Cypress mulch vs aspen

Just wanted to get a feel for what everyone prefers for bedding for their snakes.

I currently use cypress mulch but am debating in switching to aspen.

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Cypress holds humidity better, and seems less "dusty" than aspen. Other than that I don't know of much difference. I'd go with Cypress if you have humidity issues. If not, I'd go with what's cheaper/more convenient...

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Originally Posted by sho220

Cypress holds humidity better, and seems less "dusty" than aspen. Other than that I don't know of much difference. I'd go with Cypress if you have humidity issues. If not, I'd go with what's cheaper/more convenient...

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I know this is a cypress mulch topic,but the diff between the two is what helps keep humidity....so I'll make my basic comparison between coco husk and aspen...

Sho, I haven't had any issues with dust with aspen at all. I am using coco husk in one tank and aspen in the other....aspen doesn't hold humidity the dampness that the coco husk does. Still with having tanks ,I find myself still basically having to do the same things to both to maintain humidity. It's like if you wanna maintain a steady humidity,rack systems are the best bet..although to wett aspen will mold,had that happen once. I freaked out. But it was really my mistake,I had ran out of coco husk and added aspen by it's self to the cool side to fill in rest of tank,bad idea,no I didn't mix the two,left it separate,apparently didn't matter. My one tank that has aspen,never had I happen.

next weekend I'm Cleaning my tanks fully and will be using Eco earth in both..see how that goes.

i like aspen and have no problems at all..but for holding humidity better than you should go with coco husk,cypress mulch and Eco earth.

My eco earth bag came in the mail and it was damp when I got it,could seethe water inside bag

I prefer cypress mulch for humidity, but then I live in a dry area. I would not use eco earth by itself for ball pythons, as the fine particles can often get gunked up in their heat pits and in their mouth. Mixed with Cypress, though, it's great at holding humidity without getting soggy or gross.

Aspen works too, but it's better if you're in a more humid climate or can maintain humidity in your entire snake room.

-Jen

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Originally Posted by kingkung

Just wanted to get a feel for what everyone prefers for bedding for their snakes.

I currently use cypress mulch but am debating in switching to aspen.

Sent from my HTCONE

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Cypress has a natural pH that prevents fungal growth, that alone makes it my staple as far as substrate goes. I use aspen for sand boas and it works well for the required low humidity. I often mix coconut coir with my cypress for added humidity retention but as far as most pythons go, the cypress alone is sufficient.

I currently use cypress mulch and I love the way it looks, but one thing I noticed, but not sure if it's only with mulch. Eveytime my ball poos and if I don't clean it up within an hour or 2 I'll get ants going for it. Any suggestions ?

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Originally Posted by kingkung

I currently use cypress mulch and I love the way it looks, but one thing I noticed, but not sure if it's only with mulch. Eveytime my ball poos and if I don't clean it up within an hour or 2 I'll get ants going for it. Any suggestions ?

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That's not likely a mulch issue. You need to figure out where the ants are coming from and get rid of them. Otherwise, you're going to end up with other issues.

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Originally Posted by patientz3ro

Otherwise, you're going to end up with other issues.

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Ants in his pants? :)

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Originally Posted by kingkung

I currently use cypress mulch and I love the way it looks, but one thing I noticed, but not sure if it's only with mulch. Eveytime my ball poos and if I don't clean it up within an hour or 2 I'll get ants going for it. Any suggestions ?

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Ants? Are you certain they are ants? I am pretty sure you know what a mite looks like, but you could actually be observing a detrivorous insect, I forget the name, for that sometimes finds it's way into captive enclosures; however, it is actually a good thing to have around.

I am positive they are ants. I never seen a mite before. I'll Google it now

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Need to nuke the mulch first.

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Originally Posted by kingkung

I am positive they are ants. I never seen a mite before. I'll Google it now

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Yes, you definitely need to know how to identify a mite.

Spring tails are the thing that eat poop :) They're small and jump around a lot, and they're super common in moisture-holding substrates. They are helpful for keeping poop levels down in planted cages, but it's unusual for them to hang out in rack systems. Tubs usually get cleaned out too often for them to settle in and build up a large population. Letting the mulch dry out more before putting it in can help keep the springtails from getting out of hand.

-Jen

A layer of newspaper and i mix reptibark, eco earth and aspen together and makeva small layer with that.

Humidity has been perfect.

Has anyone ever use an electronic pest repeller? Wondering if it works for ants.

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Originally Posted by grcforce327

Need to nuke the mulch first.

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Hold on. You can microwave the mulch?

Hello everyone.
I am new here and I am looking forward to learning and sharing my expectances with my Ball Python named Caesar. I must admit I am not a person who raises snakes. I only have this one and he is such a great and Yes loving animal I have had. He seems to look forward to me getting him out of his domain and spends hours with me watching tv till it is time for me to go to bed and he goes back to his cage for the night.
I currently have his aspen in his terrarium but I have been reading and watching a lot of videos on how I can better take care of my buddy. I am currently thinking of changing his substrate to Cypress mulch. I would love to hear from you all as to what you think about moving a ball python from aspen to Cypress mulch. One thing I keep reading about is making sure he does not ingest any of that substrate. How do I go about making sure he does not accidentally eat any of it?
I am really interested in what you all have to say about that subject matter. I doesn't matter if you are a breeder or just have one or two snakes as pets. I only want to make my Caesar as happy and comfortable as I can.

Thank you in advance for your responses

Tom Shepherd

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Originally Posted by Yoshi1950

Hello everyone.
I am new here and I am looking forward to learning and sharing my expectances with my Ball Python named Caesar. I must admit I am not a person who raises snakes. I only have this one and he is such a great and Yes loving animal I have had. He seems to look forward to me getting him out of his domain and spends hours with me watching tv till it is time for me to go to bed and he goes back to his cage for the night.
I currently have his aspen in his terrarium but I have been reading and watching a lot of videos on how I can better take care of my buddy. I am currently thinking of changing his substrate to Cypress mulch. I would love to hear from you all as to what you think about moving a ball python from aspen to Cypress mulch. One thing I keep reading about is making sure he does not ingest any of that substrate. How do I go about making sure he does not accidentally eat any of it?
I am really interested in what you all have to say about that subject matter. I doesn't matter if you are a breeder or just have one or two snakes as pets. I only want to make my Caesar as happy and comfortable as I can.

Thank you in advance for your responses

Tom Shepherd

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Hi Tom,

Welcome to the forum. This is a very old thread you’ve replied to. You may want to start a new thread introducing yourself and Caesar. You’ll probably get more replies to your inquiry as well. I personally like Reptile Prime or Reptichip substrate for all my snakes. I’ve never had a snake ingest enough substrate to cause any issues and I feed them on it all the time. Best wishes with your new BP. My first snake was a BP named Caesar too. That was decades ago and it’s pretty cool to see it happening again with someone else. :cool:

I live in a relatively humid area so I don't really have to worry about humidity in my enclosure.
I have used both substrates for a long time and never had issues with either. Snakes have shed fine on both substrates.

If humidity is an issue for you, that might affect your decision but other than that I think it is a mater of preference.