Loose Coconut Fiber Substrate.. Good? Bad?

Hello hello.

I have had my little banana man for 2 weeks now and I'm here for some opinions and advice. I have at the bottom of my tank this loose coconut fiber substrate. I am curious how people feel about this substrate. I live in Colorado and it is drier than a bag of sand out here. I need to keep excellent humidity and with my CHE, it has been interesting getting the humidity to a good point. My little banana man shed a couple days ago and it wasn't a good one. He still has a small amount of shed on his lower part. I'm making a humidity box when I get home to help him get that off.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Are you using coconut fiber or coconut husk? The fiber doesn't absorb moisture at all where the husk is like a sponge. The fiber is useless for smells too. I'd switch to the coconut husk substrate, keep it about two inches deep and keep it well hydrated.

What's your concern? It's some of the best substrate for ball python enclosures and retains/absorbs moisture very well.

I assume you have a glass tank so in the winter when it is dryer in your home and when using a CHE, you are going to face humidity issues with a screen top lid no matter what substrate you use. Also, regardless of the substrate, it should never remain damp. A perpetually damp substrate for a terrestrial snake is a recipe for scale issues.

Either having a good misting routine during shedding with the addition of sphagnum moss or a humidity box only used during shedding is going to be your best option for keeping humidity up in dryer houses.

Of course the best current option for maintaining humidity is either a tub or PVC enclosure but if those are out of the question or out of the budget then blocking off the top of the enclosure except around the CHE and perhaps a small opening for air flow will also help to retain a some humidity.

Edit: fiber is excellent for both odor and humidity control, have to disagree there as someone who uses it for both.

i find the husk holds moisture a lot better than the fiber (almost too good), but they are both excellent options for boosting humidity.

there are many ways to combat low humidity: sphagnum moss, a damp hand towel laid over a hide, periodic misting. when i still used glass i used the hand towel over a hide trick. :)

I read that coconut fiber could potentially cause scale rot? Im not sure if Im recounting that correctly. That is where my main concern about the coconut fiber came from. I feel like it holds moisture pretty well but his stuck shed is leading me to believe otherwise.

Thanks for the feedback!

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Originally Posted by Valrie87

I read that coconut fiber could potentially cause scale rot? Im not sure if Im recounting that correctly. That is where my main concern about the coconut fiber came from. I feel like it holds moisture pretty well but his stuck shed is leading me to believe otherwise.

Thanks for the feedback!

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laying on wet substrate and like 90% humidity for a long period of time causes scale rot, not the substrate itself.

how are you measuring your humidity? what does it usually stay at?

Scale for would come from an extended period of time laying in substrate that is too wet.

As for this particular shed, since he's only been with you a few weeks, that was already set in motion. Maintaining proper humidity consistently will prevent it moving forward.

Reptile prime....look it up. Best ever! Lol

I have a digital humidity monitor and I keep it between 55-65%. I uped the humidity when I saw his eyes had the blueish white tint to them.

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Originally Posted by Valrie87

I read that coconut fiber could potentially cause scale rot? Im not sure if Im recounting that correctly. That is where my main concern about the coconut fiber came from. I feel like it holds moisture pretty well but his stuck shed is leading me to believe otherwise.

Thanks for the feedback!

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

laying on wet substrate and like 90% humidity for a long period of time causes scale rot, not the substrate itself.

how are you measuring your humidity? what does it usually stay at?

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Scale for would come from an extended period of time laying in substrate that is too wet.

As for this particular shed, since he's only been with you a few weeks, that was already set in motion. Maintaining proper humidity consistently will prevent it moving forward.

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it's not just wet substrate that causes scale rot, it's unsanitary conditions that does. alotta times wet, unsanitary substrate is just the medium b/c it can harbor bacteria that leads to scale rot and infection.

i mostly use coco husk for my adult BP's but i've been trying out different things. i think i might switch to coco fiber (or reptile prime) when i can get it in bulk. it seems more comfortable and conforming to a body.

(ok my test was i stepped my bare feet into a tub of coco husk when i was prepping it and thought "hmmm i don't like that. maybe my BP's don't either." :zerb: )

I personally think cocofiber is really good. Obviously you have a humidity problem, and that's just because Colorado heat sucks :v
I keep my BP in a 20gal tank and I only have to mist it weekly! (Well, to be fair, I live in Indonesia, and the humidity here is perfect) I suggest putting a shallow waterbowl near the heat source if you haven't already, the damp-cloth technique, and maybe even misting if you want to.

Sent from my vivo 1601 using Tapatalk

We brought our 2017 pastel banana boi in late October. He has shed 3 times since then. The first shed was horrible. Little pieces of skin all over his enclosure and him. We followed the sticky for a humidity box and he was fine. The second shed was so-so. About half of his shed came off cleanly, the other half came off easily with a warm wet towel. The third shed was perfect.

I think the difference for us was learning to identify when he was first going into shed (when his belly turns slightly pink) and raising the humidity right then and there. It was hard to recognize at first, but once you spend some time with your BP, it's surprisingly easy to spot.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Ax01

(ok my test was i stepped my bare feet into a tub of coco husk when i was prepping it and thought "hmmm i don't like that. maybe my BP's don't either." :zerb: )

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Just great, now I gotta start doing this. That's probably the best testing method ever! I wonder if I can get kicked out of a pet smart for trying it in the middle of an isle [emoji23]

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Originally Posted by c0r3yr0s3

Just great, now I gotta start doing this. That's probably the best testing method ever! I wonder if I can get kicked out of a pet smart for trying it in the middle of an isle [emoji23]

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I would laugh my butt off if saw a customer doing this! I would be like snake huh? Ya, I get it!

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Originally Posted by c0r3yr0s3

Just great, now I gotta start doing this. That's probably the best testing method ever! I wonder if I can get kicked out of a pet smart for trying it in the middle of an isle [emoji23]

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

I would laugh my butt off if saw a customer doing this! I would be like snake huh? Ya, I get it!

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which location do u work? i stop by after happy hour! ;)

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Originally Posted by Ax01

which location do u work? i stop by after happy hour! ;)

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Roadtrip!!!

Interbay on 15th. Come say hi and walk in some substrate lol!

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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

Interbay on 15th. Come say hi and walk in some substrate lol!

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ooOOOhhh the fancy one near Redmill Burgers?

Well about a mile closer to Queen Anne but ya.