Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What is the best substrate to use in racks for ball pythons.
I am trying to find something thats of good quality, holds heat well, and that doesnt consistently leave condensation on the front of the tubs.
Let me know your opinion.

I like cypress. It leaves condensation only when I first wet it down. I have found that it looks beautiful, maintains humidity levels well and I hope the animals should feel more like they are in a natural environment.

It buy cypress at a local Agway farm and garden center for about $4.00 for a 40lb bag / appox: 1/4 to 1/3 sq. yard.

I prefer unprinted newspaper. Easy to see when they've urinated or defecated, easy to clean (just take it out, spray the tub with Novalsan, wipe out with a paper towel, put in a new piece), and safe to feed on. I keep humidity at 50% using a large whole-house humidifier in the room (Bemis by EssickAir), and when they turn blue I lightly mist them so that they and the newspaper are slightly damp (not even close to wet). It works well and they have perfect sheds every time. It is also cheap -- I buy giant slabs of pre-cut sheets for $64 from ULINE, and so far this current slab has lasted me 14 months and I still have a lot left. That's with changing tubs frequently for 15-28 snakes for the past year. The sheets are 36x24 so folded over, they fit perfectly inside my Sterilite 1960 tubs.
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~* Jen *~

Pink Lady Constrictors

Cellsorb is by far the best substrae to use. No condensation, its cheap and lasts months. It swells up when urinated on. Grazianni recommended it to me and told me that it is the only thing he uses. Thanks

So it is easy to see where the snake has urinated and easy to clean? Where do you buy your cellsorb from? Anyone else use this?

I buy it at Petsmart in 30 or 40 lb. bags. The bags are $16 each and one bag last months. I tried aspen, newspaper, etc. but this is the real deal. It sorta looks like gray rabbit food. Thanks

I use cellsorb plus in my eastern indigo cage. If you don't know, a 7 1/2' male eastern indigo might possibly have the smelliest droppings of any snake. Cellsorb does a good job soaking it up and makes it easy to spot clean 2 or 3 times a week.

Steve

aspen.

Well that clears it up.

LOl...good luck!

Good old fashioned newspaper! "It's a periodical AND a substrate"

Cell sorb is the best for controlling odors, but it can be dusty as it breaks down, and is very heavy. Cypress works well, but its hard to find a grade that isn't full of potentially hazardous sharp splinters. Newspaper is almost impossible to spot clean when time is short, and is unnaturally smooth for a snake to crawl on.

Used em all, but I've found that in my collection, aspen has none of the above shortcomings. It's not perfect, but it's damn close. I use L/M, which is so finely-milled that it's almost fluffy, with no splinters.
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Brad Chambers

The Avalanche has already started-it is too late for the pebbles to vote....

big balls aspen.......in closed bins

with open tops like freedom or aquariums.....cypress ,damp

for babies in shoe boxes, paper......in bigger boxes...aspen
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what you want for a dollar...............???????

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I have used aspen, newspaper , but prefer to use pure white paper towels 3 thick. Ill propably hear some flack but it works well for me. I keep babies up to adults on them. Makes mite detection a breeze, cleaning is simple ....remove spray with cage wizard and replace. My females laid right on them with no problem. I spray animals daily that are ready to shed with no shedding issues.

I use disposable cage liners.

I have tried all of the above suggestions and (for me) they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

I think the number one problem I've found with any of the substrates I've used is finding that "happy medium" between humidity, cost, ease of use and how well my snakes seem to like it.

In the end my personal favorite is fir bark. I spend a little more to buy the branded stuff at the pet store because the particles are not too large and there are no rocks or other "undesirables" in the bags. As far as humidity control goes I have no complaints. It is not able to hold as much water as some other substrates but seems to release it at a rate that prevents my tubs from fogging up.

Aspen has that gerbil cage smell to it I really don't care for. Plus it seems to get too humid and damp for me.

I've used a product that is very similar to Cell Sorb and it works great as far as spot cleaning goes. However, it is very heavy and seems to pull the water out of everything. I ditched the brand I was using as soon as I had a couple snakes go through poor sheds. I don't know how well Cell Sorb would work by comparison to the brand I purchased.

Newspaper, Craft paper, shipping paper and cage liners are all nice for the time and money they can save. You may have to watch your humidity a little closer than usual since these will not "hold and release" the humidity as well as the other substrates.

Having said all of that, I've noticed that each of my snakes seems to have a preference as to which substrate is in their tub (noted due to changes in feeding or behavior after a change in type of substrate occurred). So, I have some on shredded aspen, some on craft paper, and some on fir bark.

The room you keep your snakes in will have a big impact on the humidity in their tubs or tanks. That is one reason you see so many different preferences here. Someone in Arizona may not have like newsprint because their snakes are too dry on it, whereas someone in Florida may find that the ambient humidity provides perfect conditions for the use of newsprint (and like wise for the rest of the substrates discussed).

You will no doubt have to experiment a little before you find the one you prefer.

Condensation is proof of humdity keep up the good work...

I use Kaytee softsorb but I am not totally for it it's made of processed paper and molds quickly I am constantly cleaning the stuff but it works well for the smaller critters. When they get big enough they go on cypress mulch

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www.myspace.com/ballpython

jkbreptiles.com/

I think, as you see from the replies to your post, that it is a very individual choice. A while back I made a list of pros and cons for each . . . . hope this helps.

1. newspaper - Pros: cheapest, easiest to see if substrate needs cleaning, easy to replace. Cons: it's ugly, doesn't hold humidity, the minute water is spilled or urine is released the paper must be changed - this can happen daily, sometimes the newsprint rubs off on the snake (not a health problem, just makes the snake dirty looking) and many times the snake gets under the paper (that's OK for hiding purposes) so you can't see him.

2. Mulch - Pros: relatively cheap at your local garden store, holds humidity very well, looks nice, and you may only need to change the part of the substrate that's dirty. Cons: hard to tell if substrate needs cleaning, may have bugs (not harmful to snakes that I've heard), heavy to lift large quantities, and when changing a large # of tubs you have big bags of "trash."

3. Carefresh - Pros: just the ticket if you're going for a different look (it's available in grey, white, pink, blue and purple), usually easy to see if substrate needs changing, only need to change the part of the substrate that's dirty. Cons: Very expensive and can sometimes be difficult to find in large quantities.

4. Sani chips - Pros: very absorbent, need only change the part of the substrate that's dirty, and holds humidity pretty well. Cons: very tiny pieces, pretty expensive but a little does go a long way, hard to find, gets all over the place (the pieces almost seem to float in the air) and hard to vacuum up.

5. Aspen - Pros: very absorbent, need only change the part of the substrate that's dirty, easy to see if substrate needs cleaning, snakes like to burrow in it, relatively inexpensive, easily available at any pet store, and holds humidity well. Cons: pieces stick to socks and towels and are very difficult to remove, some don't like the idea that some small pieces may be ingested with the prey (I've never had a problem with this), and the size of pieces and the "cut" vary widely.
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Alice Cobb
Florida Reptile Room

Now I think I've really hit the nail on the head with this one. You can get white socks in large quantities for very cheap at thrift stores or flea markets. They are extremely absorbent, hold humidity well, don't mold, you can change part of it for easy spot cleaning, the snakes won't accidentally ingest the small bits, they are light weight and best of all, THEY ARE REUSABLE! I can't think of a con, can you?
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Ryan Sherman
Scottsdale, Arizona

Subscribe to your local newspaper for a few dollars a year. Humidity should be controlled in the entire room. Print on newspaper is made from animal fat and is harmless. I don't think the snakes care how it looks, I just have some that perfer the sports page!
Link

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www.fbballpythons.com