Maintaining substrate?

[CharlieBoi]

I've recently been using only cypress mulch for my BP my issue is that it dries out really quickly and when it does I've noticed the heat from the mat doesn't rise through, when it's damp I can lay a hand down and easily feel the heat. Should I be continuously spraying the mulch keeping it moist, do BP keepers normally do this or is there other methods. I used to mix the cypress with coconut fiber but I think I stopped after researching that the Coco fiber could possibly cause respiratory issues. I'm thinking of switching to Aspen thinking maybe the heat can get through that easier or maybe he can more easily burrow at least to get closer to the heat source. What does everyone else do to their substrate and what do you use?

[Turningstar]

I use a mix of coco fiber and reptichip. Holds humidity well for me and has more of a natural look.

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[Luvyna]

I use cypress for my BP and I mist the enclosure 1-2 times a day. Do you have a thermometer and thermostat for your enclosure? What is your set up like? If you're using a glass tank with a screen top you will need to cover most of the top to retain the humidity.

The proper set up for a heat mat is to have your heat mat outside of the enclosure attached to the bottom, with the thermostat probe sandwiched between the bottom of the enclosure and the heat mat. When you measure the warm end surface temperature in your enclosure you should use an infrared heat gun on the floor of the enclosure WITHOUT the substrate. Your snake can burrow down and push the substrate aside if it needs more warmth, so you need to make sure that the floor of the enclosure doesn't get too hot for your snake.

Also, how thick is the layer of substrate you are using? It shouldn't be a problem for a BP to push aside the cypress to get to the floor of the enclosure since you only need a layer about half an inch thick.

[CharlieBoi]

I use cypress for my BP and I mist the enclosure 1-2 times a day. Do you have a thermometer and thermostat for your enclosure? What is your set up like? If you're using a glass tank with a screen top you will need to cover most of the top to retain the humidity.

The proper set up for a heat mat is to have your heat mat outside of the enclosure attached to the bottom, with the thermostat probe sandwiched between the bottom of the enclosure and the heat mat. When you measure the warm end surface temperature in your enclosure you should use an infrared heat gun on the floor of the enclosure WITHOUT the substrate. Your snake can burrow down and push the substrate aside if it needs more warmth, so you need to make sure that the floor of the enclosure doesn't get too hot for your snake.

Also, how thick is the layer of substrate you are using? It shouldn't be a problem for a BP to push aside the cypress to get to the floor of the enclosure since you only need a layer about half an inch thick.

I do have a thermometer/thermostat all temps and humidity is ideal even when the mulch is dry it stays at around 50% humidity last I checked. My mat is set up like that so check ✓. About the same thickness as well. I'm just missing the infrared heat gun (I do plan to purchase one soon). So looks like my snake is all good then? Just should do more frequent misting you think?

[Luvyna]

I do have a thermometer/thermostat all temps and humidity is ideal even when the mulch is dry it stays at around 50% humidity last I checked. My mat is set up like that so check ✓. About the same thickness as well. I'm just missing the infrared heat gun (I do plan to purchase one soon). So looks like my snake is all good then? Just should do more frequent misting you think?

That's great to hear, sounds like you're doing a great job so far!

You can mist more frequently, or you can also mist the substrate more deeply if you don't want to do it as often. Don't be afraid to bring the humidity up to 80% with one round of misting since it dries up to an acceptable level pretty quickly. You can also boost humidity by sprinkling damp sphagnum moss around the enclosure.

[CharlieBoi]

Sure thing thanks for the advice.

I've had him for a year now, so didn't think anything was too off in his enclosure just last night after his feeding he displayed some odd behavior so I had to question it. He had a bigger than normal meal (nothing he couldn't handle, just left a good bump) and instead of going to his hide for awhile like normal he couldn't sit still and was even trying to escape, didn't seem stressed so I thought maybe it was the heat.