Reptile & Amphibian Forums

thx in advance

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Bark, no sand

My displays show my ball pythons in a sandy/soil/gravel substrate that i have used for years w/out any problems. This makes for a very naturalistic look while serving the needs of this species. If you observe bp's in their natural element (or, look at quality pics of bp's in the field) you will see that most of the time you will see them in or near a sandy/soil substrata. But, I do agree in that a sand only substrate would not be good. Conversely, bark substrates increase the dangers of accidental ingestion (which can lead to death). This can be easily overcome by placing a piece of paper over the substrate when feeding.

But, if you want the BEST substrate for a captive setting, you can't go wrong with good old fashioned newspaper...I've been using it for over 30 years and have never had a single problem with it....cheap, sanitary, and snakes enjoy hiding between the layers.

Rob Carmichael

Do you have any pics of your setup? I'd love to see. Also, do you feed on the substrate or in a separate cage,etc?
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My Album

1.0 Ball Python
"Aragorn"

1.0 Kenyan Sand Boa
"Gimli"

0.1 Australian Cattle Dog/Pointer
"Kira"

I would use only newspaper or paper towels. not sand or bark. I didnt like sand at all when i used to use it.

Rob Woods

Sand is for the beach, not snake cages. I'd highly advise AGAINST using sand.

Bark on the other hand, comes in MANY many forms. Some work, some don't. After 11 years of using newspaper, I switched to aspen for 9 months (last season) and this year I've gone to the bark mulch.

I will never go back. This stuff kicks a$$!

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Bark mulch? Where do you get it? I've been using cypress mulch and newspaper but the bark looks good.

Thanks,

Joel

>>Sand is for the beach, not snake cages. I'd highly advise AGAINST using sand.
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>>Bark on the other hand, comes in MANY many forms. Some work, some don't. After 11 years of using newspaper, I switched to aspen for 9 months (last season) and this year I've gone to the bark mulch.
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>>I will never go back. This stuff kicks a$$!
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- Joel Smith

Email Me!

Cypress mulch is awesome as well. I can't get it out here on the west coast though, so I had to go to the bark mulch. I get it from Idaho in the States because the bark from here in BC is transported by the ocean (salt water, etc etc). Its called Mountain Magic. It totally rocks. I use it for the Carpets as well! I flirted with the idea of using it for the Womas, but I think I'll stick with aspen for them.

If you can get cypress, I'd stick with that. I heard lots of good things about it.

is this the cedar bark stuff you can get for landscaping?

I would never use cedar ANYTHING. This is made from Doug-fir.
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