> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Wed, 19 Nov 2003 14:06:51 -0500 > > Thanks for this and your earlier reply. By "soft" styrofoam do you > mean the kind that literally dissolves if you get it wet? For that > reason I've stayed totally away from those and use the "hard" kind that > don't seem compromised should they get wet.
Elizabeth, you're thinking of starch packing peanuts. These things readily dissolve in water and are a great solution to the problem of the space taken up in landfills by used packaging. I think Julie is recommending the white styrofoam beadboard for shipping boxes. If you look at it closely, you'll see that it is made up of little spheres pressed together. The other stuff is blue styrofoam, which is denser, harder, mechanically stronger and has a higher insulation value (R-value). The white styrofoam beadboard is more readily crushed, so absorbs bashing rather than transmitting it to the contents better, while the blue stuff is better for the walls of your house to save on heating and cooling bills! The beadboard may also be somewhat permeable to air if it isn't very thick. Regarding fumes from styrofoam released by heat packs -- one advantage of reusing packing peanuts, in addition to the fact that they're free and a good thing to keep them out of landfills, is that they've probably outgassed most of their fumes by the time you get them. Most heat packs work by the catalysed oxidation of iron (to rust). This process absorbs oxygen. IIRC there have been problems when people shipped big massive pythons in small boxes with heat packs, with the snakes being injured or killed by not getting enough oxygen. This shouldn't be a problem with small animals like geckos and a few holes punched in the sides. I welcome any corrections to the above by the more knowledgable! _______________________________________________ Global Gecko Association http://www.gekkota.com Classifieds http://www.gekkota.com/cgi-gekkota/classifieds.cgi gecko mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.gekkota.com/mailman/listinfo/gecko
