• Posted 12/19/2024.
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    I am still waiting on my developer to finish up on the Classifieds Control Panel so I can use it to encourage members into becoming paying members. Google Adsense has become a real burden on the viewing of this site, but honestly it is the ONLY source of income now that keeps it afloat. I tried offering disabling the ads being viewed by paying members, but apparently that is not enough incentive. Quite frankly, Google Adsense has dropped down to where it barely brings in enough daily to match even a single paid member per day. But it still gets the bills paid. But at what cost?

    So even without the classifieds control panel being complete, I believe I am going to have to disable those Google ads completely and likely disable some options here that have been free since going to the new platform. Like classified ad bumping, member name changes, and anything else I can use to encourage this site to be supported by the members instead of the Google Adsense ads.

    But there is risk involved. I will not pay out of pocket for very long during this last ditch experimental effort. If I find that the membership does not want to support this site with memberships, then I cannot support your being able to post your classified ads here for free. No, I am not intending to start charging for your posting ads here. I will just shut the site down and that will be it. I will be done with FaunaClassifieds. I certainly don't need this, and can live the rest of my life just fine without it. If I see that no one else really wants it to survive neither, then so be it. It goes away and you all can just go elsewhere to advertise your animals and merchandise.

    Not sure when this will take place, and I don't intend to give any further warning concerning the disabling of the Google Adsense. Just as there probably won't be any warning if I decide to close down this site. You will just come here and there will be some sort of message that the site is gone, and you have a nice day.

    I have been trying to make a go of this site for a very long time. And quite frankly, I am just tired of trying. I had hoped that enough people would be willing to help me help you all have a free outlet to offer your stuff for sale. But every year I see less and less people coming to this site, much less supporting it financially. That is fine. I tried. I retired the SerpenCo business about 14 years ago, so retiring out of this business completely is not that big if a step for me, nor will it be especially painful to do. When I was in Thailand, I did not check in here for three weeks. I didn't miss it even a little bit. So if you all want it to remain, it will be in your hands. I really don't care either way.

    =====================
    Some people have indicated that finding the method to contribute is rather difficult. And I have to admit, that it is not all that obvious. So to help, here is a thread to help as a quide. How to become a contributing member of FaunaClassifieds.

    And for the record, I will be shutting down the Google Adsense ads on January 1, 2025.
  • Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

Compressed Coco Blocks Substrate Fungus?

F

Flatfish1

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Has anyone had any problems with Coco fiber substrates and fungus or mold? I had a Rhino Rat snake die fairly suddenly after I put in some freshly expanded coco fiber from a compressed block. Of course it was very moist because of the water used to expand the block. Should we allow the coco fiber substrate to dry out first, or do you use it immediately in your enclosures or bins? I assumed that it was OK to use in it's moistened state because it is advertised as a good thing that the coco fiber substrate retains moisture well. Recently, I saw my Scrub Python with his nose pressed against the gap between two glass door panels as if he was seeking fresh air. I had just put in newly moistened coco fiber substrate and it had a pretty strong musty odor to it. I removed my snake immediately to a holding bin and am now drying the substrate in the sunshine outside. Is this stuff safe in its newly moistened state, or should it be dried out before use? I know this stuff may sit around for a while in warehouses before it is used.
 
It would depend on air circulation in the enclosure. I use it slightly damp but my building is very dry and it tends to dry out within hours. However, it it's staying wet for days, I'd let it dry before putting it in.
 
Coco fiber molds like nothing else. It is a crummy product. It retains moisture poorly, IME -- it gets sort of soggy when wet, gets moldy when moist, and goes from moist to dusty-dry too quickly. Not sure what you're after with "moisture retention", but I think a lot of keepers overthink and overvalue the substrate in this regard.

If you like the fine particulate substrate, something like Zilla's Jungle Mix works well (I switched to it after loosing two geckos on coco fiber -- ingestion/impaction, most likely). It is expensive, but so are animals, so take your pick.

For the species you mention, coco chips ("Repti-Chip", lots of other brands) would be an inexpensive option.

Keep in mind that coconuts are grown in regions that allow pesticides banned in the US and EU (carbofuran), and substrate products aren't subject to the same sorts of pesticide limits as imported food. If a person were especially worried about chemical contamination, a peat-based product would likely be the better choice.
 
I probably should have said compressed coco CHUNKS. What I have been using is the big, chunky stuff, not the fine fibers. I have several 6 ft enclosures with big snakes. The fine substrates would not work very well in these set-ups. What I like best is a cypress mulch that I usually get from Pet Kingdom in San Diego. It's their own product, but they are usually out of stock. I have been looking for alternatives. Has anybody been using the No Float brand of Cypress mulch?
 
I buy Prococo chips by the pallet and have been using it for 3 years now, with no issues.
 
It's all about how much water you use to break apart the block. I am currently the distributor of the CHIPPER for pa. The key is when breaking down ANY coco to add as minimal water as possible to break down the block. You can always add more water but to let it dry out is a pain in the butt. The CHIPPER sells COCO2GO which is a trpl washed coco tht has no fiber or dust & needs NO water to break down. You open the bag & use, simple as tht.
 
The most common mold I've seen from compressed coco fiber to date has been the yellowish flower pot fungus (Leucocoprinus birnbaumii). It is a known problem in nurseries as the mycelia can make it difficult for the media to absorb water.
Contrary to a number of claims, this fungus is ignored by isopods and springtails and the only real prevention is to sterilize the media before use.

Ed
 
Thanks everybody for all the good information. I don't want to call out any particular brands that I have had problems with. I know now that I probably used it too wet to start with. User error. But when you lose a snake suddenly, and you have suspicions as to the reason, you become wary to try the same product again. The latest brand I am trying is ReptiChip. I put it in wet and it smelled off immediately. I have since taken it all out of the enclosure and dried it in the sun and air. Now it seems like it will be fine. So I have decided NOT to give up on using coco chip blocks yet. I have also checked out the other brands/products suggested in this thread and will consider them in the future. Thank you all. Wayne
 
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