Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I was wondering what is the best subtrate for a ball python? I currently have a cali king,yellow rat snake and a anery motley corn snake and I use aspen for all three and it works great! I am interested in maybe getting a CB ball python which is why I am asking. Now I refuse to mist any snakes enclosure because I don't want the snake to develop any sort of blister disease from a damp subtrate. I have seen this on snakes and it is not pretty! Anyway I would provide it with a large water bowl on the warm side of the enclosure along with a humidity box,and two-three hides. I would be keeping it in a 29 gallon tank with a secure lid.

So anyway would chipped/shredded apsen be ok for a ball or does anyone recommend something else. Please do not mention newspaper or paper towel as that doesn't appeal to me,doesn't look all that natural. I use paper towel in my feeding enclosure since I don't feed inside their tanks and also use it to spot clean...lol..sorry just a preference.

Aspen bedding is fine. You'll need to watch your humidity level to make sure it's in range. Feeding in a separate box is ideal to prevent ingestion of bedding.

Thanks. To raise humidity level's all I do is provide a larger water dish and put it on the warm side of the enclosure or have another dish with damp moss in the tank.I'll provide a humidity box for the snake as well. I live in PA and humidity is usually in the 60% or higher range all the time except winter.

Of course I am getting a normal,I love a lot of the morphs but I am not dishing out 2000-10000 for a snake that I have no intentions of breeding!

I have a normal too, about 1 1/2 years old. I do not plan to breed either, but if it happens in the future, who knows. I'm definitely not into shelling out major bucks for a ball python, but only because I DON'T HAVE MAJOR BUCKS. Got other hobbies that take up my money, like wife, house, bills, etc. LOL

LOL same here man! Wife,kids,bills,pet food all equals less cash flow in my pocket for a 2000 dollar snake! I am looking to get my basement finished also which is gonna run me around 12,000 and my wife would kill me if I spent 2G's on a snake!

I am not even sure if I want to get a ball python just yet... still looking at other snakes.There are a few rat snakes,kings,pine snakes and milk snakes that I am considering also but I already have 3 colubrids and not sure if I want to go with a 4th or not. Only thing is I can get a nice morph in any of those species for under 250 dollars! Where I know BP morphs from what I have seen are 2g's and even 10G's! Whew! 10G's for a snake..better be able to produce offspring of the same morph.haha
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Reptiles
0.1 - Early 2002 Anery Motley Corn 33 1/2"
1.0 - Late 2003 Yellow Rat Snake 15 2/3"
1.0 - 2003 Banded California King Snake 29 2/3"
1.0 Green Anole
0.0.0 House Gecko
0.1 Painted Turtle

Mammals
4 female ferrets,1 male cat,1 female rottie and 1 male doberman...and a few kids!

and its all over the east coast.

I use "Nature Bark" in all my cages and it works great. You can buy it at Petco if you have one in your area. As for humidity, I put a damp paper towel(not soaked)in a plastic container for a humity box and have yet to encounter a bad shed.

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1.0 Albino Ball Python
0.1 Normal Ball Python
1.0 Candycane Corn
1.0 Ferret

I have always used aspen or pine shavings. Makes cleaning easy by just spot cleaning once a day and a complete cleaning once a month. As far as feeding, if you feed p/k or f/t, that greatly reduces any possibility of injestion of substrate. Aspen can reduce humidity, but what I do is, during shed time I spray warm water on the inside sides of the cages for my bps, that raises humidity and everybody sheds just fine.