Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone I just purchased two new Ball Pythons and the guy at the pet store recommended that I used sand in the tank and I was wondering what you all thought about it...just wondering.

Thanks, Jeff

Sand is usually not a very good idea - it gets in heat pits and under scales and can cause irritation and injury. You can use aspen, newspaper, cypress, fake carpet - all will be better for your ball.
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Tosha

"Nihil facimus sed id bene facimus"

6.34.0 Ball Python (Harry and Fluffy and gang)
1.0.0 Angolan Python (Anakin Skywalker)
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Verdi)
0.1.0 Bredls Python (Smurfette)
0.2.0 Feline (Pippen and Pandora)
0.0.1 Desert Tortoise (Pope John Paul aka JP )
2.2.1 Fish (1,2,3,4)
0.0.0 frogs rescued from pool skimmer
0.0.1 Lizards of unknown origin

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Edited on May 3, 2006 at 17:05:37 by phwyvern.

Yea what she said!! lol I would STRONGLY discourage any thoughts of useing sand! Balls dont live on sand!! Pet stores irritate me! Back to your question, yea no sand! I use aspen in mine. Cedar is toxic and so are some others so stay away from those. Repti-carpet or astro turf is another possible choice but IMO tend to be a breeding ground for bacteria if not kept very very clean!

Definitly google ball pythons and check out the many care sheets there are out there. here is one good link to try.

http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/Ballpython.html

ANother place i suggest is www.proexotics.com a great place for information on care for pythons and many other reptiles. Read through the FAQ!!

Keep in mind that we all have our own way of doing things, no one is totally right and no one is totally wrong but the vast majority of people giving advice is doing so with the best of intentions for you and your snakes! Just compile all the differences in opinions and pick what feels right to you!!

Good luck and welcome!
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Mike & Wendy

2.0.0 Siberian husky, Jackrussel/schitzu
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.1 Leopard Gecko
4.0.0 Beta's
3.1.0 Future Herper's

yeah...what he said

Sand is a definite no.

I use newspaper(two to five layers).
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Charles Glaspie

Tanstaafl:
"There ain't no such thing as a free lunch".
An acronym created by my favorite author Robert A. Heinlein.

Sand is a no no!!!! It will probably cause a great deal of stress on a snake. Especially one that was recently purchased. I use aspen reptile bedding for my display cage. For my other cages I use the cheap and available bedding, newspaper.

Watch out for what pet store workers tell you. I once had a problem feeder. The pet store guy told me to have my problem feeder watch the other snakes, because they are social creatures and need to learn from each other....Yeah... Watch out for pet store workers.

SAND?????????? no,no,no,,, NEVER. At least not with balls. I use aspen, smells good and easy to spot clean.

n/p
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Mike & Wendy

2.0.0 Siberian husky, Jackrussel/schitzu
0.0.1 Ball Python
1.0.1 Leopard Gecko
4.0.0 Beta's
3.1.0 Future Herper's