Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have two black rat snakes, the male is in a 30L and the female is in a 55. I was wondering what a good, natural looking, cheep, and easy-to-clean substrate would be(I know those are a lot of variables)? And also what humidity should I be shooting for? These are wild caught, and the humidity in NC stays pretty high in the summer here (actually pretty high is an understatement).

Thanks in advance!
Have a blessed day,
Erich
-----
1.1.0. Black Rat Snakes
0.1.0. Leopard Gecko

www.erichrhom.com

After seeing one of your tanks on your website, it looks like aspen shavings (not pine) are right for you.
Lots of good distributers here carry it, and you can get it in national pet chains.
Good luck
-----
Regards, Bill McGighan

I've been using aspen shavings with my black rat for years. I give them about 4" worth allowing them to burrow when the mod hits them. It dries the waste quickly and clumps it like cat litter makingit easy to spot clean the tank.
Agway sells bales of it for about $12 that expand and go along way.
Mike.

Thanks for the responses! What humidity should I keep my BRS's at?
-----
1.1.0. Black Rat Snakes
0.1.0. Leopard Gecko

www.erichrhom.com

Just avoid extreme ends of air humidity for long periods of time. BRs are very resilient. Normal house swings are fine (35 - 65%); just don't use misters and the like.
If your house is very dry for long periods (like prolonged winter heating or summer air conditioning), and they have trouble shedding, give them a moist sphagnum moss hide, especially when they are "in the blue".
With screen tops your airflow should keep things fine, assuming other good husbandry practices are followed.
.
.

-----
Regards, Bill McGighan