Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've heard from a number of you that aspen bedding is the best. I want to go back to a subtrate that will allow my California Kingsnake to burrow, but when I asked about it in the pet store today, they said that it contains too much dust and can cause respiratory complications. I trust experienced snake keepers over pet store employees who probably had a one week training course, but when it comes to the well being of my snake, I feel I have to be completely sure. Long story short, is this true? Will aspen cause her breathing problems?

At first I used a subtrate called EcoEarth. It was made of coconut fiber and looked like dirt. I didn't care for the dark color because I thought it made it harder to tell what parts were dirty to remove them between regular cleanings. And it's just a pain because it comes in a freeze dried brick that you have to soak in water and let dry completely before use.

I tried paper towel, which is cheap and I was paranoid about mites (which I haven't seen, thankfully) and it's easy to clean, but she can't burrow normally and she goes to the edge and goes under the paper towel.

Basically, I hate switching subtrate on her, especially because I've only had her for a month or so and I want her to be able to settle in properly, but I just want something that works best for both of us.

Sorry, I have a problem with keeping posts short and simple, but I appreciate any comments you're willing to give. Thank you for your time.

well, i have never used aspen for snakes, or any herps really, but what i do use is a mixture of eco earth and repti bark like 4/5 eco to 1/5 bark approx. i havent had any problems with it and there is NO dust. IMO it has been the best for me.
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"it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"
1.0.0 bearded dragon
1.1.0 green iguana
0.0.1 columbian tegu(for sale)
0.1.0 knight anole(looking for male)
0.1.0 green anole
0.1.0 asian longtail grass lizard
1.1.0 golden gecko
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0.0.1 cuban masked treefrog
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0.1.0 gulf hammock rat snake
0.1.0 eastern kingsnake
0.1.0 siberian husky

Another thing about the eco earth is that every time I've fed her, whether it was live prey or pre-kill, she's consumed the eco earth with it. One thing I've heard is to put a prekill on a paper bag, of the lunch bag variety. I might just try that. That's mixture exactly what they use at the pet store, except they decided that they didn't want the snakes burrowing so they packed it down tightly. They also have some shredded paper kind of stuff which they say has no dust, I might just go with that.

Thank you for your advice

I'm no expert, but I keep my California Kingsnake on a combination of Repti-Bark and cypress mulch. I don't mix these components. I just have some parts of the cage with bark and other parts with mulch. I also have some spaghnum moss thrown over the top of the other substrate in a few places. I use the Repti-bark because I bought a big bag of it. I use the cypress mulch because a young lady who keeps snakes told me that kingsnakes like it. I use the moss because I've read that it helps maintain humidity.

I don't know whether my snake likes it. He spends most of his life under his water dish. I think I could put that dish anywhere, and he'd find it and crawl under it.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

I just added the background and hope that he'll like it. I've heard that they prefer the enclosed feeling of seeing a dark background.

Bill

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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

..........the most used substrate around,if it caused RI people would not use it.it works great for most applications,if you need very high humidity then there are other options such as cypress mulch or coconut by products etc.have fun!

m

That was my first thought too, but it was as a thinking person, not a reptile expert, so I thought I'd run it by some people who would know more than I do.

Thank you all for your comments.

I must say that is a nice looking cage. I want that kind of stuff for my snake, all she's got is a half log to hide under, a water dish that barely fits in my ten gallon tank, and a slate rock to retain heat from the heat lamp. Though I want a bigger terrarium for that kind of stuff. You think a 20 long would house a Lavender California Kinsnake comfortably up to adulthood?

I use aspen and have had no problems with it. If higher humidity is needed (which was the case for me), use a larger water dish, mist more frequently and partially cover the top of the enclosure.

For one of my snakes (Albino Corn) I use "cage carpet" which it seems to like. I just provide more hiding places for it so that it can feel secure.

I'm afraid that I'm not experienced enough to say whether a 20 long would house a kingsnake to adulthood. When I bought mine, he was housed in a 20 long at the pet store, but I thought it was really too small for him. I don't have room to put a bigger cage in my snake room, but I'd actually love to upgrade my cages to something bigger than 55 long. I rarely see an accessory that I can resist, and I'd love to step him up a size and try more things in the cage.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

Petland is'nt quite nice enough to use larger tanks, the tank Aphrodite was in looked like it was one gallon, maybe two. Granted she was a baby, but she still looked cramped. I was happy I rescued her from it. It's one of the reasons I got her, that and she was beautiful, looked healthy, and seemed to like me, (She would grasp on to me when I tried to let someone else hold her, then she would come back to me with no problems) unless she's hungry, then anything that moves is food to her, she's not afraid to try to eat digits. Then again, she'll eat anything I give her no matter what the circumstances are at the time.

I've seen this place put two little boas in a 10 gallon, that works for them though since they both spend all their time in the water dish. The European Giant Legless Lizard (basically a snake with a hip bone) got a ten gallon too. People aren't big fans of that pet store.

I'm glad to hear that your snake is a good eater. I'm very thankful that both of mine are good eaters. My kingsnake is very aggressive. I feed in a paper bag, and one time he barely let me get the bag in the cage before going after everything that moved.

Bill
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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

I've experimented alot with coconut fiber substrates (like EcoEarth) and have only great things to say as far as snakes like kingsnakes that largely have a below-surface existence. I do understand your complaint with it, but I assure you that simply spot cleaning what you see and then replacing it all once a month is fine, unless it smells before then.

There is Sani Chip. LLL Reptile Supply sells it, as does T-Rex (or is it ZooMed, I always confuse the two). I don't sneeze when I use this in cages, which I take to mean that the dust is minimal or else non-irritating. Aspen makes me sneeze so I quit using it. Also, if you get that Desert Snow stuff and mix a little in with Sani Chip, it makes for a really nice substrate that is easier for snakes to burrow in than with Sani Chip alone.

Also, you could do newspaper and then have a plastic container filled with EcoEarth as a hide area, or whatever you want to use.

Alot of people use Care Fresh.

Don't be against mixing substrates to get the properties you want. No single substrate is perfect for every application.