Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm in the process of setting up a rack system and I was wanting to get some opinions on different substrate options...

aspen... paper towels... anything else?

what works best in your experience? pros/cons you've had with any?

Thanks,
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Allison

1.1 normals
1.1 yellowbellies
1. pastel DH albino clown
1. DH caramel glow

I just use newspaper it is the cheapest and far less messy than aspen.

I currently use newspaper- I get it free-- every time we go shopping I grab a HUGE STACK of the free classifieds ads-- 2 pages perfectly covers the entire bottom- I sit and unfold them while I watch tv lol.
Only problem I've had is that they HAVE to be cleaned every 10 days. If one overflows their water- its soaked and gets cleaned as soon as I notice it- which could be the first cage is wet when i am cleaning the last-- gets frustrating. Same with the few snakes that urinate more than the others.

I have used wood chips-- not really any problems other than it is hard to get a good bag- seems to have bugs or be sopping wet and smell like mold/mildew/whatever fungus. And I'm terrified that one of the snakes will ingest wood with food and have probs that way.

Tried papertowels- same problems with newspaper- wet fast and much more expensive. Will use towels for babies though- cleaner (no ink lol)

Good luck

~Beth
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Until there are none, Rescue One! Get ready to welcome the new and improved Oklahoma Animal Rescue Group -- Just a few weeks away from getting our 501c3 status!!!!!

Hey Allison. Here is a list of pros and cons I put together a couple of years ago because so many of our customers were asking the same question. I hope this helps.

1. newspaper - Pros: cheapest, easiest to see if substrate needs cleaning, easy to replace. Cons: it's ugly if that matters to you, 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 aspen. The snakes seem to prefer it over newspaper, and when there's a minor mess, I only have to clean the messy part, not the entire tub. I used to use cypress mulch since it was cheap and readily available, but it was also heavy and more difficult to clean than aspen.

Thanks for the advice, you guys are always so helpful.
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Allison

1.1 normals
1.1 yellowbellies
1. pastel DH albino clown
1. DH caramel glow

That's what I am using right now.

It's absorb better than paper towel and it's easier to clean when they poop or piss.

But if they move their water bowl, it's still get wet and need to be changed.

It also cost more. So if you have many, it might not be the best investment, but for me, it does the job right now. Might try aspen eventually if that doesn't work, but I don't feel like moving large bags of dirty aspen, or even a new bag since I am on the 4th floor.
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