Would top Soil be a awful choice for a substrate?

[littleindiangirl]

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.

[Exotic Ectotherms]

I personally love eco earth(coconut grounds not chips). They sell in huge bricks in most gardening sections. it's enviromentally friendly, easy to store and helps keep the tank's humidity levels perfect, I use it dry for my desert animals, wet for my rainforest. If they eat it it won't hurt them and it doesn't mold. what more can you want I keep lots of my animals on it frogs,geckos,snakes,lizards. It' the best thing to use next to paper towels.

I second this. The best thing I ever did was switch to eco earth. No smell, perfect humidity, and it looks nice. I spot clean and then do a 100% change once a month. I don't buy it in the bricks though....I buy the uncompressed bag. Its like $8 instead of $4...but I only use 1 bag per month, so its not so bad. I find the bricks to be a pain in the rear to prepare.

[VegaBP]

I second this. The best thing I ever did was switch to eco earth. No smell, perfect humidity, and it looks nice. I spot clean and then do a 100% change once a month. I don't buy it in the bricks though....I buy the uncompressed bag. Its like $8 instead of $4...but I only use 1 bag per month, so its not so bad. I find the bricks to be a pain in the rear to prepare.

Where do you get it in a bag? I've looked for it in not brick form but its harder to find than I thought.