Would these be safe for scorpions or T's

In my quest to find different materials to use as structures or hides for my arachnids I came across these coconut coir pots. They were were 12 for $1.79 so I thought I'd get them. Do you think they'd be animal safe?

Has anyone ever seen these things or used them?

hmmm...they remind me of hanging basket liners...
for that price i wouldnt expect them to have been treated with anything, but i wonder how it keeps its shape, and whether it would with the humidity of a scorp tank... put a bit of water on one, if it does what a cocofibre brick does and falls apart i would say its safe, if it retains its shape then theres probably something on it making it stay that shape.

Scorpio, it would retain its shape because it has particularly long fibers that have been tangled together in the manufacturing process. It's a little like papermaking -- if you start with sawdust, you'll have really weak paper, but if you use really long softwood fibers, you'll get a very strong sheet.

Sorry . . . this industry has made me approach some things differently . . .

Buggs, I think that it would be just fine. If you're concerned that there may be chemicals in it, let it soak in a tub of water for a few hours to leach anything out of it.

Here's the thing...The label tells me nothing. The company's website tells me nothing(organic). I've sent a e-mail asking about the manufacturing process.

These days it's incredible what heat - steam - compression can achieve. But when I see something like this I immediately think of some type of glue used in the construction process.

Just a thought...All the garden stores/companies are now touting coir as opposed to peat because peat is being depleted. Here in California they want to do away with plastic bags, but the only reason we have plastic bags is because the wackos said we were destroying the forests for paper bags...

What's going to happen to the coconut trees??? WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE

I've seen those before and I'm pretty sure they'll be fine. They will retain their shape and they will do well with moisture--they're plant pot substitutes, they should! I also think they will do a good job in a forest enclosure by helping with humidity.

Ive read somewhere that this kind of pot is dangerous for inverts..they can be contaminated with chemicals and other harmful stuffs..you better soak it with water first,or find another kind of hide..im currently using bamboo for my pet's hide..

Dont worry bout the coconut trees..they can be planted easily and could grow very fast..my ancestors and some of my relatives are coconut farmers here in our country..

Buggs wrote:

Just a thought...All the garden stores/companies are now touting coir as opposed to peat because peat is being depleted. Here in California they want to do away with plastic bags, but the only reason we have plastic bags is because the wackos said we were destroying the forests for paper bags...

That was before sustainable, responsible forestry was the norm. Also, recycling technology has improved greatly. A paper mill I worked at touted one of their products as 100% recycled content for all sorts of bag grades. Most of the fiber came from old cardboard boxes.

Quote :

What's going to happen to the coconut trees??? WHERE'S THE OUTRAGE

The whole tree isn't harvested, it's only the outer husk of the coconut (the thick fibrous mat covering the nut itself that can be used for all sorts of purposes instead of just being discarded).

I think for the time being I'll hold off using them. I'm just afraid of these things having chemical in them. Even small traces of something could really be devastating on a bug's level.

If I find out anything about them I'll post a response.

I found one distributor that described a similar product as using natural latex as a binder. That wouldn't surprise me too much, as some of the cocofiber mat backgrounds sold for tanks seem to have a sticky texture to them.

I've used those sticky mats cut up into strips as climbs for small bark scorpions, and they lived and molted on them without a problem.

Ive also read in other forumsthat some t's died with these kind of pots used as hides in their enclosures..so to be in the safe side find another kind of hide..