Best Substrate For Only 1 Ball Python???

Hi all! I currently only have 1 male banana ball and just bought a new 4'x2' PVC enclosure at the Tinley Park show. I was wondering what is the best substrate to use in it for humidity. I currently use aspen and a 20L tank and spray it periodically. I was thinking of adding a humidifier to the new 4'x2', but haven't decided just yet. Without using newspaper, what substrate should I use? I also don't want to have to worry about shedding issues and humidity issues. Since I only have 1 ball python, Reptichip was what I was thinking, but 1 block makes so much and I don't want mold issues with whatever I use. So, add humidifier and use aspen, don't use aspen? I'm open to all suggestions. I will let everyone submit their inputs and hopefully make the right decision.

Thanks!

Coconut. Champion substrate

I use Prococo (and have used Grow!t before this) coco chip and have never noticed mold. I store the extra in a large tub in a dark closet until use. It works perfect for holding humidity and it looks super nice.

Aspen isn't that great for BPs, quite honestly. It doesn't hold humidity well, and it's prone to mold if it gets wet, which it will in a BP enclosure. It can also be a bit dusty. I'd only use it as a way to add variety to an enclosure - such as having a corner be aspen and the rest be coco chip, to give your snake options on which substrate they want to lie on.

Well, I've used aspen, eco earth, cypress mulch, reptibark, and reptichip. Aspen is great for snakes like hoggies and kings, but for snakes that need more humidity it sucks because it molds when it stays damp too long. Eco earth works, but gets in the water dish and sticks to anything wet. Cypress mulch works too, but doesn't absorb terribly well and I worry about it possibly being a danger if ingested. Reptibark has poor absorption and once dry really doesn't help help the humidity much. Reptichip so far is working well for me, it seems absorbent, holds moisture, and looks nice to boot.

What brand is the best?

Also with coconut, any dangers in them getting it on food or in water and digesting it?

I've only tried reptichip brand, they say it's the best, but without having tried the other brands of coco chip, I can't really say definitively.

I really like Prococo thus far. Grow!t was really, really stringy, and not as nice to look at. It costs about the same as Reptichip for the most part - I haven't tried that one, though.

I've never had a feeder get substrate stuck on them. if you're worried about it you can put down a paper plate where you want to feed, but if they manage to ingest a little it'll be fine. They break down bones on a regular basis, and if your husbandry's correct they should pass the substrate without issue. Now, if they get an entire mouthful in a missed strike attempt, you'd probably want to help them out, but that's usually a bit more rare. I tend to feed while my BP's on her climbing structures, and don't usually have to deal with substrate as an issue.

I like to use the reptile prime.

Reptile prime hands down.

I personally think you shouldn't use aspen or newspaper as they suck for keeping humidity up. I use cocopeat substrate and I filter out the long strands so it has a similar consistency to dirt. In my 6 months of snake keeping, I've never seen a single spot of mold on it, so I can say that it's at least slightly mold resistant.

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I use a blend if eco earth and repti-bark. Holds humidity well, looks good and has worked for me for years. I do adjust the ratio to better achieve desired humidity as the seasons change.

I had big time humidity issues in my exo terra...always at 30-40%....I was using Eco earth. I just switched to a PVC cage and decided to also switch to reptile prime since the Eco earth was a little too chunky for me. Humidity in the new tank is constantly 55-65% with zero misting, etc. I'm quite certain the tank change to PVC from screen top / CHE tank is 95% responsible for the change but I am liking the reptile prime too for sure.