Pros and cons of these substrates?

Hey everyone! I've been looking at different types of substrate and have been seeing a lot of different or even mixed thoughts of each type. I was wondering if you guys could tell me the various pros and cons of the following substrates;
Reptibark
Cypress mulch
Eco earth/coconut fiber (loose)
Eco earth/coconut fiber (compressed)
Exo Terra Coco husk

Also heard of people mixing substrates, which are the best combinations and why?

Those were the ones I was thinking of using, so any feedback on your experiences and recommendations will be much appreciated!

I only use orchid bark which somebody said was also known as reptile bark / ReptiBark !?

Anyways it looks rich and dark and very natural , makes your snake look wonderful unless it's a Black MBK or similar .. It's great for adjusting / regulating the humidity , have it as dry or as humid as you choose just by spraying .
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c5091041d1.jpg

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I only use orchid bark which somebody said was also known as reptile bark / ReptiBark !?

Anyways it looks rich and dark and very natural , makes your snake look wonderful unless it's a Black MBK or similar .. It's great for adjusting / regulating the humidity , have it as dry or as humid as you choose just by spraying .
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...c5091041d1.jpg

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Funny enough when I google search for orchid bark I'm seeing reptibark right away, but the description is saying it's made from the bark of fir trees? Where do you get your orchid bark from?

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

I only use orchid bark which somebody said was also known as reptile bark / ReptiBark !?

Anyways it looks rich and dark and very natural , makes your snake look wonderful unless it's a Black MBK or similar .. It's great for adjusting / regulating the humidity , have it as dry or as humid as you choose just by spraying .
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...c5091041d1.jpg

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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Apologies for hijacking, but how long would you suggest leaving this to dry for? I've been wanting to change to something darker but have always used aspen as the humidity here is pretty high :slamhead:

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Originally Posted by montymiow

Apologies for hijacking, but how long would you suggest leaving this to dry for? I've been wanting to change to something darker but have always used aspen as the humidity here is pretty high :slamhead:

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The orchid bark / ReptiBark I get is from the local snake or pet store store .

It comes as normal to dampish but dries out quickly in the viv setups .

Then spray according to how high the humidity is wanted.


If you're desperate it can easily be baked in an oven for 20 minutes ...

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Anyone else? I wouldn't mind more feedback :)

I've used repti-bark primarily. I like the look, feel and humidity control, but am trying out some other, cheaper options I think. I'm most likely picking up some cypress mulch today, I'll let you know how it works out soon...

I use cypress mulch. I like that it holds humidity, is easy to spot clean, and looks nice in a natural viv. It is also not super dusty or messy.

I really really hate any cocohusk or cocofiber for ball ptyhons. It is pretty much just dirt... and as you can imagine, dirt is messy. Just my opinion! Lots of people love it.

I use this course bark chip from my pet shop it comes in small medium and large chips I have had small but I've moved to medium which is the stuff in the pictures as you can see the bag that it comes in is very damp so it's great for boosting humidity it does dry out fairly quick but i find it easy to control humidity with it by just spraying it down I've not tried any other substrate as this works well enough and does what I need it to I also think that bark chip will help aid with there shed more than some of the softer substrates it's easy to clean out too and doesn't leave much mess behind https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...b8fc52b8c8.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...142d506f37.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...92cef0da29.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...5180ea8c15.jpg

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I like cypress. I got hooked on it about 3 years ago when I got my first snake, a BRB that likes it quite humid, almost marsh like when they are babies and it was the only thing that would not mold. I went bio-active in that enclosure and haven't swapped it out in over a year and it is still holding up great. I like that is holds moisture, has some anti-microbial/anti-fungal qualities, the only down side is that it's getting expensive and is not exactly sustainably harvested from what I've read, but I do use it quite sparingly.