Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Don't know what this guy's going to turn into, but it will be interesting to see. No yellow visible at this time. Might work him into the albino project some day.
Paul

awesome looking snakes !

just a question, i have the repti carpet as a substrate, is it better to use wood chips ?

thanks

I have 2 displays where I use the bark chips. Everything else is on newspaper in racks. I like to put newspaper under the bark to absorb ureates then use my "turd tongs" for feces removal. The bark only has to be changed a few times a year, the newspaper underneath more often. The bark can be washed and re-used, I just don't think it's worth the effort, I replace it. I use the bark because I like the natural appearance and have kept and fed one snake on it since mid-1999 with no issues with ingestion or any other health issues. She's a healthy snake that produced her 1st clutch of 6/100% hatch this year.
Paul

I have been using bark chips and cypress mulch as bedding for some 30 years with no problems! I like the natural look and it also increases humidity when misted with a plant sprayer every 3 or 4 days. All my snakes shed in one piece! I know there are a lot of people out there including a lot of major breeders that use aspen bedding. A friend of mine came over one day with a jungle carpet that went past her due date. She was egg bound. Unfortunately she died. I perfomed an autopsy on the animal and found a ball of aspen bedding blocking her intestine and pushing against the ovary so the eggs could not pass. This probably accumulated over a period of time of ingesting small amounts of bedding at a time. If you elect to use bark in your cages, make sure it is pine and not cedar! Cedar will drive your snakes olfactory nuts and totally screw up its sense of smell!