What does everyone use/recommend as the best substrate to use? I have been using shredded aspen, but I notice a lot of people using others. I feed f/t from a bowl so I normally don't have anyproblem with bedding sticking to food. Thank you for your time.
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substrate
justinmatthew
May 23, 2004 09:13 PM
Replies (5)
dewaine
May 23, 2004 10:13 PM
As with many things there is no "best". I use freezer paper... its cheap, keeps the cage clean (I replace it often), looks lame. But, it works for me and Rush (my BP).
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smsnakes
May 25, 2004 01:31 PM
Freezer paper
How dose it work for you?? Absorbent? Dose it get moved around by the snake??
I am using paper towel Kind of a pain in the butt when you have 80 snakes tho.
Tigergenesis
May 24, 2004 06:29 AM
I use Lizard Liner by ESU (green felt like carpet) for my BP and aspen chips for my sand boas. For my corn and kings the're on paper towels right now (just temporarily).
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MightyPython
May 24, 2004 03:18 PM
I've had my BP for a little over a year now and I've used aspen chips the entire time and have had no problems with it. Like you said, you just have to make sure and feed them outside the tank to be safe.
joeysgreen
Jun 04, 2004 05:32 PM
It's just my opinion but I would ask myself why I am keeping this snake.
Am I a breeder, massive/producer/collector? If so then the least amount of maintenence and cost overweigh many other factors. Something that is disposable, cheap, and takes 2secs to replace works best.
Is this snake more of a pet?
Is the cage desirable as a display item?
If time and money were no option great efforts would be made for a huge elaborate enclosure that beautifully immitates the natural environment. This makes for a great looking cage and benifits the snake that much more.
An earthy or mossy type of substrate is picked for it's ability to hold the proper amount of humidity without remaining damp which allows for disease growth. There is a great article every month on keeping natural vivaria in Reptiles magazine.
I should add that personally I have cages of both types. The larger and bulkier the animal the harder it is to keep a natural setup healthy. For quarintine I always use newsprint to reveal stool consistency ect.
