Aspen?

[alittleFREE]

It's been almost five years since I've kept snakes, but I'm finally settled down and stable, so I'm looking to get a baby BP sometime this summer. So I'm compiling a list of the things I will need, and I'm planning on kind of getting things one at a time until I have the enclosure set up, that way everything is ready when I go to Repticon in July.

Since I definitely want a hatchling/juvie, I decided that it would be more economical to house it in a tub since they are inexpensive and I can easily upgrade size until it's an adult (when I will get it a really nice set up for my room). In the past, I always used solid substrates like newspaper or paper towels, so feeding in the enclosure was never an issue; however, I am leaning toward using aspen bedding this time around, and I am not sure whether or not it is advised to feed in the tank if you have a loose substrate like that.

Sorry if this is a really simple/noob question, I just want to make sure I have everything set up well in advance so that when I finally do get one everything can go as smoothly as possible. And like I said I have never used a loose substrate so this is never something I have worried about before.

[mr. s]

I use coconut substrate and I've never had trouble. If you are feeding f/t and are worried about a hatchling getting something stuck in its mouth, you can always put down a paper towel in the enclosure and lure the snake onto it to eat.
I am sure many people on here will tell you not to worry at all.
PS. It is good of you to be getting ready like this. Lots of research and preparation is very important to assure a happy herp! Welcome to the forums.

[steveboos]

Sorry aspen for snakes i personally feel is only for looks. Its messier for you, cost more money, and has no humidity advantages over newspaper/paper towels. Now if you like the look go for it, but for looks cypress does a lot better job in the looks/humidity/cost areas. Heck i think you can get 2 cubic feet at lowes for about $6. Its up to you, but $14 for 4 cubic feet or $24 for 8 cubic feet of aspen is a little too much for me.

[kellysballs]

I use sani-chips I like them alot. They are kiln dried so there are never any bugs in it and they absorb moister very well. We keep almost all our animals in racks with tubs and we have only had trouble with humidity during high ac or heater usage times of the year.

[alittleFREE]

I use coconut substrate and I've never had trouble. If you are feeding f/t and are worried about a hatchling getting something stuck in its mouth, you can always put down a paper towel in the enclosure and lure the snake onto it to eat.
I am sure many people on here will tell you not to worry at all.
PS. It is good of you to be getting ready like this. Lots of research and preparation is very important to assure a happy herp! Welcome to the forums.

Thanks! And yes, that is mainly what I am worried about.

Sorry aspen for snakes i personally feel is only for looks. Its messier for you, cost more money, and has no humidity advantages over newspaper/paper towels. Now if you like the look go for it, but for looks cypress does a lot better job in the looks/humidity/cost areas. Heck i think you can get 2 cubic feet at lowes for about $6. Its up to you, but $14 for 4 cubic feet or $24 for 8 cubic feet of aspen is a little too much for me.

Well, since I am only going to have one snake, the cost does not bother me too much since I won't have to buy it in extremely excessive amounts. It doesn't help humidity at all? I would think it would be better than newspaper or paper towels but I have no experience with it.

[steveboos]

Well if your using a tub, you already will have 80-90% humidity with a lid on and no holes. Thats why a lot of us(me included) put holes in our tubs to lower the humidity and get proper airflow. Heck i used shredded paper and they love it! Its up to you, but tubs are a great choice and you wouldn't need cypress in most situations in a tub, people who have open air racks use cypress. Use whatever you want, but in the end they are all good choices.

[alittleFREE]

Well if your using a tub, you already will have 80-90% humidity with a lid on and no holes. Thats why a lot of us(me included) put holes in our tubs to lower the humidity and get proper airflow. Heck i used shredded paper and they love it! Its up to you, but tubs are a great choice and you wouldn't need cypress in most situations in a tub, people who have open air racks use cypress. Use whatever you want, but in the end they are all good choices.

Okay. Yeah I was planning on using a smoldering iron to melt holes for ventilation and air flow. Alright. I think I will try the aspen at first, and if I really don't like it then I will go back to paper towels or newspaper.

Thanks for the advice!

I do have one more question, regarding thermostats. Since I plan on using an UTH (either an Ultratherm or a Zoo-med, I haven't made up my mind), I figure I will need one, but the Helix and Ranco ones are all pretty expensive. I found one for like $30 called Alive New Tek Thermostat and it seems to be made for reptiles, however, I was wondering if anyone had any experience using any of these lower brand thermostats? I don't want to buy it if it's just going to be a waste of money and not work or something.

[Kaorte]

Substrate ingestion is not a big deal. The worst that could happen is a stuck piece in the mouth which you can just remove with tongs. Even that doesn't happen all that often. It doesn't matter if they eat the substrate, their digestive tract can handle it.

This is a nice cheap digital thermostat that has been tested out by one of our members here: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1529683&sr=1-7

So far, it works very well with UTHs and flexwatt and the price is very good for a digital thermostat.

[alittleFREE]

Ah, that thermostat is just what I am looking for! Thank you!

Thanks for the help. Looks like I'll be feeding in the enclosure.

[Danounet]

I've used Aspen, is nice and clean, but it takes some time to clean up when you have to. Un-printed Newspaper is what I use because it's easy and cheap.

Cypress I have used and did not like it at all. It will get dry and when it gets dry it gets dusty and splinty. I didn't like that at all. Sani Chips I haven't tried, but heard very good things about it, of course it is way more expensive.