Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I keep all my young pits on paper towels and move them up to aspen shavings as adults. Is there anything better I could be using (pine, cypress mulch, peat) ?

What do you breed your pits on to keep them from dragging bedding into their reproductive areas when the deed is done? Do you let them lay eggs in sphagnum moss and then transfer it to perlite/vermeculite or do you have another method?

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6.7 pituophis c. annectans
1.1 senticolis t. intermedia
1.1 rhinechis scalaris
1.2 lampropeltis m. thayeri
2.1 pantherophis g. guttatus
1.1 lampropeltis t. campbelli

1.1 turbo corns
1.1 jungle corns
1.1 thayeri hybrids (het albino)

I keep my Pits on deep aspen bedding, 3-4" and they love to burrow in it. I use smaller gladware containers for moist hides with sphagnum or orchid fiber or shoeboxes for larger snakes. I cut holes in the lids of these with a hole saw mounted in a cordless drill. This helps retain moisture and they have to go down in through the hole. They also seem to love these and will often be seen with just their heads peeking out of the holes.

For gravid females I just up the size to the 15 qt plastic boxes filled with sphagnum or orchid fiber. Again holes cut in the lids then transfer the eggs to incubation tubs made of shoe boxes filled with moist perlite. 1 part hot water to 10 parts perlite by volume gives me about a perfect ratio. I check condition of the eggs weekly. Sometimes but not often I may have to mist the sides for added moisture.

I'm thinking of trying the "substrateless" incubation using the egg crate diffuser grating over moist perlite.

Hope this helps.
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
1.2 P. m. melanoleucus B/W N. J. Northern Pines
1.2 P. d. deppei Mexican Pines
2.2 P. l. lineaticollis Linis or Lined Pines
1.2 P. m. lodingi Black Pines
0.3 P. c. sayi Kingsville X Stillwater red bulls
1.1 Drymarchon melenurus Blacktail Cribo
1.2 D. corais Yellowtail Cribos
1.2 M. s. cheynei Jungle Carpet
2.6 L. p. pyromelana Arizona Mt. Kings
1.1 L. g. californiae B/W Cali kings
0.0.3 M. f. flagellum Eastern Coachwhips
1.2 G. m. bottegoi Western Plated lizards

What do you breed your pits on to keep them from dragging bedding into their reproductive areas when the deed is done?
And that is why making out at the beach is not a good idea! LOL!

Seriously, though, I do what BigTattoo does with the deep aspen and the moss hides. In the wild snakes mate on all sorts of materials and don't seem to have a problem with stuff getting into their nether parts.
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Bob/Chris
Pyromaniac AKA Greatballzofire

I used aspen bedding but found that my pits would injest it more often when eating, and I didnt like the light color. When I started doing larger displays at Camp Mondamin where I ran the nature program for many summers, I got to using Cypress mulch and then started using it in my cages. Now all my cages have it, and I reppot all my Cattleya species and hybrid orchids with it and I love the stuff! (my Cattleyas root very well in it) For only 2.50 a bag its a deal and it looks GREAT!
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BULLS: Pr normal (KS&TX), Pr Northern (M Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada & F Minn), Pr Kankakee Co, Ill, CORNS: Pr Okeetee, SC, FOXES: Pr Western, KINGS: Pr Black Eastern (L.g.nigra) Todd Co. KY, Pr. NC Eastern Chains (M from Union Co. & F from Mecklenburg Co.), Pr."Goini", Franklin Co. Fla, Pr. Costal Banded Cal (M Hypo & F normal) Pr Speckled, Harris Co. TX, MILKS: F Eastern, PINES: Pr Louisiana (pure descendants of Terry Vandeventer stock), Pr Southern (F light phase & M- Aiken, SC), PYTHONS: Pr normal Ball, RATS: Pr Black, Henderson Co. NC, Pr Black (M White Side & F Leucistic), F Western Green,(Mt. Hopkins, Cochise Co. AZ), OTHERS: 10 Tarantulas, 155 Orchid plants, 30 assorted tropical plants and African violets, 3 Freshwater Planted Aquariums with West African Dwarf Cichlids and 2 condo-porch gardens with Bonsai, Roses and more.

I put all breeding pairs on newspapper until breeding season is done and then keep them on aspen sani chips the rest of the year. I do this because I also worried about getting material in the cloacal area of the snakes.