Live moss ?

[punki]

I sent my husband out to get some spagnum moss and he came back with 'live moss' (with the roots still attached, so it will grow in the tank) which is meant for frogs and toads.
Have any of you used it, or know its unsafe ?

[snailysnail]

it should be absolutely fine, i use it in my tank and the snails love it! they lay all their eggs in it too. i wouldnt worry about it, i would say it is better than the chopped up dead stuff that you can get.

anna x

[punki]

Great, thankyou Anna x
Do you need to do anything other than wash it before you put it in the tank ? Like microwave it or boil it or will that stop it growing ?

[punki]

I found the piece in the pet snail site, on how to treat live spagnum moss before you put it in the tank (which says, not to boil or heat, as it does kill it off)
Which is kinda what I thought but this 'live moss' isn't spagnum and the reptile shop wouldn't or couldn't tell me what kind it was over the phone. There really are some people running those shops that shouldn't be let anywhere near an exotic pet !

[coyote]

Boiling or microwaving it will kill it. If it was me, I'd just put it in the tank.

[snailysnail]

yeah, i'd just give it a good wash, then put it straight in.
anna x

[punki]

It was pretty minging, but I gave it a good was and the biggest seems to like it, hes made a burrow but the little one just stuck his head in for a min and left it alone.
Thanks for your advice. x

[Ryan]

Sphagnum moss has antiseptic properties anyway so worry not! Its great stuff,I bed my snakes on it too,it is used inside a dressing in survival situations to heal aswell!