What type of substrate do you use?

[Grim91Z]

Coconut husks for the BP seems to work pretty well. Just gotta spray a little daily. Using fans doesn't help much for humidity, anyway.

[_BoidFinatic_]

I use ZooMed Repti-Carpet for all of my snakes. It is easy to clean (I just hose it down with the garden hose), it allows snakes to shed easily (more easily than on newspaper I imagine), and it looks nice especially the green color and the grey. Oh, and when sprayed it holds humidity very well.

[Galla68]

Hi this is my first post cuz' I just joined the forum. I bought my ball python a couple days ago, first snake, and I'm using Repti-sand, mostly because it looks nice. Is this bad because I haven't seen anyone say anything about sand on this thread but I've seen cage set ups for balls using it a few times

[daniel1983]

Sand should not be used at with ball pythons (or most snakes and lizards) due to the health problems that can result from ingesting sharp sand particles.

If you saw someone keeping snakes on sand, then they most likely do not know how to properly keep the animal.

I would dump out the sand immediately and get you some newspaper in there until you pick up some aspen, cypress mulch or other suitable substrate.

Welcome to the forum and I hope that help!

[mr~python]

wait a minute. sand can be used with sand boas.

now with ball pythons you wanna take the sand out. besides the reasons Daniel listed it can get under the ball pythons scales and irritate the skin. it's so messy too. you'll be much happier with newspaper.

[Galla68]

its not natural sand it's calcium based sand so it says its completely ingestible, but if it's going to irritate his scales I'll definitely switch over. do you use whole newspapers or like shredded?

[mr~python]

just whole newspaper pages. i put 4-6 layers down.

it's not completely ingestible (thats false advertisement). its one of the worst substrates you can use for any reptile because of the risk for impaction.

[Galla68]

K thanks for the heads up I'll switch it out right away

[Cartmansdad]

I use aspen most of the time but sometimes I use newspaper.

[Miss_Ann_Thrope]

For the glass tanks I use the eco earth and for the tubs I line them with two sheets of newspaper then ontop of that carefresh.