pine shavings apparently have more oils in them than aspen. i have no proof of this besides everyone telling me so. i've heard of pine (as well as cedar of course) causing respiratory problems in some species of snakes, i don't know if rat snakes are included.

however, i would highly recommend housing them on aspen shavings instead. it should cost the same, as long as you can find it.



at the moment i am babysitting a pair of mandarins, and i have found that mandarins, unlike nearly all other snakes, prefer lower temperatures than low 80's. in fact, they seem to flourish in high 60s to mid 70's. i'm sure there are exceptions, particulary if your are captive breds. if yours are feeding well i wouldn't worry too much, though i'd suggest cooling them down just a little.



i couldn't quite understand what you meant about the water dishes, but it's important that they, along with all other snakes have 24-7 access to water.



hopefully i've helped a little.

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• Im looking for some pro ! advice on coxi, prasina, and mandarins. - jimfmcdonald, Sun Aug 3 00:34:31 2003
• RE: Im looking for some pro ! advice on coxi, prasina, and mandarins. - silvano_06095, Sun Aug 3 17:07:19 2003