salt water using instant ocean (2 tablespoons per quart of spring water) until I had a sand castle like (more or less) consistency. I then pushed it up into a corner so it would be deep enough for my crab to burrow. Prior to this My poor hermit crab which I purchased in a mall had been living in dry sand in a tiny plastic container for 1 year. With no salt water and 50% humidity. He was always curled up and rarely came out of his shell. Anyway, I added holders for both salt and fresh water and a cover to maintain 75% humidity and 75 degrees F. I also bought the Zoomed tank heater and placed it above the soil at sand level. So, with all this prepared, I transferred the hermit crab to his new home. He was thrilled, and immediately began exploring, took multiple dips in the salt water and then a few days later burrowed out of sight and did not surface for close to 3 weeks. He was molting. Once he was out, I noticed him very active, not only at night. I also noticed that even though my home is 80 degrees, if I plug in the heater, he will hang out near it and even lean on the glass. I added some more crabs and they also like congregating around the heater. So, over the summer I caught a hermit crab by the beach in Coney Island. he was cute, really fast, but he was an ocean crab so I released him. Anyway, it got me thinking, so a few days ago I picked up a bucket and scooped up about 25 pounds of wet sand near the shore a few inched from where the waves were coming in. I used that to fill the other half of the tank. I then removed a crab that had recently burrowed under the coconut fiber (I do not advise that anyone disturb their crabs but I really thought this guy was trapped, I could see him from the glass at the bottom of the tank and carefully dug him out) and placed him on top of the new sand. Well, within a day he went back to the coconut fiber and burrowed down underneath the same spot. So, I will probably buy more coconut fiber and mix it in with the sand from the beach. Good luck and take care of your crabs.