Substrate for a ball python

Hi all. I have owned balls/royals for nearly 2 yrs now and after extensive reading before hand and now I am the proud owner of 3!!

I am thinking about changing their Viv's around a bit and I was wonder what substrate I can use instead of carpet grass as it doesn't look very attractive or really. My pythons get fed in their Viv's so that's the reason I haven't changed it to something else as I'm worried they world get soil or whatever on the food and become compacted.

Any help will be great

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I like orchid bark, personally....it's a rich brown color & holds humidity. It also comes in large or tiny chunks...large would be best, it won't slide around so much
& snakes like traction. You'll want to check with large plant nurseries or florists to buy in large (huge) bags for the best deal. Ask & read labels to make sure it's
not sprayed with anything too.

I use Reptile Prime for all my snakes. I think it's great.

https://www.reptileprime.com

I use a mix a Eco Earth and Repti-bark. I've been using it for years. It maintains humidity well, absorbs odor well and looks natural. I've never had an issue with impaction... nobody cleans their food in the wild...

I use mostly Reptichip and sometimes mix with Reptibark. Been working great for me!

Thanks for the info, but shouldn't I be worried of them ingestion some of the substrate and become impacted?

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Originally Posted by midg8290

Thanks for the info, but shouldn't I be worried of them ingestion some of the substrate and become impacted?

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No.

Nobody puts anything down for them in the wild, nobody cleans their food.

If you're really worried you can put a paper plate, cardboard, etc... down. But most snakes will just drag it to where they want to eat anyway.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by midg8290

Thanks for the info, but shouldn't I be worried of them ingestion some of the substrate and become impacted?

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Craig beat me to it lol. I wouldn't worry about it as noted above.

Also to add, if you keep your f/t dry (thaw in a ziplock bag in water) that also helps minimize substrate sticking to the prey instead of having it wet.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

No.

Nobody puts anything down for them in the wild, nobody cleans their food.

If you're really worried you can put a paper plate, cardboard, etc... down. But most snakes will just drag it to where they want to eat anyway.

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THIS ..

I put a couple of pieces of card down over the Repti bark in my vivs and feed over the card .. Those card separators in boxes of chocolates / biscuits also work a 'treat'..


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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I like orchid bark, personally....it's a rich brown color & holds humidity. It also comes in large or tiny chunks...large would be best, it won't slide around so much
& snakes like traction. You'll want to check with large plant nurseries or florists to buy in large (huge) bags for the best deal. Ask & read labels to make sure it's
not sprayed with anything too.

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Where do you buy your orchid bark? And how do you treat it if you do.

The bark is sold as either Orchid / Reptile / Repti bark ... in the U.K.

It doesn't need 'treating' as such but some give it a blast in the oven or microwave ..

I just sift/sieve the smaller bits / any dust out before I use it .


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Originally Posted by Zincubus

The bark is sold as either Orchid / Reptile / Repti bark ... in the U.K.

It doesn't need 'treating' as such but some give it a blast in the oven or microwave ..

I just sift/sieve the smaller bits / any dust out before I use it .


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So reptibark is indeed orchid bark?


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Would you say the orchid bark is better than eco earth or repti bark? I bought a bag of eco earth and regret it. Looking to maybe get orchid bark next.

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Originally Posted by ShyPy

Would you say the orchid bark is better than eco earth or repti bark? I bought a bag of eco earth and regret it. Looking to maybe get orchid bark next.

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Oddly enough ... As regards orchid bark and Repti-bark I was told the two were more or less the same ?!?

I tried Eco earth and it was a nightmare .... That said I used to in a orchid bark/Eco earth MIX for my BRBs and it worked well . I did keep it damp though and never let it dry out ..

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I was using repti bark in a little 10 gal glass. Built a wood enclosure and got a large bag of eco earth with a RHP, it dries out. Looking for a better option to keep the humidity up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

Oddly enough ... As regards orchid bark and Repti-bark I was told the two were more or less the same ?!?

I tried Eco earth and it was a nightmare .... That said I used to in a orchid bark/Eco earth MIX for my BRBs and it worked well . I did keep it damp though and never let it dry out ..

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I'm trying to figure out exactly that. Are the two the same?

I have reptibark and I'm not sure if that's the same as orchid bark. It's so confusing.


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I use cypress mulch.. it holds humidity really well, looks nice, and its relatively cheap. I get mine from petsmart