coconut husk vs. paper

title says it all... do you guys prefer coco husk or paper?

if you prefer coco husk how much substrate do you put in your tubs?
I was told to put only half the tub so you can push it away so at all times they can lay on the tub.

I'll stick with paper, unless something better is invented, I don't like loose substrates at all.

I love the coconut husk/fibre! It's all I use! You only need to cover about a half an inch or little more. I cover the bottom completely!

a breeder showed me his tubs and he had the coconut husk, but there was an empty spot.. so im guessing the snake pushed it most likely? how often do you guys change the coco husk substrate? seeing as adult ball pythons can get messy when it comes to going to the bathroom

The main reason why I stay away from substrate is inspection purposes. Another thing is, the main plus of using substrate is the main negative of using it. I holds humidity great. Problem is it also attracts bacterias and insects to that humidity, and they will hide well in it. Book lice/Psocids are very small mite size insects that will come out of nowhere and infest any area that holds moisture. Many people confuse them for mites because of the way they move and look.

To me choosing the right substrate is about two things

• Humidity and how easy or hard it is to maintain depending on the type of enclosure you use
  
• Personal preference

I have rack systems and no real issue when it comes to keep the humidity up (especially living in the south) therefore I do not really need a substrate that hold humidity better.

My choice for the convenience and ease to clean when soiled: newspaper :gj:

First I put in about half an inch of coco fiber and the put about a quarter of an inch of cypreses mulch.

The thing I don't like about loose bedding is you can't see how much they pee, and they pee A LOT. I hate not being able to get it all out of there and who wants to do a complete loose substrate change every time they pee (rather often). I will just stick to my paper towels :)

I noticed that when i use paper, i put two layers of it in a tub and when they pee the whole tub gets drenched so that its soaking though, and they'll basically just sit in their pee the whole time. so im not really sure about paper..

Hi,

Well if you think about it either way they are sitting in it - it's just easier to see and clean out completely if you are using newspaper. :P


dr del

I've got my python on coco fiber (eco earth) and i use a large bag for her tank (its a big tank) only need one bag though

i use blank news print paper and paper towel.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by jben

i use blank news print paper and paper towel.

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Currently I use aspen, but always open to other ways.

Hay jben,
Where do you get blank newspaper from and what's the cost?

Thanks,

Dave

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saber2th

Hay jben,
Where do you get blank newspaper from and what's the cost?

Thanks,

Dave

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Dave, I got the 2 rolls of paper for free from my job, we have pallets of them that we used to use as voidfill but have not used in over 2 years so it's just sitting in the warehouse but if your interested i might be able to get the distributors info and prices for you. I'm pretty sure that U-line sells the same thing, you might want to check their website.

I personally don't use either, I use aspen. It works great for me although I've considered switching to paper. My biggest complaint with paper is that the snakes usually push the paper up and get underneath it or just push it in the corner. To all of you breeders who use paper, how do you keep the snakes from pushing the paper in the corner or crawling underneath it?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by saber2th

Currently I use aspen, but always open to other ways.

Hay jben,
Where do you get blank newspaper from and what's the cost?

Thanks,

Dave

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I help my father in law run an antique mall that he owns here in Charlotte. We go the the local paper and buy the rolls of unprinted paper, the ones that are low enough that they're still plenty of paper on them, but not enough for them to use any longer because they won't last the amount of printing they need or whatever. I'm not sure of the price but I can get it possibly, I'm sure you could call you local paper?