Is Once a Month Necessary?

This question is for the owners with the big snakes and big tanks.

Currently have a tank that's about 5 feet wide, 2 feet deep. Substrate is Coconut Fibre with some Cypress mulch mixed in. Now I know the typical rule of thumb is change the substrate completely out once a month.

I spot clean daily, check up on my JCP a few times every single day, if anything gets dirty including the water bowl it's changed almost immediately.

Now would it be necessary to still do a full substrate change every month. Nothing to do with cost or time. More about it just isn't dirty and feels like a waste, I'll run my hands through the substrate to confirm and after a month everything that still remains still feels like new.

Anyone else wait longer than a month or am I risking the snake getting sick?

Thanks

Once a month is not necessary. Most people I know do it every 3-6 as long as you spot clean, etc.

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Originally Posted by Team Slytherin

Once a month is not necessary. Most people I know do it every 3-6 as long as you spot clean, etc.

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Okay, that's very good to hear. Thanks a lot!

I dont use mulch anymore but when I did id spot clean like you said and then every other month complete clean out. There is liquid that can dry and you wouldn't even know it was there. Most keep the mulch thin so when spot cleaning a couple times you need to replace some anyway. Depending on your snakes size It can be less or more. I stopped using it because after a certain size he soaked the entire enclosure floor and all the substrate stunk every 2 weeks.


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I think it would also depend o the species and how often they "go". Some of my boas may only need spot cleaning once a week while others manage to "go" five days in a row.

Depends how you spot clean too. I take out the whole soiled area, all the way to the bottom, then wipe the surface to get any urate dust that could have sifted down. If you do thorough spot cleaning, you don't usually need to replace bedding until levels start running low. This is when I dump all remaining and give the whole enclosure a good wipe down before reload.

Like touched on above, it depends on the snake and the quality of your spot cleaning. If you're diligent about spot cleaning, yes you can go longer between entire enclosure cleanings.

I probably average 2-3 months between complete enclosure cleanings.