Lugarti's Natural Reptile Bedding: a moldable terrarium product

Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
I just came across a new product. It can be molded into caves, et cetera! It's supposed to be superior to Excavator Clay.

Natural Reptile Bedding: the ultimate terrarium substrate
Lugarti, Inc.
Sacramento, California
Click: The World's Finest Reptile Products. TM - Lugarti, Inc

"Lugarti's Natural Reptile Bedding is a 100% natural, proprietary blend of ingredients (NO Coconut), specifically formulated to provide the most ideal habitat for reptiles housed in a terrarium setting. Once you've tried this substrate for your tortoise, lizard or gecko, you will never go back to whatever bedding you're currently using.

"THIS IS NOT A "LOOSE" SUBSTRATE.

"When used properly, NRB is designed to provide essential humidity while the surface remains dry to the touch, thus preventing any fungal or bacterial infections that can be caused by other substrates. It has natural mold inhibitors that help prevent it from molding, often experienced with coco coir products.

"NRB also offers the absolute BEST odor control and is the only substrate on the market that can be safely used with newborn baby reptiles (e.g. Bearded Dragons) with ZERO risk of impaction. No other substrate on the market can claim this.

"NRB promotes natural digging behaviors while holding burrows exceptionally well and can be landscaped to create varying levels in a terrarium, which allows you to closely resemble a species’ natural habitat."

Size: 10 dry quarts
Price: $14.99 a bag
 
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acpart

Well-known member
Does it stick in the enclosure like a solid mass that you can't remove, and can it be dismantled?

Aliza
 
Hilde

Hilde

Administrator
Staff member
They don't mention what it's made of, which makes me suspicious. Why won't they tell you what you're buying? Without that info, it sounds like another famous magic substrate to me, and I don't believe in magic.
 
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Lugarti

New member
Hello, Aliza,

NRB does not stick to the enclosure. It can be dismantled very easily, wet or dry, which is one of the benefits of using it as animals are able to create new tunneling systems at any time. Basically, if you've ever built a sand castle then you know how to work with NRB. :)
 
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Lugarti

New member
Hilde said:
They don't mention what it's made of, which makes me suspicious. Why won't they tell you what you're buying? Without that info, it sounds like another famous magic substrate to me, and I don't believe in magic.
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Hello, Hilde,

NRB is made of a very specific blend of peat moss, a very fine sand that you can almost not see and a natural mold inhibitor derived from blueberries. All ingredients are 100% natural and organic. No magic here. :)
 
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Lugarti

New member
Aimless said:
what's the mold inhibitor? how do you know it's safe for geckos?
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We use a natural mold inhibitor derived from blueberries. It's used in many natural cosmetics and personal care products. We've been testing our NRB on various reptile species for over three years now and have found it to be completely safe for geckos.
 
Aimless

Aimless

Super Moderator
I just asked because "safe" and "natural" are two different things, that's all. I'd feel better about it if I knew the actual chemical.

thanks for the response.
 
L

Lugarti

New member
thepianoguy said:
does it overheat when the heat mat are put under the terrarium? with the substrate lugaritie?
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It does not overheat. One good thing about NRB is that if you create natural burrows/tunnels for your geckos (big enough to satisfy them), they won't feel the need to dig any deeper and thus will not dig all the way down to the glass.
 
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Lugarti

New member
Aimless said:
I just asked because "safe" and "natural" are two different things, that's all. I'd feel better about it if I knew the actual chemical.

thanks for the response.
Click to expand...

NRB is both safe and natural. Methylparaben is what we use as the mold inhibitor (that's not our trade secret to this bedding). Methylparaben is not only widely used (for many decades) in cosmetic and personal care products, it's also been used in fruit fly cultures for many years with no adverse affects and the various reptile species that are fed fruit flies.

WARNING: We highly recommend that you DO NOT try mixing your own substrate with Methylparaben as there is a very specific formula that works with the ingredients used in NRB. Ratios will vary depending on many factors, not just different ingredients. If you don't fully understand ingredient formulation, do not subject your animals to unnecessary testing. We've already done the years of hard work. Consider yourself warned.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Methylparaben:

There is controversy about whether methylparaben or propylparabens are harmful at concentrations typically used in body care or cosmetics. Methylparaben and propylparaben are considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food and cosmetic antibacterial preservation.[5] Methylparaben is readily metabolized by common soil bacteria, making it completely biodegradable.

Methylparaben is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract or through the skin.[6] It is hydrolyzed to p-hydroxybenzoic acid and rapidly excreted in urine without accumulating in the body.[6] Acute toxicity studies have shown that methylparaben is practically non-toxic by both oral and parenteral administration in animals.[6] In a population with normal skin, methylparaben is practically non-irritating and non-sensitizing; however, allergic reactions to ingested parabens have been reported.[6]
 
T

thepianoguy

New member
Lugarti said:
NRB is both safe and natural. Methylparaben is what we use as the mold inhibitor (that's not our trade secret to this bedding). Methylparaben is not only widely used (for many decades) in cosmetic and personal care products, it's also been used in fruit fly cultures for many years with no adverse affects and the various reptile species that are fed fruit flies.

WARNING: We highly recommend that you DO NOT try mixing your own substrate with Methylparaben as there is a very specific formula that works with the ingredients used in NRB. Ratios will vary depending on many factors, not just different ingredients. If you don't fully understand ingredient formulation, do not subject your animals to unnecessary testing. We've already done the years of hard work. Consider yourself warned.

Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Methylparaben:

There is controversy about whether methylparaben or propylparabens are harmful at concentrations typically used in body care or cosmetics. Methylparaben and propylparaben are considered generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food and cosmetic antibacterial preservation.[5] Methylparaben is readily metabolized by common soil bacteria, making it completely biodegradable.

Methylparaben is readily absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract or through the skin.[6] It is hydrolyzed to p-hydroxybenzoic acid and rapidly excreted in urine without accumulating in the body.[6] Acute toxicity studies have shown that methylparaben is practically non-toxic by both oral and parenteral administration in animals.[6] In a population with normal skin, methylparaben is practically non-irritating and non-sensitizing; however, allergic reactions to ingested parabens have been reported.[6]
Click to expand...


sounds an interesting product! at last, is it available in canada? or do we need to order online?
 
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Lugarti

New member
thepianoguy said:
sounds an interesting product! at last, is it available in canada? or do we need to order online?
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, we do not ship outside of the U.S. and we don't have distribution in Canada yet. We just launched the company in September 2015. However, we will soon be exporting and we are seeking distributors.
 
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acpart

Well-known member
As I mentioned to the OP in an email, my one concern is that the info states the product must be changed every month. I don't change the coco fiber in my planted cages and wouldn't really want a product that has to be re-purchased every month at $14.99 a bag, but I remain very interested.

Aliza
 
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Lugarti

New member
acpart said:
As I mentioned to the OP in an email, my one concern is that the info states the product must be changed every month. I don't change the coco fiber in my planted cages and wouldn't really want a product that has to be re-purchased every month at $14.99 a bag, but I remain very interested.

Aliza
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One of the best things about NRB is that it lasts much longer than other substrates. We recommend changing the bedding once a month simply because that's the worst case scenario with certain species. In most cases (Leopard Geckos, Crested Geckos, etc.) NRB will last 2-3 months. Through extensive testing, the longest it lasted before needing to be replaced was in an adult breeding setup for a pair of Leachies; it lasted a good 6 months. However, if we were to put that on the bag then everybody would be doing that with every species and every scenario.

Same thing with tortoises; it will last 2-3 months with a single baby tortoise, but we recommend changing it monthly if you're housing many baby tortoises together or if it's a larger tortoise that poops and digs a lot more.
 
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