What's everyone using for substrate these days?

I use newspaper and I'll tell you why. First, it's cheap and convenient. Personally, I walk past half a dozen newspaper boxes on my way home that offer it for free. I can grab as much as I want whenever I want. Second, it's clean and easy to store. I live in an apartment. Space in very limited and loose substrate is bulky and messy to work with. That might not be a big deal if you have a work area that you don't mind getting dirty. I don't. I work in my kitchen, dining room and living room. Lastly, it's so easy to swap out. When your snake soils it, you crumple it up, throw it in the garbage, and lay down a new sheet. It's a piece of cake.

I'll also argue too much is made about it's lack of traction and absorbency. I have never witnessed either of my snakes struggling to move across it. Even if snakes can't get traction on newspaper, between the hides, water bowls, branches and other clutter in the enclosure, there is plenty of things they can get traction on. I've also never found either of my snakes sitting in a puddle of urine. My BP would retreat to the other side of the enclosure until I cleaned it up. My Children's python makes so little urine, not only is the newspaper able to absorb it, but it has usually completely dried up before I even discover it.

I'm not arguing that newspaper is the best substrate. I can and do use repticarpet and I love it for all the reasons Boger mentioned above. I'm just saying it can be an acceptable substrate under the right circumstances.

Summed up, Large Dehydrated Coco Fiber/Coir is going to be at most peoples local garden supply. Sold in bricks about the size of a boot box. Hydrated, it is a wheel barrow load. Can mix indoors in a large storage bin. I use it because the price is great. $15/per... Also, it holds moisture GREAT. Resists mold. Eliminates odors. Easy to scoop out solid matter. It otherwise stays clean, just gets topped off with fresh, and misted as needed. It works as well for green tree pythons as it does Short tail pythons. STP’s seem to love it. They mat down deep and dish out their hides good.

I also like using a large thin piece of slate stone for the ball pythons. At a shallow depth, directly on the bottom to get as much heat as possible. My thermostat probes are attached to it. Then place it on bottom and bury it shallow. They’ll sweep it off just like they like it. The probe sets on top which is often also in direct contact with snake.