Quote Originally Posted by daniel1983 View Post
They live mostly on soil in the wild.....not aspen bedding.

If a snake does not do well on soil, it is the keeper's fault for not knowing what they are doing. I keep my monitors in big boxes of soil without any issues and have kept snakes with soils without problems.

If you use soil just make sure that you use soil correctly. Soil is fine by itself and does not have to be 'bioactive'. In any instance if you do not know how to 'keep' soil, it can get moldly, shroomy and all other sorts of mess. Temperature, humidity and the type/origin of soil all play big parts in how things work. Too much moisture in the soil can cause fungus and bacterial infections such as scale rot. Sand, topsoil, garden soil.....all have different properties and come from different environments.

Know the animal you keep and research it's natural history......you will learn alot about what you can and can not do.
That's pretty much the basics behind BSS. Learning how to maintain soil in an environment so you do not get moldy, shroomy and all other sorts of mess in there.