Another substrate question.

The SnakeKeeper care sheet says not to use bark as susbstrate :? What do other reputable dealers have to say about that?

I'm not a big fan of loose substrates period, unless they are necessary (such as with Sand Boas, etc.).

I guess they just look good. I use an inch and a half layer of Bark in my tank. I also use an Under tank heater. If I substituted news paper, would that not raise the temp?

Its possible that could raise the temps a bit. I have too many snakes to fool with aesthetics. Loose substrates are more of a pain in the butt when you have multiple snakes to clean on a daily basis. Plus I don't have to feed any of my snakes outside their cages or worry about them injesting loose bits of substrate.

Thats true.

Raj...the temps would definitely go up if you switched from a thick layer a bark to a layer of newspaper. If you do, I would highly suggest you hook your UTH up to a thermostat. Or at the very least, a rheostat.

OR use some kind of heat baffle - take a moment and try measuring the surface temp right on top of the heat source with NO substrate - gad -friggin-zooks is right. The substrate helps dissipate the heat, provides a baffle and evens it up a bit. If you are sternly opposed to loose substrate you can get platic pegboard at lowes (home depot etc) and cut to fit the bottom of the enclosure. Makes for a nice even heat dispersion and the holes allow a viable gradient. Also beneficial in that if a water bowl etc is turned over it goes to the bottom of the enclosure and prevents pooling of water that they'd have to sit in until you get home. If you do this be sure to finish the edges (sand then pass with a lighter to catch the particulate) then put your paper towels, newspaper etc on top.

http://www.hookstore.com/images/1824panelsflare.gif
only pic of the stuff i could find atm.

Props to Smynx for spotting this stuff and the brainstorm.

Or you can always buy the little self-adhesive rubber "feet" and put them underneath your cage and jack it up off the pad a tad.

The pegboard idea is genius! How durable is it when it needs to be cleaned?

Very - it's non-brittle plastic. I'll get a shot of the backside when I get home (pegboard, ahem) it has slight extrusions on the back where the holes are so that if you were to mount it on a wall as intended it would sit off of the wall enough to be able to insert the pegs (ok this is getting me too hawt) - which is very cool since it will not be sitting flush against the bottom of your cage. Hell you could probably throw this stuff in the dishwasher.

LOL!! Smulkin...only you would get hawt talking about pegboards! That really is a very cool idea! You and Smynx could cut & prep some standard sized pieces and market them!

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Originally Posted by JLC

LOL!! Smulkin...only you would get hawt talking about pegboards!

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Believe me, Judy, it takes almost nothing. You would think he was 16 or 17 instead of 35.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JLC

That really is a very cool idea! You and Smynx could cut & prep some standard sized pieces and market them!

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Genius! If only we could make a living doing that sort of stuff and quit our boring day jobs (she says as she sits staring out her office window while she should be working).

Hey chica - at least you HAVE a window - this place is a freaking dim dungeon of white noise. If you can do something you enjoy for a living you are among the most blessed.

Blessed are the cheesemakers.

Smynx...more info than I needed to know! LMAO!

I'll bet the two of you are well on your way to someday (in the not too distant future) retiring to the full time home reptile business! You'll be breeding beautiful animals and inventing cool, useful herp supplies. I can see it....yes I can!

:lol: :lol: ....cheesemakers..... :lol: :lol:

Judy, I can only hope to be so lucky one day. That is indeed our dream.

I think this is one case where "luck" has nothing to do with it. :D Good planning and hard work will get you where you want to go!

Newspaper with a heating pad from walmart,hooked up to a 10 dollar lamp dimmer from home depot, I just make sure I make a mark on the lamp dimmer where 10 degrees above rome temps is (thats with 6 layers of newspaper),After wich I just make sure the room stays 78-82 degrees (hence the hot spot stays 88-92 degrees). I figured as I get more snakes its easier to keep the room a certain temp,than to keep fiddling with each enclosures hot spot.

I'm thinking of switching to newspaper pretty soon so I guess its off to Home Depot for the peg board and lamp dimmer :)

I dont know what "reputable dealers" say about bark. But I have always used it, more for looks than anything, cause my reptiles homes are display cages also... I dont feed on it ofcourse... and I have never had problems with it. I know that it does help bring up humidity a bit when misted a little.

My worry is if you snake goes no: one wont the bark absorb it? If it does then will it not get bacterial infestation and such?

Well, I clean my cage daily- when they go #1 or 2 it sticks to the bark, and pieces of the bark can be taken out during cleaning.. yes there is a bit of absorbtion, but like I said, it sticks to the bark. I have never had problems yet, I think it is all just personal preference.

Jeanne, we also use bark for our larger snakes for the same reasons. (Our hatchlings are on aspen.)

Raj, whenever we find urates or feces, we scoop out a rather large area of bark. If there's any wetness underneath, it's cleaned up and dried, then the area is replaced with clean bark. Once a month, we clean and disinfect the entire cage and replace all the bark. So far, we've had no problems. You do have to be more diligent with loose substrates, so I guess it all depends on what's important to you. I don't think there's any "right" or "wrong" when it comes to substrates (other than those that are potentially toxic, of course) as long as you provide your herp with a clean environment.

Good point.