Anyone here use ASPEN?

I was recommended to use ASPEN substrate. I bought a 20 gal. long tank yesterday and lined it with ASPEN. When I got up this morning the humidity was at 0!!!!!

Do you use this and if so how do I get the humidity to stay up? Can I wet it?

I use it for my boas and the humidity if fine, but they are in racks.

Try using cypress, it holds humidity a lot better when sprayed down.

I was using moss with coconut blah blah in it and that was perfect, but then I was told that was not for snakes that require desert heat and to use this ASPEN crap. I'm probly gonna switch back today.

I use aspen for my animals. If humidity dips too low, I mist a little. You can also try moving the water bowl closer to the heat source, and make sure your substrate isn't too thickly laid down.

The bag says to put two inches down and it's roughly two inches in his tank, but still not working out. I just misted and the humidity shot up to 86 then back to the 30's minutes later!

What kind of enclosure do you have ? Glass tank, Plastic tub? These are a much bigger factor in my opinion. I use aspen in plastic tubs and have no humidity problems.

I use it in my tub and tank. But if you are using it in a tank, you'll need some spaghnum moss or something for humidity.

I use aspen for all of mine with no problems. If I had to guess I would say you are using a glass tank with only a screen top. You should cover 2/3 of the top to hold in the humidity. Some use plastic wrap I have lexsan on top of mine and it works great.

I have a glass tank and screened top, But do cover atleast 2/3 with cardboard.

On a side note, I have the heat lamp sitting right on top of the screen, Do you think this will cause the screen to break or set fire?

No. It's metal and should not be a problem for you but the cardboard will suck up all the moisture that hits it. Cover it with foil or plastic wrap.

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Originally Posted by roosterman2173

No. It's metal and should not be a problem for you but the cardboard will suck up all the moisture that hits it. Cover it with foil or plastic wrap.

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Actually, the light is sucking up all the humidity - that's why I switched my first ball python to a tub and all have been in tubs ever since.

I used a tank for a year, misted 3 to 4 times a day, even with the rest of the screen sealed off. After my first snake fasted for 8 months as a result, I moved him to a tub, and he began to eat weekly.

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Originally Posted by mckittie

I was recommended to use ASPEN substrate. I bought a 20 gal. long tank yesterday and lined it with ASPEN. When I got up this morning the humidity was at 0!!!!!

Do you use this and if so how do I get the humidity to stay up? Can I wet it?

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If the bedding it too moist, then it can cause scale rot. I wouldn't wet it - lightly misting is ok.

I use aspen in all my enclosures. It's your heat lamp that's killing your humidity. I have 3 tanks that I use aspen in and one of those has a heat lamp grrrrrr lamp goes on hudity drops to 40's, My other 2 tanks without heat lamps the humudity ranges from 54%-68% and the screens aren't covered. Then again I'm in Fl

Ok, here's the thing with glass tanks:

1 - You can't use lamps any closer than 8" or you'll lose your humidity. Lamps should only be used for ambient temp boosts and viewing.

2 - You must cover the back and both sides of the tank with opaque background (for snake security) and some form of insulation. Foam board does quite well for this.

3 - You MUST cover the screen top with either fitted plexiglass or the foil treatment (3 layers shiny side down) to keep humidity and temps stable. Very few other materials work, and you absolutely should not use cardboard (soaks all the moisture into itself) or towels (breeding ground for bacteria when wet and also soaks the moisture up).

If you do these basic things, as well as have a UTH on a thermostat to control heat output properly and a good digital thermometer and hygrometer to get accurate readings, then tanks work just as well (if not better for some) than tubs. :D

I have a tutorial on how to set up the foil treatment on screen tops if you'd like me to PM it to you. :)

I use Aspen in all my enclosures, tank and tub alike, and it's the best snake bedding next to plain newsprint paper (which is boring and best for QT or having many snakes). It holds the humidity quite well. You issue may also come from following the bag directions (which are always outdated). For snakes, and especially Ball pythons, you only need about 1/2-1" deep. Just cover the bottom and not much more.

According to T-Rex brand substrates, Aspen is okay for ball pythons but Cypress or Desert Snow is BEST because of the humidity requirement. Aspen is best for cornsnakes, kingsnakes etc who are not humidity sensitive. I'm in FL so I used aspen last October because room humidity was 75% then I switched to Cypress in November when room humidity went down to 30%. So, either Aspen or Cypress is good depending on your humidity requirement. Misting Aspen is futile - it doesn't hold moisture.

i use aspen in my glass tank, i had to foil my screen top to keep humidity in, i wanted to try desert snow by t-rex but none of my local pet stores have it.

I changed the substrate to a moss mixture this morning like I originally had and the temps and humidity have been spot on all day!

I use the Aspen at TSC, Premier Pet brand. I tried switching one of my boas to papertowel today, and within an hour there was standing water in the tub from him splashing in his water dish...so back to aspen he went.

I hear a lot of good things with humidity related to cypress mulch, just make sure to get at least double milled, high quality cypress.

I've got the Fir and Schnagmum <---Spelling??? Mix

I think a vast majority of people use Aspen.
But your humidity at '0'???
I find that impossible... either your hygrometer is broken or you're using a stick-on.
Mist the aspen once a day.
Some days I don't even have to do that to keep the humidity up. Cover the lid, and you should be okay. I don't see how your humidity could possibly be 0 unless the room you're in has a de-humidifier set to high.

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Originally Posted by Pandora

But your humidity at '0'???
I find that impossible... either your hygrometer is broken or you're using a stick-on.
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I agree, tell us what type of temp/humidity gauge you are using. if its the dial type then that is your problem.

I actually had too high humidity with aspen...