Best sub-strait/bedding material

Aspen work well if you want a substraight. If you want just paper or towels, the blue shop towels work well. The are tougher and more absorbent then normal paper towels.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MS2

Any problems with the snakes swallowing the aspen shaving? Will that cause any problems with the snake? I've had a large pine shaving get stuck in the mouth of one of my females, so I switched to newspaper(because that is what I had on hand). It works o.k.,but it slides around alot. I was concerned with mulch having mites or other kinds of bugs.

---

I've never had too much of a problem with aspen shavings, but then again its probably similar to your pine shavings. As long as the mice or rats you feed are not wet (this will cause the shavings to stick all over it) I think it should be fine. One or two pieces every now and then also shouldn't hurt, after all a snake can digest an entire rat fur bones and all so a little other organic material shouldn't hurt. After all, I'm sure they get some in the wild too. Just as long as its not a whole load of it at once. But i also watch my snakes eat most of the time, one because I love to watch and second to ensure nothing goes in. If he ends up with a piece stuck in his mouth or jutting out I'll use tongs to remove them.

As for the mites, you could bake them for 20-30mins in an oven to kill off anything else you don't want in it before using them for your snake. And changing regularly definitely keeps it bug free (not saying you dont already).

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MS2

Any problems with the snakes swallowing the aspen shaving? Will that cause any problems with the snake? I've had a large pine shaving get stuck in the mouth of one of my females, so I switched to newspaper(because that is what I had on hand). It works o.k.,but it slides around alot. I was concerned with mulch having mites or other kinds of bugs.

---

The odds of any shavings causing problems is negligible.

Don't worry about it.

I currently use those Eco Carpets in our tank. It's easy to see when he takes a dump, easy to clean, fits the tank perfectly, and seems to give him something else to rub on when shedding. Since I recently switched to a UTH, I actually have one layer of newspaper on the bottom of the tank and then lay the Eco Carpet on top of that. Even though I have one of those digital thermastats to regulate the UTH I am still affraid of burns so I just put one extra seperation between the UTH and the carpet. I actually bought two of those carpets and I switch them out every time I clean the tank, which is another benefit for me because the carpet air dries pretty quickly. I use a very soft bristle brush to clean it and it's done.

My temps and humidity both stay in the ranges that are expained in the caresheets.

I have tried many substrates the last couple of years. Aspen I don't like - it molds 5 seconds after it gets wet. Repti bark is great - but it contains a LOT of humidity, and you can't see the rat feces because it's dark in color. The best I have EVER tried, and also use now, is birchwood chips. It's a bit more pricy, but it is awesome. Try it!

I'm using coconut husk chips, and I have never had any problems with humidity

My current favorite is aspen. It comes at about $6/bag at petsmart and is easy to clean. I've used repti-bark before too. It has a great look to it, but it a little tougher to clean.