substrate

Im currently using zoo-med repti-bark for my ball and was just wondering what you guys thought of it.

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Originally Posted by rextheball

Im currently using zoo-med repti-bark for my ball and was just wondering what you guys thought of it.

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Do you feed your snake in his enclosure? If so keep an eye on him so he does not swallow a peice and choke.I use newspapers as my substrate for several reasons( its cheap,easy to keep clean and my snakes can not ingest any at all ever.I am not trying to scare you just giving you a heads up.

well, i heard of a lot of people using newspaper, but the main problem with that for me is that rex is the main focal point of my entertainment center, his setup is right below my tv in the living room, if his health is in question i have no problem changing to newspaper, screw what it looks like. I watch him eat everytime and he seems to have no problem, but im a little worried now. Should i take him out of his enclosure for feeding time?

I've never heard of a snake choking on substrate. If they ingest too much, they can get a blockage, but that is rare. More often they will get one lodged in their mouth and it can become infected, but that is pretty rare as well. A snake can digest the odd piece of substrate now and again. It's not exactly clean out there in nature. :)

You should be fine, but if you feed F/T and are concerned you can try putting it on a napkin or piece of paper.

im pretty sure snakes cant choke by swallowing a piece of bark seeing as they swallow their prey whole everytime they eat. that's what the glottis is for. the worry with BP's swallowing their substrate is impaction, but i also dont think you have to worry about that because they digest the bones, hair, etc. from their prey everytime they eat.

EDIT: (me and xdeus posted at the same time, thats why it says basically the same thing)

No you don't need to take him out. I use Nature's Best bark ( difference from Reptibark is Natures is heat treated to kill any unwanted bugs) since I got my bp which has been a little over 2 yrs.
If they swallow a pc of bark it will not hurt them. They will digest it. Mine has swallowed a bit from time to time. But you should always watch while they eat as mine did get a pc of bark stuck side ways in his mouth that he couldn't shake so I had to pluck it out for him. But no matter what you use you should always keep an eye on them while they eat.
Hope this helps!

alright thanks guys, he does only feed on thawed prekilled items. I think I will put them on a napkin from now on. One other thing, he has no problem taking white mice, but I tried to offer a darker colored mouse on his normal feeding day and he wouldnt take it. Is this normal, or does he just not think of it as prey because hes used to the white mice?

some ball pythons do that. they're funny like that. there's nothing to worry about:)

thanks you guys are awesome!

Our local zoo lost a very large albino burmese python because it swallowed a peice of the substrate from its enclosure.Yes ball pythons do digest the bones from there food but wood is another thing.Like i said in my first post i was just giving you the heads up just incase.

I use Aspen for my BP's and have used it for baby Dumerils that like to burrow in order to feed and I've never had a problem with blockage.


This isn't to say it doesn't or can't happen.

I use Aspen shavings and so do most top breeders, If it is injested it's not a problem (in small quantites). I started out with repti-bark and got concerned when one of my snakes started burrowing (didn't want a scraped up nose). and was also concerned about repti-bark holding liquid and causing scale problems or getting swallowed when feeding so I went to aspen

I've used different substrates. When I originally got my BP, I used aspen bedding, but I didn't like it. I ended up switching to repti-bark because it looks more natural and holds humidity better. As far as eating a piece of substrate, I was initially concerned about that because my vet seemed adamant that if I kept my BP on anything other than a piece of reptile carpet, he would get an impactation. I did try reptile carpet, but not only did it do nothing for the humidity, but my snake seemed to feel more exposed and spent all his time hiding underneath the carpet. What I ended up doing is using repti-bark, but when I feed him, I spread a piece of reptile carpet over the bark, then remove it when he's done eating. This way both my snake and I can have the benefit of the repti-bark without worrying about impactation.

i use a combo -

When cage is empty and cleaned and disinfected (with Wipe-Out)

I put a 2 sheet thick layer of newspaper on the bottom (makes it way easier to clean)

Then I put a thin layer of Zoo Med Repti Bark

Then on top I put a layer of Zoo Med Aspen Snake bedding.

I've found the Zoo Med stuff to be very clean and reasonably dust free. Never found a bug, tick, or mite since I switched to them.

Also I find that the newspaper makes cleaning easy (you can roll up the newspaper and pull the whole thing out so no.. or should I say minimal scooping, nothing gets stuck to the bottom of the cage and bakes on... plus it's free!)

The reptibark is chunky enough that it allows heat from my UTH to get through the gaps since the parts are larger and my BP seems to enjoy the bumpy texture

The aspen bedding holds humidity very well for winter I put a bit thicker layer, and allows my BP to dig in a bit (he loves to wiggle himself in there and cover up a bit).

so best of all worlds! Easy clean up, no bake on, heat gets through and it holds humidity!!

as far as the stability of repti bark I've found it doesn't hold liquids to a fault, and it doesn't seem to scrape up my buddy. Also, it's naturally mold resistant so I like it because it gets air under the aspen and keeps it from staying too damp for too long - and though aspen is mold resistant to a point mold can be pretty nasty for your herp. Aspen is excellent but i'm partial to the combo, plus it looks pretty cool. Like pet shop meets jungle floor.... I guess I'm a sucker for asthetics sometimes.