Sifting coco coir for P. saussurei nymphs

birdonfire

birdonfire

First Instar
I've read at least one blog post (Invert Dude) and maybe one or two other places where it is recommended to remove chunky blocks and long fibers from any coco-fiber bedding to be used for Polyphaga saussurei nymphs as it can greatly reduce survivability. (1) How can that be accomplished? (2)What's an acceptable consistency for the coco coir for P. saussurei nymphs? Looking for something I can buy local or construct from upcycled material for the new nymphs I ordered. Thanks.

 
birdonfire said:
I've read at least one blog post (Invert Dude) and maybe one or two other places where it is recommended to remove chunky blocks and long fibers from any coco-fiber bedding to be used for Polyphaga saussurei nymphs as it can greatly reduce survivability. (1) How can that be accomplished? (2)What's an acceptable consistency for the coco coir for P. saussurei nymphs? Looking for something I can buy local or construct from upcycled material for the new nymphs I ordered. Thanks.
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I just used a dollar store seive/sifter for mine, got it down to a fine enough level for the nymphs. Some people say it doesn't matter, but I suspect those people have a deep substrate in their enclosures, and while the top inch or so may be quite chunky, the bottom layers of substrate are always where the fine material settles down to, and where the small nymphs will stay. My problem was I used quite a chunky mix of not only coconut fiber, but also Zilla "Jungle Mix", and only gave them a couple inches of substrate, so there wasn't enough fine substrate for the smaller nymphs to burrow into. 

 
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birdonfire said:
Thank you, @Hisserdude. I was able to sift the dry coir well. My nymphs seem healthy. I'm keeping part of the enclosure moist and part bone dry and they seem favor the moist side. 
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Nice, glad they're doing well for you, good luck with those little cuties, seeing adults in person is such a cool experience! 😁

 
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