Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just started using it and love it.

I produced this little guy last year...one of the two. Jerry ended up with the other one.

Many years ago I used dirt, straight up dirt, along with all other types of rocks,sticks,etc and had naturalistic set ups for Z's. Never had a problem that way, just takes longer to clean. They look way better that way though. Many times a snake-(any species) looks so awesome,so neat in the field. If you collect it, and open a tub up later...it just isn't the same look.
Jeff

Yeah, that's really true. Their colors bounce off of their surroundings and they truly look beautiful. I should make a display cage...That's a lot of fun.

for all my snakes (annulata, pyromelana) I use Coco-fiber/mulled coconut husks mixed with a little bit of sand. Holds humidity well, looks great, snakes love burrowing in it. My setups are natural looking, with corkround hides and lots of true sphagnum.
I think the snakes like it

As messy as that substrate is, I have found nothing better that inherently keeps their skin hydrated but not wet. Milks love that substrate. Sexually mature males make a big mess of it when they are cruising looking for females, but oh well.

Oh, and I don't use a water bowl more than 2-3 a month with that substrate. Don't need to. Snake doesn't lose as much moisture compared to wood chips or paper.
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Mark

Yeah, it can be very messy at times. I have it set up well though, so it's not too bad. Mold isn't a problem if water is spilled, which is huge when you have snakes that like to knock their bowls over. The pros are so many, it hard to not use sand.