Substrate

[DixieLonestar20x]

What substrate do most of you guys use for your kings? I rescued a desert striped king and of course the guy that had him was using Aspen. I know aspen is common due to them likeing to borrow.. I have always used Eco Earth for my pythons though...have yall any history of eco earth with kings?

Reason I ask...i'm thinking of feeding him in his habitat for a while until he get a little more used to an owner that will actually show him some attention. He takes a while to get out of his feed mode and its a battle not getting struck on (though his aim is terrible!)

[The Serpent Merchant]

I've used Eco-Earth with my king, my advice is to keep it dry. I've also used aspen and sani-chips and like both as well.

[DixieLonestar20x]

Yeah i made some up (i buy the bricks) and I am going to set it out tomorrow (if the sun is up hopefully) to dry it out. course here in texas the weather is starting to get bad so we will see how that goes.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I use paper towels

[bcr229]

My kings and corn are on aspen and they do well on it. They don't need the high humidity that BP's and boas do.

[DixieLonestar20x]

Yeah.. i'm just not a big fan of Aspen....and with my growing collection I have start feeding more in tank rather than in tubs....this king, like i posted above, stays in feed mode a while unlike my pythons. He takes forever to transfer back to his habitat.....I really don't like feeding on aspen. I feed over a flap of a cardboard box so that while they take it in they aren't laying on substrate. but the king seems to like to slither away with is food for some reason...he is strange lol

[Amaya K]

I spent three weeks going back and forth debating and changing substrates for the same reasons.

Honestly, I found the best solution was to use the aspen (which my king made clear he prefers-- I'm more than sure his eco earth flinging and piling it all on the side he wasnt on was sass, he's got the most personality out of all my corns and kings). I would try listening to your snake's preference, I don't know about anyone else but my snakes can show preferences about their home-- like which substrate or where to put the hides (he moves his all the time too-- he's my pickiest man).


As for the feeding mode problem, I would say put a mild sized Tupperware into his enclosure with his food in it (unless you feed live-- then this would never work). I find this way works way better for a lot of my snakes when I worried over substrate on the prey. every single snake I have tried this with eats the mouse in the tub and then slithers off to his hide to digest. I especially recommend this if he's a rescue like yours and you don't want to disturb him too much after just eating-- this way nearly eliminates regurgitation risk. It also makes an association with the plastic tub for food instead of any warm thing reaching into the cage One of my nippy corns hasn't bit me a single time since I started feeding him this way