Hello everyone, have a quick question for those of you who use Aspen as a bedding.
I have used many substrates from newspaper, aspen, and even turf carpeting. I usually determine which I use by what the boa likes. I have noticed some of my boas pushing aspen toward one end of the cage and trying to get away from it, therefore I will replace it with the turf carpeting, which they seem to like.
Other boas of mine seem to like the aspen and move it around however they like, but don't seem to mind laying on or in it.
However, last breeding season, I put one of my males in with a female who was on Aspen, and worst case happened. A piece of Aspen got stuck on his hemipene, retracted in his body and became infected. I didn't catch it until too late as this had never happened to me before.
I now know that it's a good idea to inspect males for this on a regular basis while during breeding season, but I was wondering if anyone could give me some "how to" instructions on how to inspect and remove the aspen if this happens? I see a lot of pictures of breeding and babies being born in aspen, so I know someone has to have some experience and knowledge of this.
Also, does anybody avoid aspen during breeding season for this reason? This incident has me kind of paranoid to put my males near aspen, I have been contemplating switching all of my boas over to the turf carpeting to avoid this problem altogether.
However I still do like using aspen as it's easy to clean and holds humidity better than the carpet does.
Any input/advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Tony
