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I have a dumerils boa, red-tailed boa, and a jungle carptet python in a huge 155 gallon tank. I usually hgave that indoor/outdorr green carpet for the bttom but i was looking for something different to put in there but with low maintenance req.'s If anyone knows something that is good that doesn't harbor parasites easily asnd is easily maintanined let me know. Thank You,
-John NJ

I'm not sure if anything is as easy as the 'astroturf' carpet or newspaper, but if you wanted to go with a more natural substrate, I'd highly suggest aspen or pine shavings (they take many forms, one of the most popular is SaniChips). Pine/aspen are fairly inexpensive, they absorb odor and urates well, and they last quite a while before needing to be tossed out.
Hope this helps,
Jason @ Jason's Jungle

I'm new but from what I've seen in my research on herping so far, pine is a no no. I've read that Aspen is okay and the Reptibark is the best as far as natural substrate goes. But again, I am a humble beginner and that is what I've read so far.

How are each of these substrates in harboring parasites, such as mites and ticks. Is there anything that works well with keeping away those bugs? Thanks though for evrything else guys, -John NJ

aspen is the besy i would say and you can see mites and ticks quite easily in them if the snake has them but you should be fine.just make sure theres enough ventilation in the cage or you can develop a mold that looks just like the mold that develops on bread. but it is very easy to take care of and fairly inexpensive.

reptibark is great to use and easy to clean up,some people just use news paper but a natural look is always the best,what ever you do do not ever use cedar shavings at all,thier skin absorbs the chemicals and causes illness and eventually death

Newspaper- cheap and you just clean the whole tank out at one time. Not very naturalistic but it can be very sanitary.
Lora

What about paper towels.... I have picked up this industrial strength brand called Shop Towels at the local hardware store.... the only concern I could imagine is that it is a blue color..... curious what people think? Is a blue paper towel a no no? I hear that you should stay away from color pictures on newspapers because of the inks, but paper towel and newspaper inks are not the same... ie, dont bleed as much....

Just curious?

MDK

I love aspen...I like the look of it, as well as how my snakes look on it (it shows off bright colors really well). It's also easy to spot mites and waste for easy removal. One down side is it tends to spoil easily when wet. Newspaper works for sterility and simplicity. Reptibark and cypress mulch work well, but reptibark is notorious for parasites. Cypress mulch is cheap if you go to Walmart or Home Depot. Avoid cedar and pine. Those lovely aromas are absolutely toxic to herps. Don't go with sand, 'desert blend', or gravel (I guess maybe you could...but I'd be worried about accidental ingestion, not to mention how much of a pain it would be to clean). Forest Bed (the condensed coconut fiber bedding) works well too.
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1.1 Albino Nelson's Milks
0.1 Dumeril's Boa
0.0.1 Albino Corn
0.1 Mex Mex
0.1 Northern Blue Tongue
0.0.1 Green Tree Frog
0.0.1 Cuban Tree Frog

and no one here has yet beaten you up about that? Then I won’t be the first.

For the species you named, I’d go with plain sheet paper. I use indented kraft and/or newsprint, sometimes with newspaper underneath. When it is soiled, roll it up, discard, wipe the cage clean, disinfect if you do that, put down clean paper, and you’re done.

-Joan

I'll admit it, I did cringe when I read that. But I don't feel like writing an expose on anything right now, so this'll do:
I personally would -not- house them together for various reasons. If they are young, dumeril's boas are known to occasionally eat reptilian cagemates as juveniles.

As adults, the one tank is not large enough to house them all together anyway, so I would look into various types of plastic caging. They are much lighter and easier to clean than a huge aquarium-style tank, and the front-opening design is great for stacking and makes it easier to get larger animals in and out.

I personally like cypress mulch substrate, especially for animals who use higher than room humidity. I get it from the garden center of Home Depot and bake it before using. I have seen little clear wood lice or something in it before, but nothing that's really visible or harmful to the animals inside.
Where I live it's cheap, $1.50 per 2 cu.ft. But availability does depend on location.
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-audri
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