Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I know this has prob been posted 100's of times before but what does everyone use for their snakes? Aspen, paper, mulch??

I use Back-2-Nature and Cell-Sorb Plus...

M.

I use new's paper or paper towel's until I know the female is Gravid,Then Aspen Chip's so she can build nest. Aspen also does a good job of keeping odor's away.
Jonas

I personally use aspen. My friend uses newspaper. Either one works. I like aspen because I think it looks better than the newspaper but that's just me. The aspen is also pretty inexpensive.
However, do not use pine at all. It can cause respiratory issues. Good luck.

Good old aspen.
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Bill Buchman

I use repti-bark, i like the way it looks and when i feed there are no little shavings like aspen that they swallow,when i used aspen i was always pullin little pieces of it out of their mouth and off the feeders

I use shredded aspen, but after pulling males after breeding on it and popping 2 and finding 2 all most 1/2 inch pieces of aspen in side the male I have switched to unprinted news paper like Ralph Davis uses when breeding, I have aspen on everyone else. Just what happened to me, I love the aspen for anything else though.

Anyone use sani-chips? Thinking about using them instead of newspaper, want to see if anyone uses it...

I've used them, but too messy for my taste--bits find their way into the water bowl, they get tracked all over my snake room...

M.

We use aspen for adults, sani chips for hatchlings, and newspaper for just hatched babies. Here is a list I put together a while back on the pro and cons of each.

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, wet aspen usually molds, 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

i use Bounty Select-a-size. Soaks up urates and wet crap really good. Plus it's thin enough to dry out by your UTH thus keeping the humidity levels up.

Pitoon

All tree ,it depends on what the individual snake dose best on . They are all individuals and don’t all like the same thing . Just as they don’t all eat the same type of rodents ,presented the same way , the same size , just do what make them feel the most secure . David

Truth is generally the best vindication against slander
Abraham Lincoln.

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