Would top Soil be a awful choice for a substrate?

Would top Soil be a awful choice for a substrate?

:sabduel:

when it come to feeding and cleaning it would be a problem i'd go with a more commercially made product like aspen or Paper

I don't see what's the problem.

Some Morelia people use biologically active substrate which includes soil...if you make it thick enough you could put in some plants and use fecal matter as fertilizer.

You could, but it would be a cleaning nightmare.

Since its so cheap I would change it every month and just SHOP VAC it out. Also I fed in a sepreate area so she wouldnt be eating on it at all. How would it do with humidity?

Hi,

Wouldn't it be full of bugs?


dr del

That does sound like an awful idea.

Actually,i know of people who use soil/sand mixture,30% sand,and praise it,they use it mostly for thier venomous,so pure soil would be great if you think about it,what does a ball python burrow in and move on,and eat on in the wild?,if it doesnt harm them there,how would it in a cage?,if concerned about bugs(though i wouldnt be to over concerned,once again,wild snakes in soil,live fine),then spread it on a cookie sheet in your over for 45 minutes at 325 or so degrees,kill anything in it,then your good to go.i am considering switching my blood over to this,to help with humidity issues,basically,we as reptile keepers,try to replicate the humidity and temperatures of thier natural region,but then shun the idea of using the stuff they live on and burrow in in nature,as a substrate.............

I use a bioactive soil mix for my chondro's and it works out great. I simply scoop out the larger "chunks" and the bacteria and bugs (worms) in the soil break down the rest. It's actually alot less work once the setup is stabilized. Philippe de Vosjoli has a great book, "The Art of Keeping Snakes" that goes into this method in detail. The only thing I'd be worried about with a ball is keeping the top layer of soil dry enough, you don't want constant contact with moisture.

I recommend reading The Art of Keeping Snakes by Vosjoli (sp). We are using a bioactive substrate for at least one snake, there IS NO CLEANING (besides sheds and big poo). ;)