What substrate should I use?

Hello!

I'm setting up a ball python encloser and need everyone's opinion on what substrate I should use.

Question: What substrate do you use for your ball python and why?

Thank you, everybody! :)

Not sand, repticarpet, or aspen. Aspen in itself is fine but since most people owning a ball python for the first time get the petsmart glass tank hobby kit, aspen can be a little dry to keep humidity up.

Your best choices are cypress mulch or coconut fiber. Zoomed, Zilla, and Reptile Prime are the three popular sellers of these items. Zoomed and Zilla can usually be bought at petco or petsmart.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SDA

Not sand, repticarpet, or aspen. Aspen in itself is fine but since most people owning a ball python for the first time get the petsmart glass tank hobby kit, aspen can be a little dry to keep humidity up.

Your best choices are cypress mulch or coconut fiber. Zoomed, Zilla, and Reptile Prime are the three popular sellers of these items. Zoomed and Zilla can usually be bought at petco or petsmart.

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Okay, I'm kind of leaning towards Coconut Fiber. We'll see.

I use Coco Coir Chip it's soft and allows to maintain proper humidity, and newspaper (newspaper is only used for animals being paired to avoid pieces of substrate to lodge themselves where they should not)

It's not about what people use it's about what works for YOUR setup so it depends on the type of enclosure, type of heat, where you live (dry versus humid area etc)

It's not about what people use it's about what works for YOUR setup so it depends on the type of enclosure, type of heat, where you live (dry versus humid area etc)[/QUOTE]

That makes sense, great point, thank you.

Well I know quite a few people that are still trying to find the perfect substrate after keeping ball pythons for years. I'm using ARS tubs, I actually started out with Aspen until I found that it tends to mold and I had problems with it getting stuck in a snakes mouth after feeding. Then I tried newspaper but it got my white snakes dirty and I've found that shredded newspaper is toxic to my rodents, so I stay away from it. Some people use unprinted newspaper but I haven't tried it.

Then I changed out everything to Reptichip which is coconut husk chips. I tried the fiber but I don't like it. I've since switched to Prococo, it's the same as Reptichip but I can buy it in bulk on pallets. I think it's by far the best substrate I've tried but it still has it's drawbacks, some people get too much humidity, others have to spray it a lot to keep it moist. Some of my snakes still get some in their mouth when feeding and when it gets in the water it turns it into a brown 'tea'.

I'm actually now considering going to 'Retpi-Zorb' and just ordered my first batch to try it out, it's basically a thick felt paper that is custom cut to fit my ARS tubs. I've even seen people spray it down a bit with water right before a snake sheds to help with humidity. I like the idea of something similar to paper towels but that is stiff and won't get bunched up and is more adsorbent than just paper towels. I also like that it's white and I can easily spot a mess, it won't get stuck in a snakes mouth and it won't get the water dirty. Once I use it for a bit I'll post a review on this site.

I've seen some big breeders like BHB use cypress mulch for years, they have since switched to using all paper, looks kind of like butcher paper. Not sure I'm a fan of going that route. I've tried cypress mulch for my rodents and it's the best one out there for keeping the smell down but it's pretty expensive compared to other options. I think it would be a good option for ball pythons.

To find the perfect substrate I think you need to fly out to Africa and get some dirt from under a termite mound LOL!

I use a blend of Eco Earth and Repti-bark. It's worked well for me for a while now. I tend to adjust the ratio a bit seasonally, but typically I just mix some up until it looks how I want it. It holds humidity well, has never caused any issues with my snakes and I like the look of it.

Some of us Kraft/Butcher Paper in PVC enclosures. Its easy to clean and cheap. I never have to worry about mold, bacteria etc.. However if its a Glass Tank with a screen it will be hard to keep humidity period so most people with tanks use kinds of wood mulch substrate. If you still want to use Paper with a glass tank you'll have to cover the screened lid and use Moss in a hide for humidity so your snake sheds properly.


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Orchid bark for all my snakes apart from the MKB .. I


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by cchardwick

Well I know quite a few people that are still trying to find the perfect substrate after keeping ball pythons for years. I'm using ARS tubs, I actually started out with Aspen until I found that it tends to mold and I had problems with it getting stuck in a snakes mouth after feeding. Then I tried newspaper but it got my white snakes dirty and I've found that shredded newspaper is toxic to my rodents, so I stay away from it. Some people use unprinted newspaper but I haven't tried it.

Then I changed out everything to Reptichip which is coconut husk chips. I tried the fiber but I don't like it. I've since switched to Prococo, it's the same as Reptichip but I can buy it in bulk on pallets. I think it's by far the best substrate I've tried but it still has it's drawbacks, some people get too much humidity, others have to spray it a lot to keep it moist. Some of my snakes still get some in their mouth when feeding and when it gets in the water it turns it into a brown 'tea'.

I'm actually now considering going to 'Retpi-Zorb' and just ordered my first batch to try it out, it's basically a thick felt paper that is custom cut to fit my ARS tubs. I've even seen people spray it down a bit with water right before a snake sheds to help with humidity. I like the idea of something similar to paper towels but that is stiff and won't get bunched up and is more adsorbent than just paper towels. I also like that it's white and I can easily spot a mess, it won't get stuck in a snakes mouth and it won't get the water dirty. Once I use it for a bit I'll post a review on this site.

I've seen some big breeders like BHB use cypress mulch for years, they have since switched to using all paper, looks kind of like butcher paper. Not sure I'm a fan of going that route. I've tried cypress mulch for my rodents and it's the best one out there for keeping the smell down but it's pretty expensive compared to other options. I think it would be a good option for ball pythons.

To find the perfect substrate I think you need to fly out to Africa and get some dirt from under a termite mound LOL!

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Thank you so much!

I use aspen for my bp but I use tubs. When he was in a glass tank, I used coco fiber with moss. However I live in FL so the average level humidity in my home don't fall below 40-50% anyway. You will have to try what works for you.

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Not sure if this will work or not, but here you go OP!

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Where I live it's very humid in the summer and then lower in the winter, and so I'll do a mix that will hold less humidity in the summer ( because of high humidity) and then a mix that'll hold more humidity in the winter...
Sound alright?

I've used aspen, Reptichips, Eco Earth, and cypress for my BP as well as my other snakes. Used Reptile Prime for my GTP. All of them worked fine to an extent but some had more flaws than others. My advice is get a bag or block of different stuff during each change until you find the stuff that works best for you. Everyone is going to have an opinion or what THEY love. Doesnt mean its the best stuff or not. Substrate choice is a very hot topic that a lot of people seem to get passionate about on this board lol.

Imo, the best for me is Zoo Med Forest Floor cypress. Decent price, lays flat so snakes cant bury poops or pisses, kills odor, is naturally mold resistant(which makes sense....cypress forests being fairly wet places lol) and is big enough pieces that it doesnt really stick to prey unless the prey is dripping wet. Plus it holds water well and releases it more slowly like ReptiChips so you dont need to constantly mist the substrate.