Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i switched from astro turf substrate to the t rex calci-sand. i thought it would be burrowing but it never does..

Most of my kings hide themselves in their substrate. My Eastern likes to stay under his paper towels. My female Florida will burrow under her aspen and hide under her water dish that sits on top of the aspen. The only one that stays "above ground" is my male Florida, he either sits out in the open or will sometimes go into his hide box but very seldom.

Miller
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1.1 Florida King
1.0 Eastern Kings
1.0 Black Milksnake
1.0 Chow Chow
0.2 Cats

I've had many Kings across the years.

The Eastern and Cal Kings I had the longest, all loved to burrow. Care Fresh bedding (way too expensive) was ideal. It held shape, yet allowed semi-permanent tunnels. As my snakes got older, they showed more interest in tunneling and "customizing" Their rooms.

(Forgive me. I don't have pets. I have animal companions. They are not kept in cages. They are kept in their "rooms", vivariums. You should see the photos of my 60-gallon Mojave Desert setup!)

My current, desert phase Cal King has sand. Although he cannot burrow as much (it gives and won't stay solid), he loves to burrow and often does under rocks.

If you get cypress mulch, in the No Float type, it is shredded so that it will bind with it self and will allow tunnels to form. Also alot of people have had bad opinions of calci-sand in the past. I have never used it just because of the cost but when I have had it in delis with snakes I bought I didn't like it. The mulch is something you can get at Home-Depot or Wal-Mart for cheap. You might want to put it out in the sun to get the bugs out. Spread it out over a tarp and they will all leave.
later Jason

i like the look of the sand especially since i have a desert theme going on in my viv. Can anyone suggest a good brand? or do you think aspen shav. is the way to go

The problems linked to sand are impaction of the gut and nostrals. And rubbing of the nose and eyes. I don't use any sand like substance but if you are going to at least feed in another container. I us cypress mulch now after trying many other choices and I find it is the best for my uses. You can try posting the queastion again with a differant heading anf maybe some other guys will answer.
Later jason