Coconut substrate opinions please

[Bogertophis]

That's a great idea!

I use the vast majority of my cocoblox in the yard after it's had enough in the enclosure, the only part that really gets thrown out is the bits when spot cleaning. I wouldn't use them on food crops, but they work great for holding moisture into shrubs and whatnot. I'm sure with the right type of compost heap they could be used in the garden but I tend to be too forgetful to turn at the exact right time to get the perfect heat to kill everything and so I don't. I'm sure wild animals "go" in the garden but it's not going to be quite as concentrated as my substrate.

Thanks. I've been using indoor-outdoor carpet for just some snakes for many years- the stuff never wears out, & doesn't fade even if you disinfect it with diluted bleach (-you just have to rinse a LOT & don't over-do it or you won't get the bleach fumes out).

And that's what I do too, with other substrate stuff that I use (moss or orchid bark)- just add it to plants in my yard. I grow organic tomatoes but I don't toss snake-poo where I garden for edibles- just as you said, for health reasons, it's not recommended to use anything like that (that's not completely composted already, or that comes from meat-eating animals, etc) just as a precaution.

I've had no luck with actual composting either, but I grow tomatoes in raised beds that I made "lasagna-garden" style: alternating layers of leaves + dirt + misc (veg/fruit scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds & tea). Essentially it's slow-composting that doesn't heat up or get turned. I also rescue earthworms after it rains & "invite" them in- they eat & break down the leaves too. Works pretty well, surprisingly.

[sp0420]

I like the fake turf idea. I'm probably going to try cocoblox that's the only brand I haven't tried yet. Also spring tales are an interesting idea to keep it under control. I know you didn't mean put fly strips in the tub but during cleaning/handling it would only take one second for them to touch that and that'd be it. I never thought using masking tape as a label would be an issue but man it happened so fast while putting a male back in his tub that I just don't want anything sticky in the snake room. Currently switching to a grease pencil to write on tubs and use magnets to write on and stick to the rack for names/hatch dates. By the way my mom used to take all my leftover coconut husk to use as ground cover for her plants and she loved it. Do you guys think that the fake turf would do a good enough job keeping the snakes off of their urine? When the bigger girls pee they really pee and that's the main reason for switching back. If I skip a day of spot cleaning I just don't want them sitting in urine. Currently have 25 extra tubs for my racks so I'm able to swap to a fresh tub and paper. But I'd like to spot for poop and just do a deep clean every couple weeks or once a month. Might go ahead and try that in a few tubs just to see and just swap for a clean tub and turf when needed.