the true purpose of bedding - a question?

As I checked on my young balls today, knowing that I should change their bedding soon - a question came to mind - is bedding serving any real purpose ? - My husbandry is near perfect - 25 quart steriltes - a little big I am aware, but uth with warm sides between 87 and 92 keeping in mind the plus/minus 3 degrees or so with my on/off t'stat and thermometers that "update" slower than live temps - you get the idea - my temps are good. Cool side / ambient about 77 or 78 - 55% humidity - dual hides - natural light cycles - it's all pretty good imo.
So my question is, what true purpose is the aspen(in my case) or any bedding serving - it's not a cost issue but at 55% the aspen wants to stay wet around the edges. Now, in studying how they live in the wild and in captivity - they have no interest in burrowing in the bedding like a corn snake - is their ANY real purpose for bedding? your opinions please - th'x in advance

Some people use it to keep humidity up or to make spot cleaning easier. I use paper myself and have no issues with husbandry or cleaning more frequently but I spend a lot of time with my animals.

Regards,

B

Mainly I see it because people like it for it's looks, the fact that it can raise humidity, or their own personal cleaning preference. I use paper towels for my snakes. One thing I do notice is bedding is nice for absorbing water from a bp who likes to tip over his water bowl. I find he comes more in contact with water all over his cage if he's on paper towels, but I'm always right there to change it quickly so it isn't that big of a deal. He just needs a dog bowl for water and I've been too lazy to get it!

I like using papertowels for my balls, i use mulch for my bloods because they love having the chance to burrow

I use cypress to help with humidity and to soak up any spills/waste. It is mostly in the front of the tub, and around the edges in the back. The majority of the tub is bare bottom which allows for better transfer of the belly heat.

I use EcoEarth for humidity and I like the way it looks. Use white paper towels in QT so I can see if anything goes wrong with stool or mites and definately would use something to keep water of the floor if the enclosure mostly. Just my :2cent:

Bedding helps keep humidity, I used news print, but now I just use plain white paper which comes in a exact 12" width roll that I just tear off and use when i need to change bedding, it's doesn't hold water like the newsprint tho

I like it for holding humidity, which in the wintertime with the furnace going, is a feat in itself. I also like it for sopping up any liquids. I check my animals daily and change bedding as needed, but I don't want them lying in their own waste until I get to them.

I use paper for babies, sanichips for bigger stuff, and am experimenting with desert snow which I recently found and really like.

Environmental enrichment is a factor I am exploring

Besides all the other obvious reasons for using substrate

Look up RioBravoReptiles take on substrate