Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Keeper of recently acquired Cal King... What substrate do you guys use? I keep my guy on aspen shavings (had been on sand). If kept on shavings do they need to be fed in a separate enclosure?

reako45

Not a bad idea and it also lessens the "open lid get food every time" response. Haven't had any problems on aspen yet, that's what I use mostly and some cypress mulch. It retains some moisture. Aspen is very dry, almost too much so, IMHO.
Todd Hughes

I mostly use pine shavings and most feedings are done in feeding containers.

By feeding containers you mean your hand, right! LOL!
Todd Hughes

YES and NO,lol, I have over 80 snakes and i have faves. so some have to deal with the feeding containers.
That thumbnail freaks me out,please correct me if i'm wrong but is that a mongrol speckled munching on some type of a high-end Lav.
here's one of my faves.

I'm hurt! That MONGREL is the same snake in the thumbnail pic, only wity a crappy camera! LOL! Yeah that's Jlassiter's mashed thumb! OUCH! Yeah, it's a muttly but not fugly and it's chowin' a broad banded water snake, coulda' been some kinda natural morph, as it was waaaay lighter than any other I have seen, but my king wasn't eating mice yet sooo... she's on mice now and how!
Todd Hughes

WHOOPS!my bad,lol, i know better than to criticize a "ROYAL TEXAS HOLBROOKS"(that's my fave. speckled)and i must get some for my collection! Tell J.L. not to be so self destructive,lol!

Self destructive........HAHAHAHAHAHA
It wasn't planned Jetzen.....Good thing it healed after 8 months.
Speaking of self destruction....I ONLY have 6 tats......LOL
But ink isn't self destruction now is it..........LOL
John Lassiter

Only 6 tats? Last time i counted mine i had about 30,lol, that was about 15yrs ago, i'm way overdue for another.
Tell ya the truth tho, i'd rather spend my money on snakes.

cage or hands lol , can't think of a time when i saw one of your pics with a snake eating in the cage lol. Unless of course your hands are the seperate cage. Ohh yea substrate. i use out door carpet , its not the astro turf old type stuff - its velvety to the feel with a rubber backing. It works good for me i have several pieces cut so when they soil a piece i just pop it out and in to the bleach water it goes to soak for 24 hrs. I also have a hide box ( or nesting box ) in with my kings. I put either aspen or pete moss in it depending on what part od the year it is. Paul

I used to use newspaper back in the early 70's for my pythons, if i kept em now i'd use the same, never got around to using turf stuff prolly works good tho.
here's a pic just for you, "MUTTLY" the KING of MY snake room

Yep, he looks great now, and I think he will look great as he matures. Got a little yellah on the belly, too, I see! cool little guy.
Todd Hughes

If you don't prefer raw stuff you found somewhere, buy strained river sand. Here in the Portland, OR area, I can get a bag over 80 pounds for about $4.50!!!

My Mex Black loved it; my desert phase Cal King loves it. And, I feed in my vivarium; a 60-gallon replica of the Mohave Desert.

Sand seems to be the substrate least likely to cause ingestion of particles when feeding. (Although most snakes are VERY good at removing debris from prey before swallowing. Across years, I've never had a problem with impaction when I used common-sense husbandry.)