What type of substrate do you use?

I've seen so many thoughts on substrate to use and would like to ask.

I've seen thoughts on aspen, cypress, newspaper, ect. I'm very confused:confused: on the subject. I decided to go to newspaper myself, but have noticed that the aspen and cypress helps with the humidity in a rack system.

Can I get some thoughts on this subject? Thanks in advance

I use paper towels. Simple and easy cleanup.

I used newspaper for the longest, and still do for some of my adults. The only reason I still have snakes on newspaper is because for some unknown reason pet stores around here only have 3-4 bags of cypress at a time. It helps with the humidity, not that I need the help in Virginia, and helps them shed easier. You only have to spot clean, vice keep 30 pounds of newspaper handy every week. I just switched over around 3 weeks ago and love it. Once I can find a decent supplier I'll go full fledged cypress all the way. It's alot cleaner and easier to manage.

Trey

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I use aspen in most of my PVC enclosures and some of my tubs. It is easy to spot check and clean and is readily available in large quantities from a local distributor here.

Also use unprinted newspaper in my tubs. Also easy to clean and definitely a 'No Hassle' substrate. I go to the local newspaper in town and ask for the ends of their rolls, usually get them for free.

Most of substrate is preference as long as you are using approved substrates for reptiles. I however have become very fond of Aspen and Unprinted Newspaper.

I use corrugated wrap or paper towels in my cages

I use newspaper or rather blank newspaper that I buy by the roll. I've used aspen, cypress and newspaper all three at various times and have come back to the newspaper for a variety of reasons. I like the humidity that comes with cypress but environmentally it's not the greatest thing to use, at least in my personal opinion. Each to their own but I don't use it any more. Aspen is fine, no issues with it really, except that like the cypress, it's really hard to tell when it's been soiled and it can cause issues if a snake ingests enough to cause an impaction. The likelihood of that is rare but so is getting in a car crash or getting hit by lightning...and yet I wear my seatbelt anytime I'm behind the wheel and don't go stand on top of a skyscraper in a thunderstorm, lol!

I like newspaper or really most any kind of suitable paper as substrate because it's fairly cheap, it's easy to clean, it's easy to tell when it's been soiled (urates or poop or both) and I don't have issues with the heat building up from the substrate acting as an insulator between the tub and the heat tape. As to my snakes, it gets to be a pain to clean and change the substrate out on 10+ tubs when it's bark of some sort and it adds up quick to throw it out in the trash since I don't compost it. I keep my animals in a bonus room over my garage that has heat and a window A/C unit that keeps it a steady temp; I don't have to adjust or mess with the humidity at all, thankfully. All of mine have larger ceramic water bowls that I just keep over the heat tape inside the tub and the evaporation keeps the humidity at the appropriate levels except in the winter, when I have to mist the tubs once or twice a day.

I use aspen for my snakes that burrow corns boas and paper towels for larger snakes that don't really burrow like ball pythons

I use newspaper for all my snakes, but hatchlings. The 6qt tubs get paper towel.

I get the paper free, so it definitely saves me from purchasing a bag of Aspen or similar. And its easy to clean up. I haven't had any problems with humidity.

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Ask 100 different people and you'll get 100 different answers lol. Paper towels are easy to clean, I haven't gone to them yet. I use cypress because I can get a huge bag at lowes/home depot for about $3. It does help a lot with humidity but I actually have to dry it out in a sepperate tub because it's a little TOO moist freshly out of the bag. I've used aspen as well but it just looks like a hamster cage lol.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by hops523

I use paper towels. Simple and easy cleanup.

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This.

I use TP for the ball pythons in the rack and newspaper for my Boas.

I used to use cocohusk but it's too messy for me.

As of now I only have one snake. So I use, Cypress Mulch and check every other day for spot cleaning.

I have a 40 gallon glass terrarium, so Cypress Mulch + a water fall inside the terrarium are keeping the humidity as required ( ~~65 % on the water fall side and ~~50% on the other side) and I don't mist the cage.


*For people with large number of snakes and the racks, cleaning could be a pain and is also kind of expensive. so they use news paper, I guess !

Quote:

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Originally Posted by decensored

I use TP for the ball pythons in the rack

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I've never heard of Toilet Paper being used as a substrate... :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by sho220

I've never heard of Toilet Paper being used as a substrate... :D

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lmao XD I meant PT lmao!!

I use Aspen at the moment. But as soon as my racks come in, it will be Newspaper. Im sick of them eating the substrate. Everytime i see a piece of that hanging out of their mouth, i get worried.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by decensored

I use TP for the ball pythons in the rack and newspaper for my Boas.

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Do you use Scott? Lmao, just joking.

I use un-printed news paper .

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i use printed news paper, rumor was way back from a friends wife who worked in children's ICU wards, was that the inks make up acts like a disinfectant/antiseptic. whether it is true or not i have not confirmed facts, but i have not had issues with it.

Over the years I've used paper towels, newspaper, and non-adhesive shelf liner.

Depends on the animal and time of the season.

Adult males - Cypress mulch year round

Adult Females - Cypress much when not breeding and after ovy, while breeding newspaper.

Hatchlings/Juvies - Aspen, helps make them feel more secure.

I use bogus paper. It is thicker and more absorbent than newspaper. For babies, I use paper towels.

Zoomed Cypress Mulch for the most part, but because I'm not a fan of the impact it has on the environment, I'm switching to Kritters Crumble fine, which is an organic coconut bark shavings, not compressed. It's about 2 dollars more than cypress, but holds ZERO smell and GREAT humidity when needed! Still testing it out though before I make the conversion fully. You can pick it up on Amazon pretty easily, especially if you are a Prime member.

they all have their good and bad points.....

Good Points
Aspen - easy to spot clean because of color
Cypress - higher humidity
Newspaper - Cheap/easy

Bad Points
Aspen - Molds in HIGH humidity
Cypress - I have seen 'sores' on my ball pythons, I guess from not 100% pure cypress, most likely a cypress blend
Newspaper - not very good looking, and can have trouble with humidity

It is all a matter or what works better for you...

I have been doing this about 10 years, and I ALWAYS go back to newspaper......

Jason

I use coco coir, cheap (very cheap) and holds humidity like crazy easily spot cleaned.

The only caution I have is about paper towels with anything other than young snakes. Paper towel ingestion is as often as not fatal. I would not recommend it as there are no clear advantages over other paper products. The downside is fairly large I see no reason to add risk with no benefits.

I use newspaper riht now since everything else keeps my humidity way too high, but once i stop being lazy I'm gonna add ventilation and switch to aspen or cypress, that way i can spot clean instead of having to wash the entire tub every time they poop.

I use kiln dried pine and it works great. I've tried pretty much all other types of substrate and find it to be best for cleaning and humidity control. You gotta use what suits your situation best. Paper towels and newspaper were too much maintenance for me. I'd clean every tub out on Tuesday and by Thursday half of them had made a mess and I was cleaning an entire tub again.