Trying to decide on a new substrate...

Hey guys,

I've been using a coconut husk (the big chips) substrate for almost 9 months for my BP shrike and I've loved the stuff. Sadly, all the local pet shops have stopped carrying it! it was perfect for me because the area I live in is so dry and it was cheap and easy to deal with... but now, I have to find a replacement!

What would you guys recommend? I don't want to/can't switch too paper towels or newsprint because the normal humidity here is 20%. I was thinking maybe reptibark or that wierd version of coco husk that looks like fine ground dust... I've tried aspen but my humidity wont break 40% even with regular misting... What to do...

Thanks,
Fatal

My favorite, Carefresh Ultra, but its really expensive so I just use aspen.

If humidity is that big of a problem you might look into a misting system set up on a humidity control.

Petco is having a sale on the carefresh
http://www.petco.com/product/10791/C...ng+(868752)-_-

Try 100% cyprus mulch...it looks great and holds humidity really good...and if your using a heat lamp I would suggest getting rid of it and switching to an under tank heater...lamps sick the humidity out of the cage...and if you have a screened lid, try to cover 75-90% of the lid with foil wrapped cardboard...they will help hold in humidity as well...if you try the mulch just make sure its not a mix, make sure its 100% cyprus mulch...most has stations carry it or home depot...i think its like $4 for a big bag of it...i have redone my 75 gal tank 3 times, a 20 tall twice and a 20 long once all with the same bag and still have enough to do the 75 gal one more time.

humidity is 20% where i live as well.i use a mix of cypress mulch and sphnagnum moss.i also have a piece of plexi glass covering 5/8 of the screen lid. i only have to mist my 20 long once or twice a week to keep it at 60%.
i use the cypress mulch from petshops.if you get from home depot or something id disinfect it,it could harbor some unwanted pests.ive never used hd cypress so i cant say.
like justin said ditch the heat lamp if your using one and opt for a uth and thermostat.

You could also make a humid hide for it to go in as well...just take a storage container with a lid from the dollar tree and cut an entrance hole and put moist sphnagnum moss in it...or you could even put moist paper towels in it

If I have humidity issues, I use cypress.

For my various snake species, I use paper towels/newspaper, carefresh (unbleached), aspen, cypress mulch, and ABG mix (a substrate mix of various horticulture ingredients).

I live in New Mexico not many places drier... all my ball pythons do really well on shredded paper.. basically my junk mail and stuff ran through the shredder...

cypress is what i use.

Thinking about switching to cypress this weekend myself. Been using aspen for several years now but, I would like to try something new that holds humidity a little better.

I guess I'll check out cypress mulch! Thanks guys :D

Btw, I don't use a heatlamp or a screen top. I have a custom built enclosure made out of melamine witha sliding glass front door. Heating is done with an 18"x12' RHP from pro-products :oops:

Thanks,
Fatal