Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Whay does everyone use aspen bedding ive always used coconut bark without chunks and never had any problems but i used aspen bedding once it smelt so bad with my snake in the cage so i was just wondering why everyone else uses it?

Thanks,
Shane
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1.0 normal
0.1 Black Back
1.0 Yellow Belly

I like the look of the aspen. It is easy to spot clean. I have never had issues with it smelling bad, unless one of them has just pooped. Then i just take a cat litter scoop and dispose of the soiled bedding and the smell goes away.
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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

2.0 chocolate lab (Harley) and basset (Capone)
0.1 leopard gecko (Nacho)
1.0 Normal ball python (Arwen)
1.0 pastel ball python (Merlin)
0.1 Spider ball python (Rogue)
1.4 breeder rats

I like aspen for the same reasons: I like the look of it and it's really easy to spot clean. A lighter bedding is going to show up poop/spilt water/mold much better than a darker bedding, so you can be certain your snakes are always in a clean environment. Plus, I feel like it gives my snakes something to do -- its lightweight & fluffy-like so they can push it around to how they like it, or spend the day flattening it out like some do, or burrow underneath. Also, it makes my Provent-A-Mite process much easier.

I do not know why your bedding smelled bad... all I can think of is retained humidity that might make it sticnk (maybe more air holes in the tubs?). The only time mine ever smell is because of reasons for it to smell -- dead mouse smell from recent kill, poop, spilt water getting icky under the bedding, etc...

One reason I don't like it is that it is DUSTY. When I do full cleanings from transferring old bedding to the trash can and new bedding from the container, after a while the dust in the air from inhaling it and stuff really gets to me. But this is not a regular occurrence, this is just from major messing around. Hope this helps
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Cheers!
• Chelsea Lynn Gardiner
(and Frank M. Wood)

here is the set up there r like 3 spots with 50 holes in the back but it smelt bad so idk ill just stick to coconut bark it the poop sucks up some bedding so i can kinda see where the poop is i empty the poop out every week and i put new bedding in every month.
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1.0 normal
0.1 Black Back
1.0 Yellow Belly

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1.0 normal
0.1 Black Back
1.0 Yellow Belly

Did the aspen you use stink out of the bag or after it was in the cage for awhile?

If it stunk out of the bag, then most likely it was a bad batch of aspen. Aspen can stink pretty bad if its too damp and gets moldy. i had that happen a few times when i used it in a moist hide. I since stopped using aspen in moist hides (basically it was a container with a hole large enough for a gecko to get in and out fine (crested gecko). But after a couple days the aspen started to mold and stunk so I stopped using it in that sort of hide. I never had it smell bad when used in a cage.

Normal aspen shavings has very little 'woody' smell to it. (not pine like, more like raw sap from maple trees...)
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PHLdyPayne