Colubridae "brands"? Oh, well...I think I know what you mean.



It depends on the species, of course. Many burrowing species will do well in something like Aspen shavings, shredded coconut shavings, cypress, etc. If you are going to use shavings, stay away from pine or cedar. Both can have really bad effects on a snake's respiratory system because of the oils in them.



Other burrowing species such as Sand Boas will do well in Calci-sand or some other brand of calcium carbonate sand. The texture, weight and size of the grains is consistent with natural sand and it is digestible if the snake accidentally ingests it.



Newspaper can be used with any snake, including burrowing species and is probably the best option all around from a functionality standpoint, although it's not the most aesthetically pleasing option. I use newspaper almost exclusively. It is very easy to clean up. You just need to make sure that you provide plenty of hiding options for species like Sand Boas and other burrowers. I build my smaller cages so that a sheet of newspaper will fit perfectly in the bottom of the cage when it is folded once vertically (the way it comes from the press). My larger cages are built to the width of the single-folded sheet, and I simply overlap multiple sheets to fit the length.



Some people like to use Astro-turf. I personally don't like it at all. It just provide too many options for parasite eggs, mites and bacteria to hide and is very difficult, if not impossible, to adequately disinfect.

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