Shreaded aspen beading...safe?

[sum182]

I know that alot of people use it and what not, i have two of my snakes on it but...whenever alura eats in her tank, it seems she always eats some or gets some stuck in her mouth....i thought it was alright to use? is it ok for her to eat a little bit?....should i feed her in a separate thing?

[Kaorte]

Little bits are fine perfectly safe.

[Neal]

Thats fine, but if I were you I would feed in a seperate tank. That's what I do for my snakes. I take them out their enclosures, put them in a different one with papertowels as bedding, feed them, once their done, I put them back into their own enclosure. It's safe that way because they can't swallow anything.

[JeffJ]

i use the fine mulch aspen because i find it looks nicer. On occasion i do see a small piece here or there get swallowed but it hasnt been an issue its not large enough to cause a blockage.

i use it for all my animals that require substrate.

[frankykeno]

Well aspen is considered snake safe, that's first up. Secondly, let's be realistic here - nobody runs around out in the wild dusting off the ground before one of these snakes snarfs down a passing wild rodent. Sure captivity isn't wild but in this case it's comparable. These snakes have stomach acids so strong they break down bone, fur and teeth. A shred of aspen doesn't normally present any problem for them.

If you are going to see an issue it is sometimes when it gets snagged on a tooth and ticks off the snake. Mostly they will rub it away, if not, grab some tweezers and help them out. It's pretty unusual for it to cause a problem leading to mouth rot or anything like that.

If you are very concerned though why not drop a pad of newspaper over the area of the enclosure where your snake normally feeds then remove it a few hours later. It's not something you really have to do but heck if it makes you feel better, it's a thought.

[stratus_020202]

nobody runs around out in the wild dusting off the ground before one of these snakes snarfs down a passing wild rodent. Sure captivity isn't wild but in this case it's comparable. These snakes have stomach acids so strong they break down bone, fur and teeth. A shred of aspen doesn't normally present any problem for them.

I know this isn't realy appropriate, and it is a serious quesiton But........hahahaha. I use repti-bark. It's too big and falls off when she's eating. It is expensive though, and I plan on switching to aspen. However, when the new babies get here, they will probably be in tubs with paper towels. Sorry for the outburst, I couldn't help it.

[grammie]

the newspaper over substrate is what I do. I love cypress, but I had one strike and get a piece in her mouth. So I just lay down paper over what I love, feed and then remove it in a couple of hours. Don't have to move them to feed.

[sum182]

haha, thanks guys. Just a paranoid snake owner =) . Though i tried feeding in a separate tub and she took very quickly so i think i'll just do that from now on to avoid me being dumb.

[joshthaxton]

totally 100% fine, even if they eat a little bit of it

[truthsdeceit]

Yeah it's safe! A small piece here or there isn't going to hurt your snake, I do tend to watch them eat so I can pull off any larger worrisome pieces with my tweezers.

Usually you only have to worry with pinkies and peach fuzzys cause the aspen sticks to the skin, or if you have a really aggressive striking snake that will bite bedding with the food. Then you should watch and have tweezers ready. But mice/rats with full on fur don't pick up enough bedding to be an issue.