Substrate

WHat kind of substrate do you like best for your BP???thanks

Packing paper. I get a pack of 70 sheets at Home Depot for $4.95 and only need one sheet at a time in his current enclosure.

honestly on threads like this one that the subject has been beaten into the dirt your search engine on bp.net will be your best friend.
You can find plently of useful information on past threads by searching for the key words. :) hope that helps you.
But to answer your question i use newspaper, its cheap, and the snakes can hide under it. the cons on newspaper is it can get bunched up and not cover the bottom of the tub and its not very absorbant for urine.

Free newspaper here also :)

Lotsa breeders seem to like newspaper (& unprinted) or paper towels. Cheap and works!

I prefer aspen bedding. Easier cleanup.. I hated dealing with urine messes when I used paper towels. Just the smell and dripping and all...:rolleye2:

But a fantastic advantage to solid substrates is that once you've taken it out you can be sure that your snake is living in a germ-free home, since you can (and have to) really clean out the tub/enclosure without the need to dump out a bunch of substrate you paid $7-$10/bag for.

I'm new too but so far I like the paper towel. Gonna change to the blue shop towels next cleaning.

I use a fine coco coir(similar to eco earth) , it is super absorbent (kinda like clumping cat litter) and cheap.

word of caution with paper towels, feeding needs to be supervised on paper towels they on a rare occasion stick to a prey item and be eaten with it causing all kinds of problems. Rare but it can and has happened.

Ditto for the warning on paper towels--I use them for hatchlings, but once had to rescue a hatchling who had half the thing down his throat along with his rat pup. Keep a close eye out.

For adults, I just got my hands on some shredded aspen for the first time...and I'm sold. This stuff is great, it's really absorbent without adversely affecting humidity. The snake's waste stays put, so you can easily spot clean without worrying that you missed a lot of urine.

I was using aspen shavings, prior to that. I've also used newspaper before. The newspaper was too labor-intensive, and could get disgustingly messy. I don't like to have to wash the snake every time it eliminates.

I strictly use only Cypress.

I would have tried Cypress long ago, but no one around here carries fine-ground Cypress, and the coarse-ground stuff doesn't seem economical or absorbent.

Carefresh, Natural or Ultra
Good stuff for a smaller collection, pretty expensive.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WingedWolfPsion

I would have tried Cypress long ago, but no one around here carries fine-ground Cypress, and the coarse-ground stuff doesn't seem economical or absorbent.

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So long as you spot clean once a day absorbency isnt an issue.

It is hard to get where I am in any amount anyway, and super expensive in my area too about ten times coco. There are environmental concerns with cypress as well and in my area the greenhouses sometimes have 'cypress mulch' but it is Nootka cypress or false cyprus sometimes called yellow cedar. Be sure you know what you are buying! That is the nice thing of coco coir as long as it states no fertilizers have been added it is fine. There is no confusion.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

It is hard to get where I am in any amount anyway, and super expensive in my area too about ten times coco. There are environmental concerns with cypress as well and in my area the greenhouses sometimes have 'cypress mulch' but it is Nootka cypress or false cyprus sometimes called yellow cedar. Be sure you know what you are buying! That is the nice thing of coco coir as long as it states no fertilizers have been added it is fine. There is no confusion.

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Thats why i bite the bullet and buy the expensice Zoo Med stuff...

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...9SIA05P00Z1575

and since now i know newegg carries it i will never buy it from the local store again. NEWEGG ROCKS!

word of caution with paper towels, feeding needs to be supervised on paper towels they on a rare occasion stick to a prey item and be eaten with it causing all kinds of problems. Rare but it can and has happened.[/QUOTE]

Doesn't feeding always need to be supervised?

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Originally Posted by Kirke13

Doesn't feeding always need to be supervised?

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not if its F/T

For those of you that use aspen, what is feeding your snakes on it like? I have been wanting to change my substrate, I use newspaper, but I am afraid of ingestion of the substrate.

I've never had an ingestion of my Aspen. I have however had a female strike and miss and I did need to get a couple shavings out of her mouth after she ate. Really as long as she's not swallowing mouthfuls of it everyday you won't have an impaction problem. The do get leaf litter and other crap on their food in the wild so they are far hardier than we give them credit for.


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