Paper towel substrate

[Greenhorn]

If it's needed for rest I'll put him on it, I would just hate for him to lose his healthy appetite at this point. You have to understand this concern. I feel like all I see are "my frog won't eat" threads.

[dsmalex97]

I personally find threads like this interesting. I just recently switched my Pyxie to water and she's been doing so much better then when on coco fiber. I'm not saying water is the answer for pac's, but the change just made me question coco fiber in general. I wonder how much they "require" a burrowing type substrate. I can't argue that they aren't built for it, but wonder if there's other ways of housing them with fewer issues. I keep my pac on water/moss/gravel and he doesn't burrow down like he does when hes in coco fiber. He loves his swimming pool, and just digging half way into the moss. Keep in mind I feed in a separate bin. When I had him in the coco fiber he would disappear. I feel like they get some kind of instinct to go down deep in that stuff because it's so fine. I'm not sure what the best is, all I know is I question coco fiber.

[spencerburgo]

I personally find threads like this interesting. I just recently switched my Pyxie to water and she's been doing so much better then when on coco fiber. I'm not saying water is the answer for pac's, but the change just made me question coco fiber in general. I wonder how much they "require" a burrowing type substrate. I can't argue that they aren't built for it, but wonder if there's other ways of housing them with fewer issues. I keep my pac on water/moss/gravel and he doesn't burrow down like he does when hes in coco fiber. He loves his swimming pool, and just digging half way into the moss. Keep in mind I feed in a separate bin. When I had him in the coco fiber he would disappear. I feel like they get some kind of instinct to go down deep in that stuff because it's so fine. I'm not sure what the best is, all I know is I question coco fiber.

im like you i dont like coco fibre, your method sounds great and your taking precautions for him not ingesting substrate,

cheers spencer....

[flybyferns]

Reply to all,
I use paper towel only. Going on 2 years. I started, day one, with a well planned traditional layerd bottom, and quickly became concerned of loosing track of feeding. Plus, I could not stand the muck.
I house tree frogs, change it every other day ( sometimes 3 days) . If you make that layer thick enough humidity is never not a problem. I change it during the day- they never know I was there !

FYI- I have an experiment going. I raise my own crickets. I have purchased -very thick- 100 % cotton quilting fabric. ( quilt batting- it is the thick fabric that quilters use between the 2 layers of a handmade quilt) I have little pieces of the fabric in with the crickets right now. If the crickets do not eat it I am going to start using it as substrate. The actual size of the batting is like a single bed sheet. If this works, I will be cutting/customizing the sizes for my bottom of my enclosure. My plan is to re-use it. I will have many, many pieces and be able to wash it ( hot water in the washing machine ) and dry it in a nice hot dryer !!! Well' see?

Lynn