Constantly Frustrated With Substrates

Hey BP people! My fiancée and I picked up a new rack this afternoon and with the new rack, I would like to initiate some changes. Right now, all of our racks have different issues, so we keep them all differently, and I would like to get one uniform method, once and for all.

Rack 1 : Homemade hatchling rack, melamine
Substrate: Paper towels, nothing more
Problem: Low humidity

Rack 2: Reptile Basics 32Qt
Substrate: Paper Towels at the back, aspen at the front
Problem: The paper towels get dragged all over the cage!

Rack 3: Homemade Juvenile rack, untreated wood (rookie mistake)
Substrate: Paper Towels at the back, cypress mulch at the front
Problem: Cypress mulch is expensive, isn't holding humidity like it should, and the paper towels get dragged all over the place

Rack 4: Homemade breeder rack, plastic stacking drawers
Substrate: Just newspaper
Problem: Not only does the newspaper get disgusting if they decide to soak, but it gets crumpled up pretty much overnight and leaves the snakes with no substrate at all.

I just want to be able to have one method for all the racks. I need something to keep humidity and not get ruined easily, while staying relatively inexpensive. People have recommended cardboard precut liners, but has it really come to that? I'm worried about just using aspen or cypress because I have heard it creates unstable hot spots. What do you think, guys?

:confusd:

I would say just stick with newspaper and up the humidity by spraying or putting waterbowls on the hot spots when their in shed. Pretty much what I do. Sure, they move the newspaper around, or hide under it, wrinkle it up, but what does that matter?

Eco-earth from ZooMed works really well with holding humidity. It comes in condensed bricks that expands when adding water. I usually have to allow the eco-earth to dry out for a day or two before adding to the enclosure to prevent too much humidity.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by martin82531

Eco-earth from ZooMed works really well with holding humidity. It comes in condensed bricks that expands when adding water. I usually have to allow the eco-earth to dry out for a day or two before adding to the enclosure to prevent too much humidity.

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I squeeze out the excess water and mix with repti-bark.

I am looking for this locally it may also help you

http://www.kritterscrumble.com/
or
http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/coco_husk.php

Here's what I do and I've NEVER had a problem.

I use newspaper. Usually if you lay it flat, they just sit on top of it. I do have one snake that will burrow between the layers, but it doesn't crumple. I also give them small, heavy duty dog bowl dishes as water bowls. The are small enough that the snakes cannot soak. The snakes don't need to soak all the time. In fact, that's a sign that they have mites or are too hot. When they go into shed, I put a very thin layer of cypress mulch (I buy a HUGE bag from Lowes and it costs $4) and just mist it twice a day. I've always had perfect sheds.

It sounds like the racks are the issue, and until you trash the junk racks you're going to have the same issues no matter what substrate you try to use.

Ball pythons appreciate consistency, I would find one way and stick to it.
We use paper towels for every ball python from hatchling to large adults, works fine for us, but then our racks don't leak humidity like a sieve.