Tips on switching substrate

Right now my five month year-old girl is on aspen shavings And was planning on changing her to Reptichip Coarse Coconut Husk when she moves from the tub to a permanent home. But as I’m reading up and trying to perfect my husbandry I’m starting to feel that it might be a good idea to swap her out sooner than later. Mainly because I noticed a couple dry or more jagged scales as I put down her body.
But is it stressful for most snakes to change substrate material? I often hear that BPs don’t handle change well even when it comes to moving furniture, does the same go for substrate? Should I let her play in a tub of Coconut husk every now and then before I clean/disinfect and swap the aspen out? I appreciate any insight! Thanks.


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Aspen is dreadful stuff imho

It looks fake and awful , doesn’t hold any moisture like for example Orchid /Reptibark

Also it visually drains the colour out of your snakes unless they’re Black :)


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I use about a 2:1 ratio of repti chip to cypress mulch for my BP with some leaf litter on top. It has a lovely naturalistic look to it and holds humidity pretty well.

The main reason I use this mix over coco fiber is that the substrate pieces are larger and don't stick to prey items as easily, which prevents substrate ingestion.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Animallover3541

I use about a 2:1 ratio of repti chip to cypress mulch for my BP with some leaf litter on top. It has a lovely naturalistic look to it and holds humidity pretty well.

The main reason I use this mix over coco fiber is that the substrate pieces are larger and don't stick to prey items as easily, which prevents substrate ingestion.

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Awesome I’ll give it a try. Yes I think aesthetically it will definitely make my Roxy pop. Wondering can I make this 2 to 1 ratio mix and store it together? Sometimes when you put two materials together in an airtight container and make it funky/moldy.


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I usually mix them in the tank after I clean it and then spray it to add a little bit of humidity to the coco husk, then mix it together again. I don’t think it would hurt to mix it together in a bag or storage bin for later use though as I’ve never had either ingredient mold on its own or when together.

Also, the 2:1 ratio was just a rough suggestion so don’t feel like you have to follow that exactly. I just make sure there’s more cocohusk than cypress mulch because I feel like the coco husk holds humidity better than cypress mulch, plus I think it just looks a little better that eat.