Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Has anyone used this substrate for Kings ?? I currently use repti-lawn (kind of an astroturf)but it requires disrupting the whole environment to change it out.

They say Calci-sand is "digestible", but I think they may mean for lizards since they also advertise that it gives your reptile the calcium it needs..........again, sounds like lizards. If I fed the snake in a different container will it be an OK substrate.............I know it would be easier to keep clean.

I'm looking for a good aesthetic so I dont want to use paper towels, newspapers, etc................

Any thoughts out there ???

I used it for about 8 months , the best thing about it is, it looks great! really peeerrty, but DUSTY AS SH....!!, the dust
issue was bad , and it gets really dirty and stinky, you will have to swap it out everytime you do a super cleaning of the cage(month to 2 months)even with spot cleaning the sand it still
gets funky and costs alot, the snakes loved it! and you can feed them on it-
it's perfectly safe, besides THE DUST! horrible,
but looks great , some folks may disagree, but the dust worried
the pututies out of me,

Was it still dusty after rinsing and drying it ?? I imagined getting the glow in the dark kind, but worry about what makes it glow in the dark !!!

Thanks for the assurance that it will do no harm, at least now I'm open to giving it a try.

Anyone have any other substrate ideas for Kings ??

heeheee I saw that glow in the dark its wild looking but I imagine what makes it glow in the dark has to harm the snake .I use jungle litter by ESU its a soil/sand combo its not dusty cleans great and looks natural.
My snakes love to bury in it to.I use overhead heating so no danger of snake coming in contact with a heating pad.The sand does look great but I was afraid of the dust.Aspen and carefresh I just never liked the look.
Bianca

Shredded or chipped Aspen is the best in my opinion. Easy to spot clean and clumps together when dried. I used calci-sand once and hated it. Very dust like DJW said and it coated my snake with a dusty film. Didn't like it for those reasons because it took away my snakes natural colors. Stick with Aspen.

I tried washed playsand (Lowes had it) for a display, even though I know better than to use sand, and I must say it was less dusty than Calci-sand and cost 1/20th the price. Nothing conducts and spreads bottom heat like sand - it is the best in that application and aspen is the worst for that application. But, sand gets smelly real fast, and you must take care not to feed on it. It will get all over the floor too. Too much trouble so I quit using it.

Tried small gravel. Same great heat-preading effect but urates seeped down and smelled the cage even quicker than sand. You can wash gravel, but again, too much trouble.

Aspen is the most popular . I have been using pine shavings for years. Stay away from cedar.