Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Trying to decide on aspen bedding or cypress for the substrate of my ball pyhtons enclosure and suggestions and comments would be great. Thanks in advanced

Cypress would be better because it holds moisture better than aspen. Aspen will cause the air in the tank to be very dry and this could cause some problems when shedding.

So Cypress is the right choice. It is also able to get wet (damp really) to help keep humidity up and not form mildew, whereas if aspen gets wet, it will mildew.

Geoffrey.

How much should i put in like 3-4 inches thick?

It depends on how big your cage is. But 2-3 inches should be fine. Just remember that ball pythons like it humid, but not too humid: that is the advantage of using cypress. So all you have to do is mist the cypress, not the whole cage. Spray the bottom of the cage with water, only the cypress, about once to twice a day(but only when the heat lamp is on so it can dry up). Use a hygrometer (humidity gage) to measure the humidity in the cage. Put it about 2-3 inches above the floor level of your cage in the center of your cage, so it can be accurate, and anything over 40% is good for overall humidity, but when shed time comes you want it to be about 75%. Other than that, you should be fine.

Geoffrey.

Here is my cage so you can see.

n/p