Quote Originally Posted by UncleChester View Post
My moss is collected off rocks growing in the bush in an area I know to be free of chemicals. It's the type that can be peeled off in large flat sheets, making it ideal for covering the ground in a vivarium.

Likewise for collecting leaves. I've been using a type of oak leaves for the past year, but I'm currently giving a magnolia tree the evil eye to encourage it's leaves to start dropping (seriously, 80% of the trees around are bare and this magnolia is nearly fully green).
Aren't you afraid of bringing in some unwanted bacteria or insects with the wild moss? I was thinking of doing this myself, as I live in the country and can probably find some wild moss too, until I read a post that said they had their terrarium infested with mites after they brought stuff from outside and put it in their enclosures. How do you keep that from happening to you? I have hundreds of trees around my property and wouldn't mind collecting my own leaf litter if I can keep the unwanted stuff out.