Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all,

I began preparing a brick of Bed-a-Beast yesterday for use in my new snake enclosure. I soaked it in water for about 30 minutes as directed, and then baked it in my oven to dry.

Well, I have a few concerns now that I see how this stuff looks dry. It seems like it is made up of mostly fine, tiny particles. Could this cause a respiratory infection? I'm really shocked - it seems only slightly larger than a course sand.

Second, what about the Bed-a-Beast sticking to the snake? The particles stick to my hands even when both my hands and the substrate is dry, and even more so when one (or both) is wet. Will this stuff be sticking to my snake constantly, looking pretty unsightly?

Thanks for any opinions or experiences, especially from those who have used this stuff before.
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I like aspen bedding. I use it for my snakes. The only thing is I feed my snakes in a separate container as I don't want my snakes to swallow the aspen. Now if you go with the bed a beast I would recommend that you also feed your snake in a separate container. Get a plastic rubbermaid shoe box or bigger if needed.
Chuck

Well, it gets on my snakes, but doesn't necessarily stick to them - it falls off. My corn does like to burrow in it often.

I don't find it to be dusty at all - and I'm pretty sensitive to dusty things with my allergies. I've not had any problems with it. I use it for almost all my snakes (except those in quarantine) and my skinks.

I love it - other than it's a pain to prepare. I just wish they'd sell it already made up.
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I agree. I find bed-a-beast too dusty when dry and I don't use it for that reason. Cypress or aspen mulch is a better choice for a more natural looking substrate, IMHO.

Bed-a-Beast is great in cages where you want a damp or humid substrate. The stuff holds water very well and doesn't dry out too quickly. It works very well with rainbow boas and certain pythons. I've used it for all manner of milks and kings too. In fact, the only reason I stopped is because I kept spilling it on our new carpet and had to vaccuum too often.

The particles are non-toxic and are not dusty. In fact, there is more dust in aspen shavings usually. I sometimes sneeze when working with aspen, but I haven't had that reaction with Bed-a-Beast. However, this material when dry will dessicate young snakes. So it depends what kind of snake you are housing. If it is a cornsnake for example, I would mist one portion of the substrate so that it isn't 100% dry all the time. You don't want it wet, but not always bone dry.
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Mark G