substrate question for a blind snake handler

[Amanda1226]

Hey guys,
I have a substrate question. I have a ball python and a BCI. They are both currently housed in tubs on paper towels.
The ball is currently about 500/550g, and is in a 30/32qt, and the boa is about 80/85g, and is in a 16/18qt tub.
I want to move them to a substrate that promotes humidity, but could also be safe to feed on. The last couple of sheds for my ball have not been tightly rolled sheds like previous sheds that were achieved in the smaller tub.
Her tub can’t hold a bigger water bowl and her 2 hides, so changing from paper towels seems like the best move?
The boa is in the smaller tub setup now, but is not far from moving up a tub size, and I want her to have proper humidity’s when it comes time to shed for her as well.
I am legally blind, so having a sub straight that could be checked and messes spotted and cleaned without looking to see if the substrate is darker, for example is important.

That is the great thing about the paper towels, if it smells; you just dump them in the trash, and lay down some new ones. Lol

Does anyone have any good suggestions?

Thanks,
Amanda

[satomi325]

Most of the humidity retaining substrates like coco husk or cypress mulch are typically dark color. So that may be a problem for you.
But they are great for humidity.


You can also add some damp moss to help boost humidity.

[bcr229]

You can make a humid hide out of a plastic food-storage container that has a lid, just get a container that is appropriately sized for your snakes. Cut an access hole or a corner off the lid so the snake can climb into it, fill the container with the damp moss or cocoa husk, and replace your cool side hide with it. I had great luck with it for my young BRB when his humidity had to be 80% or higher.

The only downside is that the snake tends to use it as a toilet, so you go through a lot of cocoa husk/moss compared to paper towels. On the flip side, it makes the tub easy to clean because all the mess is contained in the humid hide. I made several so when one was dirty I just swapped it out with a clean one.

[Amanda1226]

Ok, so let me ask this. If you had to clean up your snakes "mess" without looking at it, or with your eyes closed, what substrate would you use?

The humid hide sounds like a great idea, but my snakes are a little weird, and I can't be sure they would even grasp the concept. lol

Thanks,
Amanda

[OsirisRa32]

Hey guys,
I have a substrate question. I have a ball python and a BCI. They are both currently housed in tubs on paper towels.
The ball is currently about 500/550g, and is in a 30/32qt, and the boa is about 80/85g, and is in a 16/18qt tub.
I want to move them to a substrate that promotes humidity, but could also be safe to feed on. The last couple of sheds for my ball have not been tightly rolled sheds like previous sheds that were achieved in the smaller tub.
Her tub can’t hold a bigger water bowl and her 2 hides, so changing from paper towels seems like the best move?
The boa is in the smaller tub setup now, but is not far from moving up a tub size, and I want her to have proper humidity’s when it comes time to shed for her as well.
I am legally blind, so having a sub straight that could be checked and messes spotted and cleaned without looking to see if the substrate is darker, for example is important.

That is the great thing about the paper towels, if it smells; you just dump them in the trash, and lay down some new ones. Lol

Does anyone have any good suggestions?

Thanks,
Amanda

Aspen cuz the lighter substrate color will make dark poop stand out more...but cypress for humidity issues.....maybe you could use a high intensity LED flashlight for spot cleaning? It might help with the legally blind issue?

[John1982]

I'd probably use paper towels in your situation and just create a damp hide if you're having humidity issues. They are super absorbent so when soiled it spreads more, creating a larger target for you to locate via touch. I would also have an extra tub per snake, ready to go. They can smear feces in the strangest places and if I couldn't see clearly I'd just feel better making sure I completely cleaned and disinfected the enclosure after each bowel movement. Water bowls are a favorite place for some snakes to relieve themselves. I change mine weekly but check twice a day for any soiled ones that need immediate cleansing. If I were doing this without sight I'd probably just change waters daily, making sure to dump them in the toilet first just in case.

The easiest thing to do for a damp hide is just run some water over sphagnum moss, squeeze out excess water, then fluff it up a bit and toss it in your hide(s). Make sure you get plain, 100% sphagnum without fertilizers or pesticides added. You could probably just change the sphagnum every month or when you smell something fowl in the hide. Paired with paper towels I'd switch to a fully enclosed hide(like a dark tupperware with a hole cut out in the top or side) as opposed to bottomless, cave hides most folks use. This will keep the moisture from soaking into the surrounding substrate and possibly tricking you when you're feeling for soiled spots.

[Amanda1226]

Aspen cuz the lighter substrate color will make dark poop stand out more...but cypress for humidity issues.....maybe you could use a high intensity LED flashlight for spot cleaning? It might help with the legally blind issue?

Sorry, the flashlight thing won't help. I should have been more clear,
I am totally blind.

[Cigam]

Sorry, the flashlight thing won't help. I should have been more clear,
I am totally blind.

I looked for awhile and found that some websites sell odorless coconut coir.

It would be good for humidity and you could smell if you need to clean the cages.

I've never used it so unfortunately I can't confirm that it is odorless but it might be worth buying some to see for yourself.

[OsirisRa32]

Sorry, the flashlight thing won't help. I should have been more clear,
I am totally blind.

shoot...sorry about...I admit I am rather ignorant when it comes to the definitions/degrees/variations of blindness...was thinking along the lines that if you could use the flashlight to help show contrast in light/dark type it would help you more with the cypress as cypress is rather dark...

[CryHavoc17]

Paper towels or unprinted news paper. Personally I have no humidity issues at all in my tubs. As much as I like using cypress ive found my tubs hold humidity so well its completely unnecessary for me. In my bigger cages (or back when I used glass tanks) I use cypress. In my tubs I get consistently good humidity with a water bowl. I do live in a more wet climate then some, so obviously your mileage may vary

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