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[The Serpent Merchant]

I highly recomend Justin Kobylka Reptiles if you are looking for a snake, the prices on his site include shipping and he is a great guy. With most big breeders they have much more than what they can post on a website so if you don't see something you like just shoot them an email or call.

http://www.jkobylkareptiles.com/index.php

[RetiredJedi]

...There are a number of safer heat pads that are lower wattage and lower heat than flexwatt something like a ultratherm or exoterra rainforest. the ultratherms rarely produce 100º unregulated and the rainforest 110 at the max. They are lower wattage and slower to heat so they take longer to get hot and don't swing as far on the high end due to this. (ultratherms have a much better rep)...

x2 on the Ultratherm. I got one almost a year ago and it works great.

[nickxshort]

x2 on the Ultratherm. I got one almost a year ago and it works great.

Awesome. Looking forward to getting everything setup!

[RetiredJedi]

And they are pretty inexpensive. THIS is about the same price I paid at a local Repticon.

[RichsBallPythons]

DOnt use Eco Earth in a tub, You will have high humidity issues like no other.

Eco earth is mostly for thoes needing to raise humidity up in a tank setup, but tubs dont need it unless your house is absolutely dry

[nickxshort]

DOnt use Eco Earth in a tub, You will have high humidity issues like no other.

Eco earth is mostly for thoes needing to raise humidity up in a tank setup, but tubs dont need it unless your house is absolutely dry

I'm def going to start out with newspaper first but if I ever get tired of it what other substrate would you recommend in a tub? Would aspen be my next best option?

Thanks again for all the advice. I have been lurking these forums for a very long time and everyone is so helpful...what a great community!

[apple2]

I use the eco-earth and love it! It holds humidity really well, and is movable enough so that you can push the water bowl into it so your BP doesn't spill it

You can also spot clean with it, unlike newspaper.

EDIT:

Never mind, eco-earth IS a bad idea in a tub setup. Disregard prior comment.

[RichsBallPythons]

I use papertowels, Once you go that route you wont go back

[Vinny 4]

How does everyone using paper towels maintain proper humidity levels? Frequent misting? I would think they would absorb moisture but dry quickly, or maybe get too soggy?

[kitedemon]

newspaper and paper towels are hygroscopic they absorb water from the air and trap it. i tend to believe that a tub should have good ventilation and if the water bowl is removed and just the snake is in it with a dry substrate it should stabilize to the rooms RH in less than one hour. Many keep snakes in low ventilated conditions where even with no other source of humidity the tub will be more than the room. To my mind the thought to use exhaled breath as a source of water vapour is crazy. Water need to come from some where. Water bowl or substrate or both. Eco earth hold tons of water and releases it slowly. Under some conditions it is a great advantage and sometimes a huge problem. I use in tubs but I use it completely dry not expanded with water just mechanically separated. I also run a room that is humidified to 60% RH so I don't need to add much extra humidity to anything. When a snake goes into shed all I ever do is change the water bowl from a 4 inch to a 6 inch diameter and that gives me a 7-10% bump.

If you are in a dry room you may need something extra. eco earth is one option some mix wood fibre substrates with it, some just chip based. But just keep in mind water bowl and its placement and how much water is in a substrate and how fast or slow it dries should be the control for RH not cutting off air flow.