Reptile & Amphibian Forums

im thinking about switching from aspen to newspaper for my black milks. They do seem to bury themselves a lot so would switching to newspaper be, i dont know, kinda cruel? Would they get used to the newspaper? Does any1 here keep their milks blacks, hondos, whatever on newspaper?
-----
* 1.1 Black Milksnakes
* 1.1 Eastern Kingsnakes
* 0.1 Jungle Carpet Python
* 1.0 Ball Python
... and sadly had to get rid of all my boas

I currently keep my black milks on newspaper. Following the lead of many on this forum, I use small cereal or cracker boxes for hides which they use probably 90% of the time. Once in a while they will go under the newspaper, but usually hide in the boxes. Very easy to clean the cages, and very inexpensive, just not as attractive as other options.

-----
Joe

Hey there I've also got a black milk. For awhile I have been thinking about just putting a tub of some burrowable substrate in my little Marla's cage because she seems to always go underneath the newspaper. I absolutely love the simple clean up of newspaper.

On a side note do black milks tend to like to climb? I wonder if she would make use of some vertical space.

Black milks are surface and sub-surface dwellers. They will climb looking for an escape route. Other than that, branches and whatnot are useless.

A deep, burrowable substrate (or the same in a provided tub) would be more useful.
-----
Mark

I'm an aspen baby but have a couple large milks that prefer newspaper. If you add a clump of paper strips to the cage and flop a sheet of newspaper over the clump the hiding snakes will settle in and have the privacy they like w/o always living under the bottom layers.
Feeding and breeding on newspaper is (I think) best.
Jeff
-----
The rich require an abundant supply of the poor. - Voltaire

I've used aspen and bark in the past, but my snakes do great with newspaper. I always keep a few layers in their tubs and they "burrow" between them. I also provide hides and humidity boxes made from plastic food storage containers, and they use those at seemingly random times.
-----
---

1.1.0 Hondurans Het Amel
1.1.0 Hondurans Anery, Het Hypo
0.1.0 Honduran Hypo
0.2.0 Pueblans
1.0.0 Pueblan Hypo
1.0.0 Thayeri MSP
0.0.1 GBK Blair's Phase
1.0.0 California King
0.1.0 California King Blue-eyed Blond
0.0.1 Speckled King WC
0.0.1 Jungle Carpet
0.1.0 Ball, Normal
0.0.1 Sulcata
0.1.0 Girlfriend, Caucasius Mexicana, Fiancee Phase

I keep all my adult milks on newspaper and babies on aspen. As long as you have a couple good hides your black milks should adjust fine.
-----
Randy Whittington

If you want them to produce.......use the produce section



I use the natural stuff for hide boxes

For the hide box I like peat moss. 50 pound bags are cheap, just spray it with water.
-----
..Doug
~ø¿ô~ aka dougsnake