Repti-Bark (sucks); substrate advice?

[DutchHerp]

Hi,

Repti-Bark does not absorb snake piss at all... my JCP just went and at least a square foot below the substrate had a layer of piss.... not a pleasant job cleaning it up.

I prefer natural looking substrate, because it looks good. What absorbs faeces the best?

Otherwise I might have to switch to news paper or a different paper substrate.

What paper substrate is the best? I once heard of indented craft paper...anybody know that stuff?

Thanks,

[blackcrystal22]

Aspen absorbs really well. Don't use pine or cedar though.

Don't go for sand either. Uhm.. actually, cypress would work really well for a natural brown appearance and absorbs pretty well too. :]

Any type of paper is fine really..

[kc261]

Some people put a layer of newspaper on the bottom for absorption with a thin layer of aspen or something like that on top for a more natural look. One advantage of this is you just pick up the paper and it picks up everything on top of it, so it makes cleaning pretty easy. A disadvantage would be that you might end up using more aspen/whatever in the long run since you would not spot clean with this method. Also be aware that your snake can easily push around a thin layer of substrate so you might end up with parts of the newspaper showing at times.

[DutchHerp]

Well that's the point. I don't want to change substrate every single time there's poop. I use aspen in my Ball cages but I think it wouldn't look good in my carpet cage.

I think I'll go with indented craft paper as it has a nicer look than newspaper.

[anatess]

Yeah, I had that same issue with Repti-Bark. I changed it to T-Rex brand Cypress Blend and that works better with the same "themed" look. If you want to try it out, get a small bag first because it has a much more "earthy" scent to it that you might not like. I don't mind it - smells like my garden after I tilling...

[DutchHerp]

Nah I made up my mind.. Thanks though, anatess.

I'm gonna start using indented kraft paper... did a quick search on the forum and one person said two sheets held poop, urates, and urine from a 20lb boa.

[blackcrystal22]

Just in case you change your mind..

http://sllawnservice.com/yahoo_site_...880003_std.jpg

[DutchHerp]

Just in case you change your mind..

http://sllawnservice.com/yahoo_site_...880003_std.jpg

Used cypress mulch before... don't really like it all that much... I think this kraft paper will work like a charm.

[icygirl]

I gave up on particulate substrate and now I use plain unprinted newspaper. Yes, I have to clean it every time a snake poops... but cleaning literally takes 10 minutes. Flush the poop... throw out the soiled paper... clean with some chlorhexadine if necessary... and throw down some new substrate - very quick and convenient. I used to use aspen, but got frustrated with it pretty quickly. It looked nice, but it was getting expensive to keep buying, and I had aspen bits all over the floor that I had to keep cleaning up. I actually found that spot cleaning aspen was more annoying than using newsprint and replacing it each time.

Just my 0.02.

[Slim]

I think this kraft paper will work like a charm.

Matt, you got a website for that paper handy?