Cypress Mulch in Toronto

I'm looking at getting a Tegu and the enclosure I've designed is 8' x 4' x 4'. I want to have 1' deep substrate so the Tegu can dig. The problem is I can't find cypress mulch around anywhere except at pet stores and the price is ridiculous. I need 32 cubic feet of mulch and they charge $40 for 2 cubic feet. That's $640 for substrate and then I have to change it regularly too. Is there something I'm missing here? I can't believe that people spend over $500 a month changing substrate for one animal.

Any suggestions?

Cypress is difficult to find in Ontario so I have bought large blocks of coconut husk from reptile stores. It swells when soaked in warm water and one block would do my 8x4x4' enclosure. I did however find a place that does sell Cypress mulch. Reptillia in Vaughan sells large bags of cypress and large bricks of coconut husk. For a reptile store their prices are really good. You should get some prices on some of the flat rock too as the price even beats a garden centre and it is large enough for some great basking rocks.

OK, I'll look into the coconut husk. What about using something like a blend of potting soil with cypress mulch or coconut husk? Say 8" of soil with 4" of mulch/husk? Also have you ever heard of putting living plants in with the reptile? A person at All Reptiles in Scarborough was saying this is good as it naturally gets rid of the excrement from the lizard through some kind of compost process.

Yeah you can blend cypress with soil. I use all natural (nothing added) black earth soil, and coconut husk fiber that I get from home depot. The soil does a great job at keeping humidity up. Also I do use live (safe) plants in my enclossure as they also aid in humidity but I use hanging baskets as my tegu (and most) will have alot of fun digging your pretty plants up. I used to have a planted hibiscus in there and it was destroyed in about 3 hours! I hang Pothus and boston ferns.

Can you give me the exact name of the black earth soil you use? With all the conflicting info online I'm considering going to my parents' place in Stouffville and just digging up some dirt and mixing it with cypress mulch. When I was reading about using top soil a lot of people cautioned that they make it by composting pine and cedar sawdust which could be harmful to the tegu. I'm not sure how true that is, but if that black earth soil is working for you, I'd be willing to give it a go.

I have used a couple different kinds but I always ask and double check the contents on the back of the bag. Obvious make sure there is no fertalizer added to the mix!

Do you sterilize your soil before you put it in?