Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi folks,
I've had a Sinaloan Milk (named Cooper) for a few months now. When I bought the snake, the pet store was out of shavings and so I purchased calcium-fortified repti-sand. I have a 20 gallon long tank, which seems more than adequate for The Coop. There is a large, heavy piece of driftwood in there that he can climb on, a large and sturdy water dish where he likes to swim, and a half-log over the 1/3 heated portion of the tank for digestion.
I have two questions: Is it better to leave more of the surface level clear so that the snake can maneuver easier? Or do they like to writhe in and out of different things on the surface? Also, and more importantly, is the sand OK? Everything I've read on Sinaloans say the same thing: shredded newspaper or wood shavings. Is the sand bad for respiration? Or am I being paranoid? You see, Cooper loves to dig under the water dish and hide, and I feel that if I put shavings in there he wouldn't be able to get in there as well and he wouldn't be quite as content. But if the sand is bad, I don't want to keep it. If it's OK, then I will, cuz he seems to enjoy it, and it conducts small amounts of heat pretty weel.
What's the verdict?

Get rid of the sand and go with aspen, aspen crumble, repti abrk or something like that. The coop will appreciate it mopre when he burrows and doesnt get sand in his nose.

ken
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Thanks! Will do.

I have a honduran milk and a Peruvian redtail boa, and I use the compressed coconut fiber stuff from petsmart or petco in both of their cages. I don't know if you've seen it, but it comes compressed to the size of a brick. Add some water and it expands to at least 10 times the size. It looks nice, it's absorbent, it doesn't mold, it's easy to clean, and it's good for burrowing through and hiding in (milk snakes love to dig). Also, if some of it gets swallowed with a meal, it's small enough that it will pass right through. The only negative to it is that you'll want to dry it out some before using it. Tip...you don't need as much water as the instructions say.
Try it out....you'll like it.

I just recently saw this stuff for the first time at my pet store, where I got my milky (doesn't it even have milks on the package?). I've already purchased quite a bit of Aspen shavings, which the snake seems to love because the holes he digs stay put (unlike sand). I'll try it out next time, though, in a few months when I run out of the Aspen. Thanks!