Nice Substrate vs Cleanup

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Originally Posted by zina10

Question for you...

I have never used Orchid Bark but I've heard that it can "dis color" light/white snakes?? I know you have many pretty light colored snakes, so have you ever had such a problem ??
Orichid bark definitely looks beautiful!

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Na . It never discolours snakes ..

I sieve out any dust before using ..

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So I decided to ditch the brown paper substrate and use some old repti chip that I had stored in a large container. It was bone dry when I put it in the cage. I noticed my humidity jumped about 10% points higher to the mid 80s (one of the reasons I abandoned this substrate months ago). I added a second Accurite unit to measure the humidity and it's reading in the low 70s.

I've never really gotten a good answer on here about high humidity and maybe it's that nobody really knows. Bottom line, is there is no visible moisture or condensation in the enclosure and it's been higher then most people recommend since last year when I got my BP. I don't think it's an issue so I'm just putting it out there in case it is in fact a problem.

Also, by changing substrate, has anyone noticed any different reactions in their BPs behavior? I've heard changes in house keeping can impact feedings ,etc...

Ive had (temporarily) humidity in the 90%s for days With no issues. As long as the snake isnt physically wet, i think high humid air is good for ball pythons.
I aim for 55-70%. I would rather have high humidity than low. I only worry if the enclosure floor or the walls are literally wet from condensation or water bowl spills.

Also, I’ve switched substrate multiple times and the pythons don’t seem to care at all. My snakes are pretty “chill dudes” as long as the the temperatures are perfect. That is the one thing that they get pissed about, (temps being off). so ive made sure to perfectly tune my temps.

I also use newspaper material as substrate, but have recently been thinking about switching over to the coco fiber. I've heard from a seasoned snake keeper that the "best" way to go about using coco fiber/nice substrate is to "spot clean" when needed, and just remove affected substrate with waste on it and from the tank. Then, once a month, remove all of the substrate and throw it out, then put in new substrate. Personally, I think that this sounds easier to do.

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Originally Posted by Godzilla78

Ive had (temporarily) humidity in the 90%s for days With no issues. As long as the snake isnt physically wet, i think high humid air is good for ball pythons.
I aim for 55-70%. I would rather have high humidity than low. I only worry if the enclosure floor or the walls are literally wet from condensation or water bowl spills.

Also, I’ve switched substrate multiple times and the pythons don’t seem to care at all. My snakes are pretty “chill dudes” as long as the the temperatures are perfect. That is the one thing that they get pissed about, (temps being off). so ive made sure to perfectly tune my temps.

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I agree with you on this. The floors / walls have only been wet once and that's when the 1st time I put in the ReptiChip after spraying it down to break it apart (newbie mistake).

I noticed my BP was in his hot side hide tonight which I don't witness a lot that's why I wondered if it had something to do /w the substrate change.

How long have BP owners been using Reptiprime?

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Originally Posted by zina10

Honestly, when it came to smell and mess I actually found paper to be the worst offender.

The snakes have quite a bit of liquid pee and it would soak all over the paper and sometimes the snake sat on that soaked paper. And the smell..ugh. While I check several times the day, sometimes they eliminate at night or when I'm not home. By the time I got to it I could smell it throughout the room. Since I do not have a dedicated "reptile room" this was a problem.

Esp. since it takes a while for that odor to dissipate after cleaning. (Even after wiping down the snake that sat on the soaked paper)

Aspen wasn't much better. While it soaked up more of the mess, it didn't do great with it, and it still smelled pretty bad. Plus I had to remove a LOT of the aspen to get the enclosure truly clean.

Right now I use Reptile Prime, a sort of coco substrate (not chunky like ReptiChip nor dusty or superfine). It actually works great! First of all, there is no more smell in the room. I have to open the enclosure to find a mess by sight, not by smell...lol. Not a problem for me, because I check daily. It also soaks up the mess very well, so it stays contained in a small area. What I do is move the clean substrate away from the soiled area, making sure all soiled stuff stays in one spot. I then scoop up the dirty substrate with paper towels. Then I wipe that area with a paper towel that I sprayed some F10 on, push the clean substrate back over the spot, done. If need be, add more clean substrate to the enclosure. Quick and easy.

I'm not going trough the substrate very fast, like I did with Aspen. I have had no need to do an entire "dump and clean" because its easy to clean thoroughly without contaminating the clean substrate. Always smells good and looks good. I'm sold on that stuff.

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You detect no odor when using Reptiprime? I'm a long time Aspen user. Any cons to using Reptiprime or wish something was better about it? I'm debating on switching.

What about feeding on the reptile prime?? Is there any issues with that as far as impactions??

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Originally Posted by viper69

How long have BP owners been using Reptiprime?

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i have been using it for a year. I started when it was called herptopia and still on my original bag a year later. I love reptile prime.

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Originally Posted by L.West

What about feeding on the reptile prime?? Is there any issues with that as far as impactions??

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Never had an issue with it. My rats are mostly dry.