whats the best substrate

In your opinions whats the best substrate

There are many choices and it really depends on humidity needs, what you like, and what you want to deal with. Lots of people use aspen or newsprint. I use indented kraft paper. With aspen users, they typically spot clean the cage each week (or when needed) and then do a complete change each month. I like using paper because when I change it I know that I have gotten everything out! However, aspen 'looks' nicer... Search the thread bar and you'll be able to read tons about the different substrates!! :gj:

what about reptibark

if you have problems with keeping humidity up, i would recommend cocunut husk or cypress mulch (just make sure you cook it first).

i used aspen but it would retain any humidity.

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Originally Posted by Terrified

what about reptibark

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I think that there were issues with repti-bark. Do a search for 'substrates' and read what forum members have already discussed! :)

I just put the coconut husk that comes in bricks that you soak in water in Mila's cage for the first time & my humidity levels are perfect! I absolutely love this stuff & highly recommend it, especially if you have problems with humidity.

Be careful with coco husk though. Since it holds moisture so well, its harder to clean and I had an issue where my spider got belly rot bc it was damp all the time. Also, the peeing thing is a problem with the stuff. You will easily notice a urate but never the pee that comes with it. When snakes pee, its always a ton! and the coco husk disguises it.

I tried everything imaginable. everything from reptile capet, to aspen, to home baked double milled cypress mulch. and everything store bought I could find.

The hands down winner... what i will use for the rest of my life for all my snakes....

NEWSPAPER!

I use it in my tubs and in my tanks. It has little to no effect on humidity, so once you get the other factors right (ventilation, heat source, size of water bowl, location of water bowl) you will not need to mist, or worry about humidity at all.

My snakes are ALWAYS clean. when one pees or poops, it takes less then a minute for the tank / tub to be brand new again.

Do yourself a favor. try newspaper for 2 weeks. then experiment with the other stuff.... you will figure it out!

Definitely newspaper as well! If you don't like the look of the sports pages you can also buy unprinted newspaper in bulk also Linky

We use a 50/50 mix. Half Repti-bark and half of Zilla's Fir and Sphagnum Peat Moss Mix.

We also have potted plants hidden within the substrate which helps maintain a fairly constant 60% humidity - which is hard to find here in the arid southwest. Usually the humidity around here this time of year outside runs at about 17%.

Another vote for newspaper here. Not as pretty as other kinds, but effective and cheap!

I've used newspaper, but the ink smell combined with humidity had me worried...I wouldn't want to be breathing that all the time (yeah, I know it's supposed to be harmless soy ink).

So then I tried paper towels, which seemed to work rather well, and were very easy to clean. But recently Monty has decided that he likes to burrow, so he would go under the paper towel and then into his hide. It looked stupid, but he seemed content. I then handled him and he was really, really cool to the touch because he was touching the glass on the cool side of the glass tank (I'm going to be a plastic tub convert soon).

So now I'm using something that we've been using for our Box Turtles; It's called CareFresh pet bedding, and it's made of 'reclaimed pulp waste' and claims to be free of inks, dyes, clay and chemicals used in the paper making process. They also claim that it's processed to remove harmful aromatic hydrocarbons, tested for contaminants, and sanitized at 380º F to reduce bacteria, mold and fungus. It's supposed to be absorbent (yet to see), and is biodegradable...in fact you can flush it down the toilet. It also has very little odor, even when humid. And yes, it's supposed to be safe for reptiles.

Monty seems to like it, along with the fact that he can now burrow into it, and placing this stuff on top of some paper towels under his hide seems to solve the cold-glass problem. It's not the cheapest solution out there (newspaper takes that honor), but so far a little bit seems to go a long way to covering his tank.

Has anyone else tried CareFresh pet bedding?