Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I set up a nesting box for my girl and filled it with play sand. Well, she tore her little face up trying to burrow in it. I've read about using vermiculite instead...some say it's great, others, not so much....is vermiculite a good option? It needs to be soft enough to not hurt her face when she burrows, but have a consistency that still allows it to be used as nesting substrate. Any advice would be helpful, thanks!

My co-worker/friend has used vermiculite for Indigo Snakes, Florida King Snakes, and Corn Snakes. I have used it for Eastern Ribbon Snakes and Banded Water Snakes. It works well, and for most north american colubrids it holds enough moisture too. I don't personally know anyone who has has a bad experience with it and I have never had a bad experience with it. I would recommend using it. Good luck with the nesting and I hope your female is alright.

I've used vermiculite and/or sphagnum moss dozens of times and really like it.

however, i'd freeze your bag of vermiculite for a day or two before using it. i've noticed tiny bugs in containers with vermiculite before.

I normally transfer the eggs to a container with pearlite and have never noticed the little flies or whatever they are in those containters, so i assume its from the vermiculite.

I set up a nesting box for my girl and filled it with play sand. Well, she tore her little face up trying to burrow in it.

She is trying to nest! But her behavior is showing she will hold onto her eggs until she can't hold them any longer.. this is what you do not want to happen.

Do this.. take the "nesting box" out and place a heavy piece of tile or thick glass over some very slightly moist substrate (I just use pine shavings) an the snakes will crawl under it do their nesting that they need to feel secure.

A snake does not always recognize a nest "box" as a nesting site.

PS

OH and please do not remove the water dish like so many people do.. it is pure torture for a nesting female to not have water to drink available at all times.
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"I guess newbies cannot understand, those who build the foundation, are not the ones with great opportunity. Those who buy the latest generations, have the greatest opportunity to create new morphs. "

Frank Retes

The keys are material, depth and dark, right temps and humidity. If you do those right, it can be anywhere, in the cage, a separate cage, a big box in the cage. Or the whole cage'

Good materials are My choices, sand/coco fiber mix, sand/spaghmum, or strait coco or spaghmum.

I do not like vermic. as it peels off layers and gets stuck in their eyes.

The tub I use, the eggs being laid under a piece of glass buried in the substrate, the eggs laid in a perfect little nest.

Thanks everybody for the advice!! It should be noted that she's partially blind, so she will use her face to find her way around new things in her cage. She shed yesterday and all of the damaged skin came off with no ulceration underneath. I'd been keeping it moist with ointment. So that part is over thankfully! I've seen some things about vermiculite containing asbestos....so that worries me. I've also got a rat snake, who seems to have eggs too. Do they always stop eating prior to laying, and do they always shed before they lay? Do the laying containers need to be opaque? There's so much info out there and I'm not sure what the best course of action is. I've got experience with cyclura and eggs, but none of my snakes have laid so far....the king is about 11 years old and the rat is about 5. Our beardie is working on eggs too....eggs for everyone LOL!! Any thoughts? Advice? Thanks in advance!!!