Everyones Favorite Substrate -

I use paper towels or newspaper in Sophie's home and Aspen in Smitty's. However, we'll probably switch him to paper towels as well b/c he still hasn't eaten for us and we don't want to take him out to feed him. It's simple, cheap, and looks ok. I did the astro carpet for awhile, but it was too much of a PIA to clean, even w/a few extra pieces.

Repti bark is great because you can spot clean easily, it holds releases humidity well and doesn't mold. Also, my setup has a flat piece of corkbark that my bp has basically created a burrow underneath, by pushing the bark towards the sides and making a little spot for her to chill in. Its also a good substrate to rub on to aid in shedding. Nice natural look too.

I guess I'll get a giant bag of Repti-Bark for humidity reasons.

excellent choice :D

I use news paper ... Now some of you that are useing the more naturalistic substrates ... I allready saw one post where some one said they grab the feces with a plastic bag . what about the urates? I think alot of people dont realize how much liquid is involved in some bowel movements from their animals because they dont see it and it soaks in to the bark and starts growing a nice little bacteria factory
I am not saying the more naturalistic substrates are bad , just that you need to be sure to remove all of the soiled substrate as well which can be as much as 1/4 to1/2 of whats in the cage
BTW its not a bad idea to remove every thing in the cage and give it a good scrubbing and disinfection every week any way

ESU repti carpet...been using it for years, easy to clean and lasts a long time. Recently found a place that is selling it VERY cheap online, at places like petco its kinda pricey but this place has it for a few bucks. I should have my order soon, to see if its the same stuff or if its the same quality.

Bed-a-Beast: easy to spot clean, looks natural, great w/ humidity and you can feed on it.

I have used Cypress mulch for my snakes. I have found for humidity levels it works really well. It also gives you a visual cue: when it is dark, it is moist and when it is light brown it is dried out.

I have found it really easy for spot cleaning and use a cat litter scoop to remove the soiled spot. It is attractive in that it looks natural (if you like that sort of look) ; the only bad things I have read about it is in the book "Reptile Keeper's Guides - Ball Pythons" by R.D and Patricia Bartlett that they had experiences with the snake eating bits of it with the mouse and having the potential to cause mouth rot. I personally havn't had this happen, but anything is possible.

just my two cents. :)

Using bark now, but thinking about moving to newpaper. I usually throw it away, but I am better off putting it to good use in my cages.

I started with the coconut shell stuff, and really liked it, but I can't find it anymore. Any ideas?!