Sand as a substrate ??

[mikeamy2007]

So i was wondering. Would the reptile sand be ok for my rtb. The folks we resuced her form were using it, simply becasue the pet store guy told them that it had nutrients they absorbed through the skin. That sounds kinda hokey to me, but what do i know, right ?? Im just wondering if its ok for her, becasue id love to make her as comfy as possible. Any help would be gretaly appreciated

[blackcrystal22]

So i was wondering. Would the reptile sand be ok for my rtb. The folks we resuced her form were using it, simply becasue the pet store guy told them that it had nutrients they absorbed through the skin. That sounds kinda hokey to me, but what do i know, right ?? Im just wondering if its ok for her, becasue id love to make her as comfy as possible. Any help would be gretaly appreciated

Redtailed boas don't live on sand in the wild. Repti-sand is a bit better than normal sand but I still don't trust it. It's very dusty and if ingested can still cause problems. Plus they don't burrow deep so there's really no need.
A boa would be much more comfortable on aspen enough to burrow slightly. Good for you for checking with us instead of trusting the petstore guy! I've never heard of repti-sand being able to absorb nutrients through the skin because that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.. it has nutrients in it for geckos when they eat it with crickets but thats all I know about the stuff.

[mikeamy2007]

Thats what i figured, and since shes my first boa, i didnt want to take any chances. I get the feeling its a pain to clen up after anyways. Shes a beautiful snake and i really dont wanna make her uncomfortable. I appreciate the input. I also made sure i told the guy i got her from that i the future he really needs to research before he believes anything his pet store tells him.

[blackcrystal22]

Thats what i figured, and since shes my first boa, i didnt want to take any chances. I get the feeling its a pain to clen up after anyways. Shes a beautiful snake and i really dont wanna make her uncomfortable. I appreciate the input. I also made sure i told the guy i got her from that i the future he really needs to research before he believes anything his pet store tells him.

I don't think she would be optimally comfortable. :] Plus I won't even trust sand with a KSB because i know what it can do respiratory wise.
I have my first boa as well.. he is on paper towels with aspen on top (one side is higher so he could burrow if he wanted) but he loves to elevate under the red-heat lamp. They usually like to climb instead of hide!
Good for you. :]

[bigballs]

i think it would be rather difficult to achieve the proper relative humidity that the boa needs when using sand as a substrate.

[Beardedragon]

Redtailed boas don't live on sand in the wild. Repti-sand is a bit better than normal sand but I still don't trust it. It's very dusty and if ingested can still cause problems. Plus they don't burrow deep so there's really no need.
A boa would be much more comfortable on aspen enough to burrow slightly. Good for you for checking with us instead of trusting the petstore guy! I've never heard of repti-sand being able to absorb nutrients through the skin because that doesn't make a whole lot of sense.. it has nutrients in it for geckos when they eat it with crickets but thats all I know about the stuff.

Trust me, its not fit to house a stuffed animal. Pet store bought sand is never any good.

[blackcrystal22]

Trust me, its not fit to house a stuffed animal. Pet store bought sand is never any good.

Alright, I can work with that.

[mikeamy2007]

I have her on cage carpet right now, but im ready to go throw that crap in the dumpster, it is ALOT more work than aspen bedding than i tohught it would be. Im really ready to go get some more bedding, the carpet has got to go !!!!! lol

[frankykeno]

The reptile sand and reptile carpet have issues that I don't think will do your boa any good and will drive you nuts as a keeper. I'd never use either for our boas.

For ours we use either straight up fine shred aspen or for the bigger, heavier boa an aspen/cypress mulch mix we do ourselves - 2/3 cypress to 1/3 aspen. The cypress mulch holds humidity and will stand up under the heavy weight of a bigger boa. The aspen adds softness (and I like the look of the dark and light substrates). The aspen is fine alone but once the boa gets heavier it tends to compress so much that it can make underbelly heat be a bit less efficient. Mix the two of them and you get the best of both.