Reptile & Amphibian Forums

For quite a while now I've been pondering this issue around what substrates are appropriate to use with snakes.
I know some people who only use newspaper, Aspen shavings, Cypress Mulch etc. and I've noticed that for those that use wood products often they feed their snakes away from the cage as not to allow the snake to ingest any of the substrate.
For me I've been keeping monitors for quite a few years, and in the past substrate ingestion was considered a huge health problem. However, as people have been keeping monitors using 110 to 140 degree F basking spots, the problem of substrate impaction has become something less of an issue since monitors can pass all sorts of materials they ingest as long as thier metabolisms are energized enough to manage it. (In the past people generally kept their monitors too cold).
So the question has come to my mind, if we gave our snakes (Anacondas especially)similiar basking temperatures with considerably broader ranges of ambient temps would impaction be an issue? Also within the same frame of thought, are we keeping our snakes too cold?
I think to environments that snakes live in the wild, and I can't help but imagine that snakes, (constrictors especially) must ingest all sorts of materials while they consume their prey.
Anyone have any thoughts or opinions within this line of reasoning?
I ask this for the sake of discussion rather than inquiring on a course of action, I'd love to hear what the rest of you think.

Thanks!

-Kit

Hello,
Well even the snakes that I have that are on just paper or carpet, I still feed them in another cage. They are smart, not only do I not want my snakes to associating my hands throughing the rat or mouse in, but they relize when they go in to the other cage it is time to eat. I think it just helps them, due to things going in a pattern that they reckonize. Or maybe more like a habbit, I dont know, well you know what I mean. As far as the 120-140 degree temps. I dont think your snake would live very long at those temps. expecily anacondas. And if we kept our snakes to cold, they have a temp. gradenit, well mine do and I am sure most everyone elses snakes do to, they wouldnt go over to the cooler side. And in the wild, they are on dirt, and dekayed leefs. Not peaces of aspen or cypress, spread all over the froest floor. And I am sure, even if they did get some dirt or a leef in their mouth, which would be harder to get in their mouth because it is like more compacted, I think, anyway, I think they could digest dirt easyer than some kind wood. Now i dont suggest filling your snakes cage with dirt so you feed it in there, I wouldnt do that, the dirt could harbor lots of parisites. Unclean. Well I think that is it. Oh and I wrote this kinda fast, on top of not being a good speller or typer to begin with so I am sure lots of stuff doesnt makes sense. Sorry
Peace

Kit,
With regard to temps, contrary to intuition, green anacondas actually seek cooler temperatures than most other tropical boids. When given a substrate temperature gradient from 80 to 90 F, they will invariably be found toward the cooler end, unless digesting a meal or when gravid. This preference for cooler substrates is probably, in part, an artifact of their adaptation to spending large amounts of time in water. Liquids conduct heat from a warmer body quite rapidly, and therefore anacondas compensate for this by having an optimal temperature range that extends slightly lower than most other tropical boids. Most boas and pythons rarely seek out temperatures in the 90 – 95 F range except under certain conditions. Monitors, on the other hand, have adapted to a faster, heat driven metabolism. This is my interpretation of it anyway.

Kelly

I use "Astro Turf" as a substrate. I think its great because if you wash it, it'll retain some moisture for a while, looks nice (green like grass), easy to clean, no worries about snake ingesting junk. Heck, I haven't cleaned the turf in my anaconda's cage in 4 months, but, he just about always defecates in his water, thank God. I can't think of any drawbacks with Astro Turf. Best substrate I've ever tried.

Yes, wild snakes do inadvertantly eat "junk", but also, wild snakes also die from it.