What is the best substrate for ball pythons?

I'm using Eco-Earth for my ball python be it's great. However, I want to try some other types of substrate for my ball python. If you can recommend me a substrate, I will greatly appreciate it. Also can you tell me the pros/cons about it too? Thank you!

Much of this is a matter of opinion.

I like cypress mulch. I use Forest Floor as I find it very clean and well shredded.

I like to keep naturalistic cages and have found a mixture of cypress, Eco Earth, and ReptiBark is what I prefer. If holds humidity well but does not get dusty like using Eco alone.

I have my animals in racks, so I use paper towels. As long as you catch the mess quick enough all you have to do is remove it and replace it with another. Depending on the mess, lol. The pros for me is that its good for my dust allergies. Cons are price (depending which you use) and if you don't catch the mess quick enough its a pain to clean. I'd never use newspaper and I don't think I'd ever switch from paper towel.

If you are asking for a display type setup, good question :)

Aspen Shavings
pros: easy to clean, light weight, holds humidity fairly well.
cons: it's susceptible to mold

Cypress Mulch
pros: fairly easy to clean, holds moisture really well, mold resistant
Cons: can be difficult to find where it is finely shredded.
Note: I use every day cypress much found at my local garden supply store works well for me but I'm also careful when feeding to try and prevent them from swallowing a large piece

there is also eco earth, which works as well as the mulch but can get dusty if you don't mist it every so often.

unprinted news paper is also popular

I started off using aspen but have since switched to paper towels and it's the best decision I've made. Finding little aspen shavings in my room got old real quick, it's hella easy to clean, and I like the simple look it provides in my T8.

I use clean white packing paper. Just my preference.

Pine. Absorbs liquid waste well, controls odor, doesn't mold nearly as easily aspen, and is able to hold humidity well enough (depending on your location).

It's all a matter of preference for you. I have tried paper, shredded aspen and even sani-chips.

- Paper gets messy quick and doesn't hold odor
- Shredded aspen was great but was just very dusty and drove me crazy
- Sani-chips doesn't hold liquid as well as the shredded aspen but is dust free. It's also a bit messy cus it's so fine but again I love it because it looks nice, and has a nice smell.

Unprinted news paper. I have a rack system and one roll last two months+. Super easy and fast to clean. Easy to spot the mess. No little shavings over the floor and does not mold. During shedding, the snakes gets moist paper towel to up the humidity. Simple easy and to the point.

If you are wanting to make a nice looking enclosure though, best thing IMO is cypress mulch. It hods humidity, looks nice and hides smells.

Eco earth or coconut husk are also really good options but the problem with them is if the dirt stays moist too long, you risk scale rot. It also makes it really had to sanitize a glass tank as it tends to stick to the sides and gets in the corners.

A good old mix of dirt/sand/peat moss and now I may be adding some DG into the mix.

I just use paper towel. It works and is easy to replace.

You didn't specify tank set up vs tub but here have been my personal experiences with a few options for either. When I just had 2 snakes in a divided 75 gallon tank I used both aspen and cypress and eventually a mixture of about 50/50 aspen/cypress. Then I switched to racks and mostly used the aspen as the purpose of the cypress was to add color to the tank and really no other reason other than humidity, which everyone said cypress held better. Can't say I actually noticed a difference in humidity between the two. With the tubs the aspen worked fine but as others noted it gets everywhere despite attempts to be very careful, I also found it quite dusty. Now I'm using packing paper that comes in 120 sheet packs for $8 bucks from Lowe's. It's basically unprinted news-paper paper. I really like it it is so much easier to open a tub see they messed and clean it. It's true that there is a chance for smell if you don't stay on top of things but I find this actually has led to me being better about my husbandry and keeping things clean and sanitary.

Thank you all. So is cypress mulch the safest substrate for ball pythons? Or is it safe to mix reptibark and ecoearth (50/50)? I don't really like using newspapers since I want her terrarium to look real.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tkdlover123

Thank you all. So is cypress mulch the safest substrate for ball pythons? Or is it safe to mix reptibark and ecoearth (50/50)? I don't really like using newspapers since I want her terrarium to look real.

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:confusd: I will refer back to my first post.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

I like to keep naturalistic cages and have found a mixture of cypress, Eco Earth, and ReptiBark is what I prefer.

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So it's safe to mix reptibark and ecoearth for my ball python?

I had to type more because "YES" is to short to post.

haha Thank you!

Also reptibarks don't contain mites right? I saw a post in google that told me that reptibarks contain mites...

Some substrate may have wood mites but they are not the same thing as the harmful mites a snake can get.

I have used Eco, Reti, and Forest Floor cypress for years without issue. Just make sure to buy bags that are in good shape.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tkdlover123

Also reptibarks don't contain mites right? I saw a post in google that told me that reptibarks contain mites...

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If you're worried about mites, get th smallest bags & stick them in your freezer for a day...should kill anything in there

Thank you

I offered my ball python a thawed mice and she decided not to eat eat. What do I do with the mice. Do I throw it away? Or refreeze it?

You give it to your Blood Python. LOL!!!

Well that kinda depends how long it was thawed. I PERSONALLY do not refreeze a feeder after it has been thawed for more than an hour. If you do refreeze a feeder, I will only do it once. The second refusal gets the feeder thrown out.

Once you have more snakes it is not that big of a deal because you will usually always have one to take the scraps. For me that is my big Blood girl which I found out today is now just over 6ft.

The best one is the one that works for your animal(s), depends on the animal, the type of enclosure you use and overall humidity, it can also depends on the season.

For example I use Aspen for my animals except for females during breeding season, when they are paired I use newspaper when they ovulated and until they lay I use mulch.

" It also makes it really had to sanitize a glass tank as it tends to stick to the sides and gets in the corners."


... and to the water bowls bottom, and sometimes the snake, and the sink and etc. Been considering the same question about substrate. If I were a snake I wouldn't want to lay on ole hard bark either. My snake seems to prefer the softer side hide with the eco--earth. ( I have bark on the warm side because I was using the UTH but now I am using day lights instead. ) The eco is softer but so clingy. I think I will use the idea here of paper towel or maybe green or brown liner from Zilla. Does anyone like the liners here one this website? If not why not?

I use shredded aspen I get a huge bag for 22 bucks http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06...f8d0fb583b.jpg

I go to my local newspaper printing place and they give me a big roll of unprinted paper for free

I use white paper towels except my female thats hopefully gonna lay soon she gets aspen

I usually use a combination of Eco-earth and jungle or forest bedding. As long as it doesn't have chunks or sticks! I've had to check Eco-earth, too, ever since I found glass pieces in one of the bricks I'd re-hydrated. It was like beach glass, smooth-edged, but still...


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Yea I like how before my 2 females laid they pushed all the aspen to the sides that's how I know my eggs are very close

it honestly depends on your area, its very hot and humid during the summer where i live so i just use paper towels to keep the humidity down

I live in bc canada so it's always changing lol but I only have problems with humidity when they spill they're water dish and I wake up to fogged racks

I like to think on things, and I've been thinking. I have decided ( for now ) that the coconut substrate would be the best for me.
I believe from observation that snakes like it. My corn I had loved to borrow through it and my ball python stays most of the time in the identical cool hide because I have the eco-earth ( coconut ) under it. I have bark on the warm side. So today I plan on getting a bag of the eco-earth coconut and do the whole tank about an half inch deep. ( I heat with lights ) It would be much easier to spot clean then paper or paper towel and less messy, looks better too. As far as the clinging goes I will leave the place the water bowl goes bare or put a piece of paper towel under it, so I won't have the substrate clinging to it. It don't cling to my ball python much and if it does it won't hurt it. It don't have mite issues. As far as cleaning the corners of the tank if you use a lot of white vinegar to clean the tank with paper towels you will get it pretty much spotless. You can also clean it first with a water and little bit of bleach mixture and make sure you rinse it very well. Also better substrate as far as misting goes.

I also keep a naturalistic tank and use Eco Earth, my snake and I love the stuff. I tried using Aspen for a while, but it was too dry and I used paper towels too, even though the paper towels were easy to clean, they didn't mesh well with trying to make my tank naturalistic.

I've been using unprinted newspaper for a few years with good results.

I use laboratory grade aspen sani chips or shredded aspen. I get the 4.22 CU FT for about $10 online.


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