Zoo Med’s Eco Earth is a coconut fiber bedding suitable for many kinds of land-dwelling reptiles, including your box turtle. It holds moisture and helps maintain humidity levels in your turtle’s habitat. It’s easy for your pet to burrow into and gives female turtles a suitable medium for laying eggs. It also absorbs waste and odor and is pretty easy to spot-clean. For the most part, you should only have to do a complete change of the bedding a few times a year.
Zoo Med Eco Earth is a popular coconut fiber substrate used by reptile owners to create naturalistic terrariums Made from the husks of coconuts, it offers an eco-friendly and safe bedding option for a variety of reptiles and amphibians In this Zoo Med Eco Earth review, we’ll take a close look at the features and benefits of this natural substrate.
What is Zoo Med Eco Earth?
Zoo Med Eco Earth is a loose coconut fiber substrate that helps maintain humidity and moisture levels in reptile enclosures. It comes in two formats – as a dry, loose soil or as compressed bricks which are rehydrated before use.
The fibers expand and soften when water is added, creating a soft, earthy substrate for burrowing reptiles. It can be used on its own or mixed with other substrates like orchid bark or reptile carpet.
Eco Earth is suitable for species that thrive in humid environments like frogs, newts, snakes, lizards, invertebrates and turtles. It helps recreate a natural forest floor environment right inside the terrarium.
Key Features and Benefits
Here are some of the main benefits of using Zoo Med Eco Earth as a reptile substrate:
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Natural and biodegradable: Made purely from coconut husks, Eco Earth is an all-natural and eco-friendly substrate option. It’s sustainable and biodegradable.
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Absorbs odors: The porous structure of the coconut fibers absorbs unpleasant odors and helps break down waste products inside the enclosure. This helps keep the terrarium smelling fresh.
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Boosts humidity: Eco Earth helps maintain higher humidity levels when damp which is perfect for tropical species. Misting the substrate daily keeps it optimally humid.
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Enables burrowing: The soft, loose fibers provide enough ‘grip’ for reptiles to dig and burrow tunnels just like they would in the wild.
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Good drainage: Although moisture-retentive, Eco Earth still allows excess water to drain away, preventing soggy conditions inside the habitat.
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Safe ingestion: If accidentally ingested by reptiles, the fibers pass safely through the digestive system without causing impaction.
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Bioactive ready: It supports live plants well and can be used to create a bioactive vivarium along with leaves, mosses etc.
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Versatile: Can be used damp or dry, alone or mixed with other substrates depending on the type of habitat being created.
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Long-lasting: Each brick expands into 8 quarts of substrate, enough to keep a terrarium replenished for 6 months or longer before needing a full change-out.
How to Use Eco Earth
Zoo Med Eco Earth is very easy to set up in a reptile enclosure:
Compressed bricks: Place the brick in a bucket and soak it in water for at least 30 minutes. It will fully expand into a soft, fluffy substrate ready for use. Break up any large clumps with your hands.
Loose bag: Simply moisten the dry fibers until they reach the desired consistency. Some misting may be needed after adding it to the terrarium to boost humidity.
Add the Eco Earth at a depth of at least 2-3 inches to allow for burrowing. For bioactive setups, a 4 inch layer is recommended. Spot clean daily by removing feces and replace the substrate every 4-6 months.
Ideal for These Pets
Zoo Med Eco Earth can be used as a substrate for:
- Tree frogs, pacman frogs, toads
- Snakes like ball pythons, corn snakes, king snakes
- Skinks, anoles, geckos such as leopard geckos and crested geckos
- Turtles like box turtles and tortoises
- Tarantulas, millipedes, isopods and other invertebrates
It recreates the damp, earthy environment needed by forest-floor species. The moisture also helps prevent dehydration in arboreal frogs and geckos when they come to the ground.
Points to Note
While Eco Earth is suitable for a wide range of species, there are a few things to keep in mind:
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It may cause impaction if ingested in large amounts by juvenile reptiles. So avoid using it for babies and juveniles.
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The moist environment can sometimes allow mold to grow. Spot clean daily and replace it regularly to prevent this.
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Don’t use it for desert-dwelling reptiles that require a dry substrate. It’s better suited for tropical, high-humidity environments.
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It tends to be lightweight so may not be ideal for large, heavy reptiles that could shift and displace the substrate.
Where to Buy Eco Earth
Zoo Med Eco Earth is available at most pet stores and online retailers like Amazon. It comes in both loose and brick formats in different sized bags and packs.
Loose: 8 qt bags (8.8 liters)
Bricks: 7-8 liter bricks
Price: Approximately $10-$25 depending on quantity.
Our Verdict
Overall, Zoo Med’s Eco Earth is a fantastic choice of substrate for naturalistic terrariums housing frogs, snakes, lizards, turtles and invertebrates. It offers humidity, absorbency, burrowing opportunities and supports live plants – everything needed to recreate a mini forest ecosystem.
The 100% natural coconut fiber construction makes it safe, eco-friendly and attractive too. It’s easy to set up, lasts a long time and provides the ideal environment for tropical, humidity-loving reptiles to thrive.
So if you’re looking for a quality, natural substrate, Zoo Med Eco Earth is easily one of the best options out there. Highly recommended for bioactive and naturalistic terrarium setups.
Check Price and Availability
The below links are to compressed bricks. If you’d prefer a different sized package or a bag of the loose fill (or want to check prices on those products), just search the site for “Zoo Med Eco Earth” (without the quotes) and click on the one you’re looking for.
As of this writing:
Is Coconut Fiber Safe for Box Turtles?
It’s important to be sure anything you put in your box turtle’s habitat is safe for her. Not all pet products are necessarily safe for all animals. And just because it’s a reptile substrate does not mean it’s suitable specifically for box turtles.
You want to avoid substrates that may scratch your turtle or certain woods with oils that can cause respiratory problems. You also want something that won’t block their guts if they eat a little. Eco Earth is safe on all counts. It’s very soft, just like dirt. It’s not abrasive (harsh, rough, able to cause scratches) and it has no toxic oils.
And it’s somewhat digestible. Of course, your box turtle shouldn’t be chomping on huge amounts of the stuff, but eating a little that may get stuck to her food or beak shouldn’t hurt her.
Zoo Med 26084 Eco Earth Loose Bag, 24 Quart review
FAQ
Is eco earth a good substrate?
That being said, sand and eco earth/coco fiber is a proven good substrate for almost all dwarf species to nest in. In my opinion, whether or not a substrate holds a burrow is inconsequential compared to nesting.
Is Zoo Med Eco Earth good for ball pythons?
Eco earth is great! It retains humidity so so well, and it’s fine enough for your ball python to burrow if they do choose to.
How long does eco earth last?
Eco Earth coconut fiber substrate is easy to maintain and replace. Its recommended to spot clean as needed and replace entirely at least every 6 months.Jun 28, 2020
Is Zoo Med Eco Earth good for tarantulas?
It’s arguably the best substrate for tarantulas and I would recommend it for almost every species in the hobby. It’s soft, holds humidity well, and is entirely non-toxic to animals. Because of this, it is the substrate that most enthusiasts prefer over most alternatives.
How do you use Zoo med Eco Earth?
Add Eco Earth loose coconut fiber substrate on top of Zoo Meds HydroBalls to create an ideal drainage layer for optimum plant growth, humidity and drainage in naturalistic terrariums. Instructions: Pour Zoo Med’s Eco Earth into the enclosure to the desired depth.
What is Zoo med Eco Earth?
The natural fiber substrate helps maintain humidity levels for reptiles and amphibians that thrive in high humidity levels. The Zoo Med Eco Earth can be used damp helps to boost humidity levels, stimulates natural digging, and burrowing and is ideal for live plants to complete a bioactive enclosure setup.
What is Zoo med Eco Earth coconut fiber substrate?
Zoo Med Eco Earth Coconut Fiber Substrate is made from coconut husks, offering an eco-friendly, one hundred percent natural substrate which can be used in terrariums with confidence. The loose fiber substrate can be safely used to create a humid terrarium that is natural, comfortable, and safe for your reptile pet.
Does Zoo med Eco Earth have mold?
The Zoo Med Eco Earth is best suited for living plants and you will want to conduct spot checks daily, removing any feces that is visible, along with any mold you may come across. Bear in mind this is a damp substrate in a humid environment, mold is possible.
Can Zoo med Eco Earth be used for a bioactive enclosure?
The Zoo Med Eco Earth can be used damp helps to boost humidity levels, stimulates natural digging, and burrowing and is ideal for live plants to complete a bioactive enclosure setup. This can be mixed with other substrates to create a natural and comfortable enclosure for your pet.
How much Eco Earth do you put in a zoo med enclosure?
Instructions: Pour Zoo Med’s Eco Earth into the enclosure to the desired depth. For burrowing tortoises, terrestrial turtles and toads we recommend a depth 1.5 to 2 time the height of your animal. If your tortoise is 4” tall, you would add 6” of eco earth.