Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello everyone
maybe someone could tell me if its ok to use softwood chips as a substract?its from a garden centre and it looks ok and doesnt seem to have a strong smell.

thanks

While I am not a huge fan of substrate at all, you can use mulch from Home Depot and the like as long as it is not treated with dies or chemicals.
To be completely honest you may be better off especially if this is a new animal.
To just stick to news paper or paper towels until you have the animal acclimated and cleared by a vet for parasites.
Just my 2 cents.

Hi
thanks for the reply greg.i's not a new animal,i've got tree gtp's and i've always used substract,but did use and do use paper with young ones(kitchen towel.
I was using compressed coconut fibre but once while feeding my female got some stuck in her mouth and i didnt like it,so i changed to the mulch stuff.but for the price of a little bag at my local/closest reptile shop i can buy a big one at the garden centre,more or less the size of 10 little bags.
Oh and i'm sorry i didnt mention but i live in england so no home depot
but i dont think this stuff has any chemicals or dies in it.
anyway thanks

I'm using sphagnum moss now and really like it. The snakes seem to like it as well.
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Hi Meg
I'm just trying to cut the costs a little and even the spagnum moss is expensive in the reptile shop here in the UK.but the garden centre sells spagnum moss for a fraction of the price but i don't know if its ok to use with the snakes.

regards