Have Question About Substrate!!!

How's it going everybody im new to the site. my bp is about 3 feet i bought him/her from a freind and he has been using calci sand as the bedding is this ok i have been looking over the site and have not found anybody that uses this. which does not worry me but i need to know just in case it may be harming my bp i hope to hear from some of you very soon thanks.

i would use aspen bedding, newspaper or cage liner (paper). oh welcome to the site!


vaughn

From what i hear Calci-Sand is bad news for a number of reasons.

I would use something like newspaper of Reptile Carpet that is simple. Newspaper is either super cheap or free in most cases and Reptile Carpet can be thrown in the wash with some bleach and used again and again

I use Reptile Carpet and i think its the best !!

I used to use newspaper but Reptile Carpet looks so much nicer. :)

i use coco fibre and repti bark
better than newspaper for the snake

Btw, don't use pine or cedar. Both will produce oils that are harmful to the snake. I keep my ball on the expandable cocanut coir stuff, although he was on aspen when I started him out. I ended up ditching the aspen due to humidity issues. I keep the rest of my snakes on newspaper.

Umm how exactly is it better for the snake ???

I dont really get what your saying.

would you rather sleep on the floor or an nice comfy bed??
im just saying that a snake would probably prefer a more natural substrate.
get it now?

No, not really, i dont think they really care.

Wouldent you rather sleep on a nice clean carpet than in the dirt or in a pile of wood chips constantly poking you ??

Plus Reptile carpet and newspaper tend to be cleaner becuase you can see the whole mess the snake leaves behind when it poos of pees and you can see the whole wet spot, not like dirt where all thats left is the little white ball and all of that other yucky bacteria is hidden and soaked up into the substrate.

i think a ball python would rather sleep in the dirt with wood chips poking at it. but hey newspaper works good for you and coco fibre works good for me and something else works good for someone else. so lets all just get along.

i use newspaper. it quick and easy to clean and it's also easy to get 24 hours aday. and best of all cheap.

Ok I'm laughing out loud right now reading this thread debating whether a ball python wants to sleep in a comfy bed, a pile of dirt, in a dumpster, a pile of wood chips poking at it, or a nice clean retro shag rug.

This is great... :bonk:

I'll end the debate right now. People have sucessfully kept ball pythons on all kinds of different substrates, so there is clearly no set preference by ball pythons. It is purely the owners preference and what works best for their particular application.

silk or goose-down here ;)

Kidding :P

Use newspaper for the bulk of them, sphagnum hides for a few who like the higher humidity,Smynx has a good number of her non-balls on aspen and the fuscus' are on forest-bark.

ha ha.....I have kept my bps on aspen, repticarpet, and newspaper. I like newspaper the best.

If you are trying to think about what would be 'comfortable' for a bp, remember that they originate for the grass lands of Africa and usually hang out in rodent holes and such. You ever see those pictures of termites that are forced to build nests above ground because the ground is so hard...ha.....I think ball pythons don't ever really have something 'nice and soft' to lay on in nature. Just fuel for thought thats all....

Personallly, I dont really think it matters to them. But I have been wondering one thing.....time for a new Breeding topic :)

Once you pass a certain threshold - at least in terms of the number you keep/care for - newspaper becomes EXTREMELY hard to beat as I am sure Adam would testify.

Thank you all wise, all knowing elevatethis for saving us and ending our pointless debate.

Thanx For All Of The Good Info But Does Anybody Know Why The Calci Sand Is Bad For Them Or Anything. I Have Been Keeping My Bp With Then Calci Sand For About A Month So If It's Bad I Need To Change It.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VDUBJOE

Thanx For All Of The Good Info But Does Anybody Know Why The Calci Sand Is Bad For Them Or Anything. I Have Been Keeping My Bp With Then Calci Sand For About A Month So If It's Bad I Need To Change It.

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It's not bad. It's just that from experience, most will tell you that other substrates that promote humidity and are easier to clean more regularly are much better for the overall health of your ball python.

-adam

Oh ok i see so what is the best substrate to promote humidity my humidity is usually about 50% but i know it needs to be higher and i spray every now and then to bring it up but it goes down pretty quick as im sure you all know. well thanx alot eveybody for your input and this site has been a great help to me and has brought my knowledge very high. thanx adam i appreciate it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BALLPYTHON

Thank you all wise, all knowing elevatethis for saving us and ending our pointless debate.

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I thought that the lack pointless, sarcastic replies on this board was what set us apart from other forums.

Guess I was wrong...

Oh yeah and Re: Calci-sand

Couldn't particles of sand get stuck in between their belly scales and cause problems over time if it were to build up in a particular place?

Then again, its not like they don't encounter loose dirt, sand, or other small particles in their natural habitat. Any ideas about this?

That really wasnt a debate about anything....

I was just wondering why he said they would prefer one substrate to another

I know everyone has thier own differnt opinions, but hes not a snake so i was just wondering how he knew.

i dont know what a snake would prefer but,
its just my opinion that a snake would prefer a more natural substrate because it is somewhat similar to what they live on in the wild.
thats just my opinion. i'm not saying anybody is wrong. thats just my opinion.
im sorry if i offended anybody.
thank you.

I don't think they care. As long as you have a hidespot, even a flat substrate like newspaper is fine. Personally I use cypress mulch because I like the looks of it and it is safe for the snakes.
What ever substrate you use, as long as it is proven safe, changed regularly and kept clean, you're fine.

Yes, me too, whatever works for you, works for you :)

Sorry if i came off rude in those last few posts, i really didnt mean to, sorry :)

I have used paper towels, newspaper, EcoEarth Bricks that you soak and they swell up and am now using Desert Blend Lizard Litter. It isn't just for Lizards though. It says it can be used for all reptiles.

It is made from ground up English Walnut shells. They are small round pieces...not small like sand though so can't get between scales without certainly being noticed.

It doesn't hold humidity as well as the EcoEarth did but it is very easy to clean. You use a scooper like a cat littler scoop that is made with screen.
When it gets wet it hardens a bit so you can pick it up and urates don't soak down where you can't get them.

My corns especially like to burrow in it but so do my balls.

I know that snakes are not like us humans but I just like the look of it in their cages. Whether they want softness or firmness to sleep, who knows. Sudan likes to sleep standing up in the corner alot. ;-)

The only drawback to this substrate is that it does cost a bit more than newspaper or paper towels. When I used those I hated having to move all the plants, bowls and hides when they pooped/peed. With this I just scoop up the stuff that is dirty and I always take a bit more around out also. As I take it out, I add fresh in.

I also feed out of their cages so no chance of impaction.

I would bew very hesitant to use the desert blend for BP's as it promotes (as the name would suggest) arid conditions. The tiny shell pieces would also make me nervous about feeding on it - so glad you do not. It seems to suck tons of moisture from the air.

We use it regularly for our Sudanese Plated Lizards - but they are better suited to those conditions. To each his own - i know how expensive that stuff is you are dead-on there - we buy it in the 50lb bags but it does last a good while.

Currently still loving my newsprint.

With the couple big snakes that i own, theres is NOTHING better than the simple ol' newspaper and/ paper towel.

repticarpet soaks up the liquid from the urates and holds the smell

aspen is too expensive and its a nuissance to change every week as is cypress multch and there is no such thing as spot cleaning them, in my oppinon you have to have super powers to get all the urates/liquid/deficates in one spot clean.

I keep my bp's on attractive looking indoor/outdoor carpet, and becuase of the small size of bps it works great

but nothin will ever come close to newspaper/papertowel for a snake 7' +

i use repti-carpet in both of my tanks. then i keep another set and everyweek i change them out and wash the others. they dont really smell when i take them out but that is what im trying to avoid. but repti-carpet works well for me i just change it when they go to the bathroom and replace it with a nice clean one :)

I have a bag of the Bone Aid Calci-Sand the man at the pet store(im thinkin is dumb) said that it was good for beding. the bag says Extencive calcium delivery system, 100% digestible, Reduced impactability, Beneficial when eaten,High contrast color for easy spot cleaning, Enhances natural colors.....the bag makes it sound good........but will it not hurt my python? its large grain but some of it looks small. Will this sand get under her skin and hurt her?????

I'd be less concerned about bits of it getting into their scales as I would be concerned about that type of substrate causing humidity problems in the cage.

You want to use a substrate that holds moisture, releasing it gradually into the air. This is necessary for ball pythons especially. They could encounter respitory distress if they are kept in overly dry conditions for extended periods of time. Any kind of sand or desert blend substrate is going to cause those types of dry conditions.

Desert blend walnut-shell is absolutely not digestible and you never know if your bp could ingest it while burrowing into it. Chances are they will just pass it, but you really never know.

Loose substrates are also very bad if your animal were to suffer from a prolapse. That stuff sticks to the protruding raw flesh, dries it out, and basically just makes the prolapse worse. IMO keeping ball pythons on sand or other non-bark loose substrate is really not a good idea.

calci sand is a big NO-NO for snakes

it will get in side the scales underneath, also will affect breathing and will get the sand build up in and around the mouth

All the talk on the bag of easy digestion and no impaction is for lizards, Calci sand is considered to be much better ( in my oppinon its not, but thats nither here nor there ) Its thoguht that if they swallow regualr sand it can lead to those things

stay away from the sand ;)

Chris