Aspen bedding, bad?

[EverEvolvingExotics]

Throughout my whole time taking care of reptiles aspen bedding has always been on the safe list for a substrate. Until today I have never heard anyone state that aspen can be a problem. A local breeder told me most breeders have stopped using aspen because it is too dusty. I have yet to have a problem with it as a substrate as of yet, but would be willing to switch out if it poses a threat, such as sani-chips.

Have any of you heard something similar. I feel ignorant for having never heard this.

[Kinra]

I think aspen is fine to use. I have found that aspen can be dusty, but I don't see that as a major problem to the snakes. It's more an annoyance to the breeder/owner.

[Kyle1989]

Throughout my whole time taking care of reptiles aspen bedding has always been on the safe list for a substrate. Until today I have never heard anyone state that aspen can be a problem. A local breeder told me most breeders have stopped using aspen because it is too dusty. I have yet to have a problem with it as a substrate as of yet, but would be willing to switch out if it poses a threat, such as sani-chips.

Have any of you heard something similar. I feel ignorant for having never heard this.

No I have used it for years with no problems I have no plans to change.

[snake lab]

Aspen is horrible for ball pythons for a number of reasons. #1 its dusty and gets in the nasal passages, # 2 it doesnt promote good humidity, # 3 it will mold, the best substrate to use if you insist on an organic substrate is 100% cypress mulch. It doesnt mold and holds humidity perfectlly. I personally use news paper stock. Its easier for cleaning. When using organic substrates they are easier for spot cleaning but all liquid waste stays in unless you totally dump it every cleaning which is not very economic. With paper you can totally clean and disinfect your tubs every cleaning. Also with organic substrates you have to deal with getting stuff in the water all the time. I used to use kambark cypress but 10 years ago i couldnt find it anywhere local so i switched over to paper only and am so much happier with the results

[angllady2]

Aspen is not horrible.

Some brands are dusty, some are not. Just compare brands.

I use aspen, and I've never had an issue with humidity yet, every single one of my snakes sheds in one piece with no extra effort on my part.

Sure aspen will mold, so will paper if you leave it long enough. I check my tubs every other day and spot clean when necessary, change the whole tub every 7 - 10 days or as needed.

I tried cypress once, THAT stuff was horrible. It stuck to the tub sides, stuck to the snakes, made a mess out of the water bowls, eww!

I have also tried paper. Granted it is easy to clean, but scrubbing every tub every time so they don't reek got tedious fast, not to mention giving the snakes a bath every time they passed waste or the snakes stunk too.

Bottom line, try a few things, find what works for you, and go with it.

Gale

[Tree]

I have been using the coconut husk and so far it rocks

It holds humidity really well, easy to clean, looks good, my BP likes it, it smells good, no mites, and no dust.

I have heard that its hard to find in some places, But I found it so I am using it.

[Ladybugzcrunch]

I use aspen for my rats NOT for my snakes. Paper towels are okay but my snakes bunch them up too much. I like pieces of carpet best. I wash them after every soiling in color safe bleach so no bacteria buildup like some claim is the issue with carpet. Wood chips or dirt of any kind is too dusty/dirty and gets into/onto everything inside and outside of the enclosure. BP enclosures are small compared to the animal and in my opinion, after one elimination more than a spot clean is in order. Snake doodoo stinks and I want it 100% gone as soon as it lands!

[snake lab]

Im not basing my oppinion on anything except over 20 years of experience keeping and breeding a large collection of snakes. Im just going to give one of my many experiences with aspen. I have a vet who visits me every 2 weeks to buy rodents and last year i had a guy who has a pretty extensive collection come by and brought 2 of his snakes over to meet with the vet. He was having issues with the animals not passing fecal waste. The vet examined the snakes and we immediatlly put them under the sonogram. Both had large intestinal blockages that were caused by aspen bedding. Every time the snakes ate they ingested small amounts of aspen and it collected. Another issue was one of the snakes was showing signs of a resp issue. After further examination the snake was so filled with a mixture of dust and slime also from the aspen. The vet set him up with an appointment the next day and was able to save one of the snakes but the other died. Now here is the grand finale the snake that died was a spider super stripe. We are talking a 7000 dollar animal. Now im not arguing that people dont have good experiences with it but that is one example of what can happen with the stuff. Now yes cypress is messy but any organic substrate will get in the water. But cypress is a wood that grows in swamps. It doesnt mold like aspen or pine. Paper is super easy and if your not cleaning your tubs when you clean then your not taking to good care of the snakes habitat and opening the door to alot of things. It takes me and 2 guys 3 to 4 hours to clean my collection every week and i take great care in how my animals live. I have animals worth alot of money and it takes alot of work to protect my investment. If you choose to use aspen then i wish you all the luck. Im just giving my oppinion based on experience.

[kitedemon]

I actually do not think there is a substrate that has no issues, after my experiences I'll never use a wood chip one again, I like the story of snakelab had a snake with constipation issues that through US and xray was traced to cyprus mulch.

every substrate has issues paper to coco coir all have some drawback. There is nothing perfect if there was there would be no debate on the subject. I like coco coir myself it gets everywhere and they eat it but they also pass it and I don't mind cleaning it up. That is me others objections are stronger than mine and say it sucks I think you will find that with everything. You have to use something (or nothing no substrate method) but there is a choice weigh your supply (they are not the same) against your experiences and your environment and pick what is best suited to you.

personally I can get quite clean aspen if I chose to it is almost dust free. I don't like it, wood chip thing that is me. It works fine for some I didn't like it. I don't like newspaper too much work and don't like the offset inks, dioxin... on and on. Cyprus is a poor choice for environmental reasons melucca is better if you can get it... you get my point... on and on and on... pick one.

[John1982]

I use newspaper most of the time on my racks but have used aspen for many years without many problems with dustiness or ingestion though I take certain precautions. Sometimes I'll get a bag that's a bit on the dusty side, I just gently shake the dust down to the bottom and throw out the last inch or so of the bag when I get down that far. When feeding on aspen I usually toss a piece of newspaper down first and have never had any issues with ingestion.