The 9 Best tropical Terrarium substrates (2023 reviews)
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Our Top Picks:
Best Overall: Buy: Croci tropical Terrarium Substrate READ REVIEWBest For Hermit crab: Buy: Zoo Med tropical Terrarium Substrate READ REVIEWBest For orchids: Buy: reptichip premium Coconut Substrate tropical Terrarium Substrate READ REVIEWBest For sunflower And pea shoot Micro greens: Buy: Zilla tropical Terrarium Substrate READ REVIEWBest For snail: Buy: Exo Terra real compressed Moss READ REVIEWBest For weed control: Buy: Exo Terra tropical Terrarium Substrate READ REVIEWBest For frog: Buy: Joshs frogs tropical Terrarium Substrate READ REVIEWBest For box turtle: Buy: Zilla tropical Terrarium Substrate READ REVIEWBest premium: Buy: reptichip premium Coconut Substrate BIOACTIVE Substrate READ REVIEWBest Overall: Croci tropical Terrarium Substrate
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The croci tropical terrarium substrate's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. The Eco Earth is an awesome substrate for rainforest dwelling reptiles and amphibians. It holds nine times its weight in water and can be used to grow plants, without impacting the animal if it should swallow some accidentally during feeding. It makes the substrate loose and moist. It's soft and has a great texture.
It holds moisture very well and it's easy to spot clean. It is excellent at keeping down odors and absorbs excess moisture. It's a big bag so you can fill your tank well if you have big crabs. This is a must for mixing hermit crab substrate and helps keep humidity up.Why We Like This:
- Works great, and doesn't retain excess moisture from the surrounding atmosphere
- Holds moisture pretty well in terrariums
- Makes good flooring for your reptiles
- One of the best substrates to maintain high humidity in your enclosure
Best For Hermit crab: Zoo Med tropical Terrarium Substrate
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The zoo med tropical terrarium substrate should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. This product works well for tortioses. It is good for white's tree frogs like sphagnum moss and mulch. It is a compressed coconut fiber that is ideal for burrowing animals. It is used to increase humidity in an enclosure. It is an easy way to have a flooring for the gecko tank. It is easy to clean and it lasts a long time.
It is definitely a lot more than the standard bricks.Why We Like This:
- Great soft substrate for hermit crabs
- Lot of satisfied buyers
Best For orchids: reptichip premium Coconut Substrate tropical Terrarium Substrate
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The reptichip premium coconut substrate tropical terrarium substrate is capable of outshining several other substrate featured in this list in overall features for the price point. It is an excellent option for a natural and eco-friendly substrate for indoor or outdoor plants. It is a pelleted bedding material manufactured out of recycled paper. It's easy to use, promotes healthy root development, and is suitable for various plant species. It's suitable for geckos, tarantulas, iguanas, ball pythons, and other reptiles and amphibians.
One of the best things about this substrate is its ability to hold moisture. The chunks hydrate just from the humidity alone and gives them the perfect amount of water. It's very easy to change out when needed, but isn't needed as frequently as wood chips or mulch.Customers say that getting a tropical terrarium substrate, along with substrate is useful.
Why We Like This:
- Highly recommend for a happy reptile that needs loose substrate that hold humidity
- Lot of satisfied buyers
Best For sunflower And pea shoot Micro greens: Zilla tropical Terrarium Substrate
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Zilla is known for creating pragmatic and minimalist substrate for people on the go, and its line of zilla tropical terrarium substrate definitely falls in line with that reputation. It is good for the garden and even mycology. It is great for sunflower and pea shoot micro greens. The husk holds moisture very well without it being wet. It keeps moisture in/humidity up really well. This mix is very fine which is a little messier to work with.
The soil holds water extremely well, which is good for snails as they need a lot of humidity. It will absorb that much, but it will be a soppy mess that will attract mold like no other.Why We Like This:
- Helps very well on clean up and smell
- Works really well and lasts a long time
- Good brand reputation
Best For snail: Exo Terra real compressed Moss
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Exo Terra makes beautiful and great substrate with classic and smartly choosen materials. The Exo Terra Forest Moss is extremely absorbent and is recommended in humidifying shelters such as the Exo Terra Snake Cave or Reptile Cave. It is perfect substrate for plant propagation. It fluffs up nicely and keeps the humidity levels up in the terrariums. It makes the terrarium look finished and natural.
This moss makes an excellent part of substrate or bedding for tortoises ( retains moisture well for tropical tortoises such as Red Foot Tortoises) and is the best option to put in wet hides for Leopard Geckos. It’s soft and plush, although it does smell strongly of earth and dirt. The forest moss is clean and dry compressed.Why We Like This:
- Excellent for reptile tanks, grows with water absorption, creates hides and shade in terrarium
- Holds water good for humidity, also looks good
- Easy to tear apart and provides a lot of material for orchid growing
- Natural with no added chemicals or dyes
Best For weed control: Exo Terra tropical Terrarium Substrate
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The exo terra tropical terrarium substrate should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. It is good for weed control, but unless you use a contaminated soil mix in the container, you shouldn't have weed problems there, as usually happens with ground planting. It is made from compressed coconut husk from the plantations of tropical asia. It is ideal for increasing humidity in the terrarium and is totally safe for frogs, salamanders and burrowing or digging animals.
The chunks are big and woody so they’ll take a long time to break down and be available as nutrients. They hold water really well, take longer to break down than typical mulches from cedar or other wood, and like other wood, as they do break down they release nutrients into the soil beneath.Why We Like This:
- Stimulates natural digging and burrowing behavior
- One of the new comers and featured product
Best For frog: Joshs frogs tropical Terrarium Substrate
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The joshs frogs tropical terrarium substrate is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your regular usage. The tropical biobedding should be perfect for red eyed tree frogs. It has an attractive and natural appearance because it is closer to replicating your pet’s native habitat than traditional substrates. It can sustain isopods by itself, especially if the live plants shed leaves and your pet leaves droppings for them to eat. Its shell is iridescent and is flat like a tire. It comes with this substrate mix so you can almost as much as you want (not literally) and not have any water build up.
The bioactive substrate is essentially for isopods and springtails if you're adding them to the tank to live in as well. It's got the perfect mix of stuff to stay moist without getting nasty and nasty. Its attractive and natural appearance because it is closer to replicating your pet’s native habitat than traditional substrates.Why We Like This:
- Sales support animal conservation & research
- A layer of substrate barrier and a 2-3 inch layer of the bioactive substrate
- Lot of satisfied buyers
Best For box turtle: Zilla tropical Terrarium Substrate
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The zilla tropical terrarium substrate's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. Customers discovered that getting a tropical terrarium substrate, along with substrate is useful.
Why We Like This:
- Easy to scoop out and toss when dirty
- Ideal for chameleons, frogs, snakes, skinks and rainforest geckos
- Promotes transfer of heat and moisture inside the enclosure
Best premium: reptichip premium Coconut Substrate BIOACTIVE Substrate
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Compared with other substrate in this category, the reptichip premium coconut substrate bioactive substrate has a design with broader appeal. Organic and sustainable reptile and tortoise bedding starts with the highest-quality coco husk. It offers pets the ability to dig and burrow. It is suitable for geckos, tarantulas, iguanas, and other reptiles. This coco fiber is ideal for toads because it allows for burrowing and is easier for the toad to digest if/when swallowed.
It is made in texas from imported coco fibers, reptiearth helps keep terrariums tidy and reduces odors. The quarts will expand when you add water to them, so that really depends on how thick of a layer of bedding you are looking to achieve. It works well for rough green snakes. Customers discovered that getting a tropical terrarium substrate, with this substrate made their life much easier.
Why We Like This:
- Made by reptile people, for reptile people
- One of the new comers and featured product
