A good substrate to use

So got a python he's my first one done lots of research but wanted to know of good substrates to use in currently using a rainforest one any suggestions would be nice

It depends on the type of enclosure you have and if you can properly reach your humidity levels.

Personally, I love aspen, I used it for my bp while I kept her in a tub. But when I switched over to a glass enclosure, I couldn’t keep the humidity up so I switched to cypress mulch and coco husk.

The most common ones are paper towel/newspaper, cypress mulch, coco husk, coco fibre, and aspen. All of them have pros and cons. If your current substrate works, and your humidity is up to par then I’d just keep it up.

I know it says to keep humidity at about 60 what's to low cause I don't want to spray to much and cause scale rot for my guy. I keep him in a 20 gallon glass terrarium its the long

I've only had him for 2 day's as well so he's still new to and he's on cypress mulch now. I do own 5 lizards though and a hognose but there a lot different then the ball python for heat and humidity

Coco fiber bricks. Half a brick should be enough for a 20 gallon long. Cover half the tank with Plexi glass, towels, etc. Humidity will be high at first but tapers off in the next few days or so depending on how dry your area is. Stir the substrate every couple of days.

What about molding with it I tried using it for my crested gecko and it got mold super quick. I live in utah so were going through summer right now. But was worried using it for my python since it molded real quick in my crested geckos cage

I use coco fiber. It holds humidity well and it doesn't mold.

Ya maybe ill give it a shot after I get him to eat for me I just got him on Thursday so don't want to stress him with the change. Been having issues with my hognose eating had to move him to a shoe box cause his tank was to big my wife wanted to have him in a 20 gallon tank but he's not even a year old so he's been super stressed

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Originally Posted by Billy1222

What about molding with it I tried using it for my crested gecko and it got mold super quick. I live in utah so were going through summer right now. But was worried using it for my python since it molded real quick in my crested geckos cage

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Everything has a potential to mold, so I wouldn't say coco fiber can't get it. It is mold resistant, so it makes it more difficult for mold to grow compared to aspen. The key things to do are consistent air flow and allowing the substrate to dry. That means don't block the entire mesh lid out of desperation to keep humidity in. When you prepare coco fiber, like moss, it should feel damp in your hands, not soaking wet. When you squeeze it, no water should be coming out or else it is way too wet. That is not a problem for loose coco fiber bags that were previously prepared, but you can accidentally add too much water to the bricks creating almost mud-like texture. I don't know how you prepared your gecko's substrate, but if prepared correctly, with ample air flow, it should not be a problem.

Lastly, clean out the entire tank every month. Remove all substrate, wipe everything down, etc. A dirty tank is also a breeding ground for bacteria.

Ok sounds good thanks for the tips. Have you ever had a problem with it getting in your pythons Pitts had someone at our local pet store tell me that with coco fiber that it gets in the Pitts and can cause issues just was wondering I know a lot of people who work at pet stores can give a lot of wrong information as well so. Usually ill do my own research before believing what they say

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Originally Posted by Billy1222

Ok sounds good thanks for the tips. Have you ever had a problem with it getting in your pythons Pitts had someone at our local pet store tell me that with coco fiber that it gets in the Pitts and can cause issues just was wondering I know a lot of people who work at pet stores can give a lot of wrong information as well so. Usually ill do my own research before believing what they say

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I don't use coco fiber for my snakes' enclosures, including my ball python. I have heard of the same thing, as well as those who claim that they don't have that issue. I do use it for my skink, and I can attest it does get a little dusty after it dries. He likes to dip his worms into the substrate, and I find the amount that gets stuck to his face is very small and negligible.

Other popular options are Coco husk and coco chip. Coco husk has large chunk pieces as well as some fibrous material, and the chips are mainly just that. These will not be small enough to get into his heat pits. However, you may need to mist more or supplement humidity by using a humidifier because they dry a lot faster in glass tanks (Chips dries a lot faster in my experience). You will need to watch out for the substrate sticking to the rat when it eats. I hear stories of impaction (Any substrate, including aspen) but have yet to see actual proof of it, and many keepers who fed their snakes in these types of substrate never had an impaction issue.

You can also look into Reptibark. Looks good, holds moisture well but expensive. Some people love it, others say that the dye rubs off.

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Originally Posted by Cheesenugget

Everything has a potential to mold, so I wouldn't say coco fiber can't get it. It is mold resistant, so it makes it more difficult for mold to grow compared to aspen. The key things to do are consistent air flow and allowing the substrate to dry. That means don't block the entire mesh lid out of desperation to keep humidity in. When you prepare coco fiber, like moss, it should feel damp in your hands, not soaking wet. When you squeeze it, no water should be coming out or else it is way too wet. That is not a problem for loose coco fiber bags that were previously prepared, but you can accidentally add too much water to the bricks creating almost mud-like texture. I don't know how you prepared your gecko's substrate, but if prepared correctly, with ample air flow, it should not be a problem.

Lastly, clean out the entire tank every month. Remove all substrate, wipe everything down, etc. A dirty tank is also a breeding ground for bacteria.

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Sorry, I should have phrased that better. It's more mold resistant.

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Originally Posted by Billy1222

I know it says to keep humidity at about 60 what's to low cause I don't want to spray to much and cause scale rot for my guy. I keep him in a 20 gallon glass terrarium its the long

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It’s hard to have a definitive percentage. In the wild they can experience humidity as low as 30%, temporarily. but personally, for a bp in captivity, 40% is what I would consider too low. If you’re keeping it between 55-65% then your good to go. Just make sure you bump it up during shed.

Congrats on your first bp! I use aspen for all three of ours and I don't have any trouble keeping the humidity between 50-60 in a glass enclosure without misting. We did cut wood to fit over the screen top to help with that, though, and have daytime light over his water bowl. You can easily achieve something similar with foil/vinyl. I mist with a spray bottle or saturate sphagnum moss during shed cycle to help hold the humidity up around 70-75% with great results. I like the aspen because it's super easy to clean, common at local pet/reptile stores, and haven't yet had any problems with mold. I do spot clean quite often and deep clean the entire enclosure if there are any urates/urine/feces, which you should probably be doing anyway. Hope this helps!

I use a mixture of Forest Floor (cypress mulch), ReptiBark, and sometimes CoCo Fiber depending on my desired look. I just put it all in a large tub mixed how I want it. Then I just dish it out of there as needed.