Coco Coir

I am not a "gardener" so I have no idea if this stuff is actually what I'm looking for... but I found a bag of Coco Coir at Home Depot for $20 per bag. It's made by a company called Black Magic, and it says it's a hydroponics medium. The bag says it contains Coco Coir (washed and desalinization Coir) and Perlite (to help with drainage).

is this safe to use as a substrate? I know people are raving about coconut, but I don't want to pay $25 per 8qt bag if I can find it cheaper elsewhere. I NEED substrate right now, so I will probably buy some of the "reptile stuff" but will this stuff from Home Depot work just as well?

If you like coco choir type substrate there is http://www.reptichip.com/ find a dealer near you or buy it from the show to save money. There are other similar substrates with companies who also have dealers in different area such as http://www.prococo.com/. Advantages you can go as long as 2 months without having to replace it completely.

After that you can use aspen http://www.petfooddirect.com/product...ressed-bedding lab quality, one bail goes a long way.

And after that un-printed newspaper which is often free you you have to do is ask for the end of the rolls at your local newspaper.

Perlite is a volcanic glass. I doubt that would be good for a snake to ingest. I'd pass on that mix.