Battling Scale Rot Again.... : (

[Dianna]

At any packaging supply store you can buy rolls of newsprint paper with no text on it. Looks much nicer than newspapers, is cheap and makes clean up super easy.

My big girl hasn't had any complaints about it so far

[WingedWolfPsion]

I would NOT use coco-fiber for ball pythons. The reason why is very simple--in order to prepare it, you have to moisten it.

Unless you then go on to spread it out in a thin layer and DRY it again, you have a moist bedding. It doesn't matter if it's a little moist, or a lot moist--it's damp.

Ball pythons need DRY substrate. Only use something dry for their bedding. That means coco fiber is NOT a good bedding for them, unless you have re-dried it completely. (And of course, the stuff is dusty if you do that). It is prone to mold, and it breaks down over time...and...honestly, what's the point? Aspen shavings are cheaper, and they won't cause scale rot.

Coco-fiber is great for RAINFOREST reptiles that require a high humidity environment with a lot of dampness around--it's great for terrestrial frogs, salamanders, and aboreal reptiles that like humidity, especially in a naturalistic vivarium. It's good for water dragons and some rainforest skinks that love to dig. It is NOT good for open forest/savannah reptiles like the ball python. Period. It's not a good choice. Learn from your mistake and switch to a good bedding.

[EdShal]

like what he says.

im like my used newspaper cause its free.

[TimmyG]

I dont want to use the news paper because it looks bad, same reason I wont use a tub or any other 'Breeder' supplies. I can understand why someone with 5 or more animals will advocate for them but everyone keeps these animals for different reasons. For me My snake is a pet, I want to look at it and want to enjoy what I see. Me and apperently other board members have used cocoa fiber with great sucess. One bad experience switching tanks does not mean I must black list the substrate. Also, Aspen can also cause scale rot and so can news paper is the animal tips over a bowl. Someone who wont pay for either aspen or cocoafiber probably wont spring for a good bowl (see what im talking about). I am a good keeper and am diligent about my snakes health, he sheds and eats very well, gets yearly check ups and has the medicine he needs as soon as its needed. And I am not ignorant of each substrates advantages. As soon as I found the rot he was in a quarinteene tank with nes paper and will stay there untill things are cleared up.

[Kaorte]

No one is trying to tell you that you don't care about your snakes. But when you have RECURRING scale rot because of a certain substrate, it is time to move away from it. I have my reasons for not liking the coco fiber. Mostly because it absorbs moisture and I can't see it. Snakes pee A LOT and you don't notice it with the coco fiber. They could be on wet substrate for days without you noticing. That is why snakes get scale rot from that bedding.

People who use newspaper, paper towels, or aspen can notice right away when a water dish has been spilled or the snake peed. It is visually obvious unlike with coco fiber.

If I were you I would stop thinking about how nice the substrate looks and start thinking more about keeping your snake in a clean and safe environment.

Putting down members who choose not to pay extra for certain substrates is in poor taste. Spending more for your animal does not mean you are taking better care of them. You say you are diligent about your snakes health but this thread shows us otherwise. This is a recurrence, which means you have not in fact been diligent about your snakes health. You knew the cause was the substrate the first time but you continued to use it.

I would HIGHLY consider switching to aspen or paper towels.

[filly77]

I dont want to use the news paper because it looks bad, same reason I wont use a tub or any other 'Breeder' supplies. I can understand why someone with 5 or more animals will advocate for them but everyone keeps these animals for different reasons. For me My snake is a pet, I want to look at it and want to enjoy what I see. Me and apperently other board members have used cocoa fiber with great sucess. One bad experience switching tanks does not mean I must black list the substrate. Also, Aspen can also cause scale rot and so can news paper is the animal tips over a bowl. Someone who wont pay for either aspen or cocoafiber probably wont spring for a good bowl (see what im talking about). I am a good keeper and am diligent about my snakes health, he sheds and eats very well, gets yearly check ups and has the medicine he needs as soon as its needed. And I am not ignorant of each substrates advantages. As soon as I found the rot he was in a quarinteene tank with nes paper and will stay there untill things are cleared up.

I use newspaper, it might not look the best but it works for me & my snakes, its free and easy clean up and ditto to what someone else said, you SEE it right away when its wet.

Also I am in no way saying you dont care about your snake, but this is the second time the poor things had scale rot. If you were as diligent as you say, you would have noticed how wet/damp his enclosure was before the scale rot developed. Scale rot doesn't just happen over night..

Just saying...

Kudos tho for taking the right action and getting the meds! I wish your BP a speedy recovery.

[pavlovk1025]

newspaper works!! and its free..

and if there is a comic strip, you can look at your snake & read the comic too..

LOL! I love the days I get the Sunday Funnies into their tubs! Nothing like a poop and a laugh.

[Lolo76]

Someone who wont pay for either aspen or cocoafiber probably wont spring for a good bowl

That's not true... my snakes have the best of everything they NEED, but they don't need fancy beddings. Newspaper works fine, in fact it's better for the keeper and snake in many ways - effective, sanitary, easy to clean and easy to spot messes. I also happen to be allergic to aspen (all woods), so my options are limited. At first I used Carefresh, but at over $12/bag it was getting expensive, and I found it very difficult to maintain. Now that I have 7 snakes, the CLEAR choice for me is newspaper and paper towels.

To each his/her own, but don't assume we use paper because we're cheap...

[WingedWolfPsion]

Many keepers I know use aspen or other particulate beddings because they can 'spot clean'. I use newspaper because I've seen a snake pee. There's no way you could get all the soiled bedding out just spot-cleaning.
A good tip-proof bowl (and you can find both expensive and cheap tip-proof bowls) helps prevent the waterbowl dumping scenario--if it does occur, you see it immediately, with newspaper. It's harder for the snakes to flip a bowl sitting on a flat surface, too.

An animal's health is always more important than appearances. If you can have both, great--if not, then you should just deal with the ugly. If, for some reason, you dislike aspen, then consider cypress bark. It's certainly not cheap, but it looks good, and it doesn't have quite the moisture retention problems of coconut fiber. Just be prepared to change it often. I can't imagine continuing to use the same bedding after an animal got a skin infection on it, even once--let alone twice. It's clearly not what is best for ball pythons.

[Wh00h0069]

At any packaging supply store you can buy rolls of newsprint paper with no text on it. Looks much nicer than newspapers, is cheap and makes clean up super easy.

My big girl hasn't had any complaints about it so far

Thats what I use, but I buy mine on the net from Uline.

To the OP, did you take your ball to the vet? If he is about to shed then his belly would be pink. Are you sure it is scale rot?