Hi. I'm new here. I've been reading a lot over the past couple of days. I just received a speckled kingsnake from a friend and have a couple of general questions about substrate and heating. Currently the snake is in a small terrarium but it's a little small for him. I would like to move him into a 35 gallon Rubbermaid tub. I have already drilled air holes on the sides of the tub as well as on the lid.
I would like to know if regular top soil can be used as a suitable substrate. I have a ton of this stuff left over from a gardening project that I just finished. The top soil isn't treated with fertilizers or anything. I will be feeding the snake in a separate container so I don't believe accidental digestion will be a problem. I know other substrates are used and are probably better but I would like to put all that extra top soil to good use if I can.
As for heating, is a human heating pad okay? I know some people use them for their reptile tanks and have no problems. What is the best way to utilize a human heating pad to heat one side of a 35 gallon tub? If a human pad isn't recommended, what would be better: clamp light with 25-40 watt bulb or under the tank reptile heating pad?
Thanks so much,
Tommy
