Will my snake be less happy if I change substrate & take away his ability to burrow?

[Belle]

My 15 year old kid has a ball python she does not take good care of (in my opinion). I don't particularly like the thing, but he's a living creature, and I want him to be well cared for and "happy" (not that he ever complains). So, this means *I* end up doing most of the work and care to keep him well. I'm working hard right now to change his environment to make it easier on ME but I don't want to decrease the snake's quality of life. That sounds ridiculous as I type it out, but it is true.

One of my concerns is the aspen substrate we currently use. It gets wet from the snake using the water dish, and the kid doesn't move it around to the hot end so it will dry daily like I do. Therefore, when the kid is doing the daily water change, she leaves damp substrate inside his cool hide which is near the water dish. Theoretically, this could stay wet in there until the next monthly complete clean and substrate change. I've never read anything about keeping substrate in a hide in a constant damp state, but it just doesn't "seem" right to me. It just seems unhealthy to me because of mold etc and the snake constantly lying in the same damp place when he wants his cool hide.

Another issue is that I have decreased vision and find it hard to see and clean out all the urates in the aspen. And the kid can see FINE, but she can't see all the urates easily all the time either.

I'd like to replace the aspen with something like newspapers, reptile carpet, paper towels, etc but the kid does not want to take away the snake's ability to burrow. We've tried Eco Earth but that was a real pain.

I've never seen this particular snake burrow, but I admittedly don't stay up and watch him all night. He does have two identical hides, one in each side of the enclosure.

I assume each BP might have different preferences, but I'd like any opinions and knowledge anyone can share with me about changing a snake from a loose substrate which can be burrowed in to a substrate like newspaper which they cannot?

And does anyone have any information on if it is harmful to leave damp/downright wet aspen inside a hide for days or longer?

For the purposes of my question, ignore the issue of humidity. When I see he's entering a shed state, I raise the humidity in his enclosure. That isn't a problem.

Thanks in advance for taking the time to help me out.

[FireStorm]

The problem with aspen is that is is really prone to molding when it is damp. Coconut husk or cypress mulch will not mold as easily, and they are darker, so it might be easier to see urates.

There are plenty of people who use paper towels or newspaper for a substrate, and as long as the snake has a hide I think you will be fine. The only thing is, you can't really spot clean with either one, and they are not super absorbent so you will probably have to change them out more frequently.

[wolfy-hound]

BPs are not known for burrowing a lot, although snakes are individuals. If he's got two identical hides, that should be okay.

The coconut husk would probably be better. The humidity IS an issue throughout the whole time, not just at the time of shedding. But you could make a "humid hide" that stays humid all the time too. (just use something that doesn't mold like aspen, maybe the coconut husk).

As long as the snake has plenty of hiding spots, proper heat and humidity and access to clean drinking water, he should be fine.

[Parysa]

Mine are on paper towel and newspapers. As long as there are multiple sheets, they'll get in between and "burrow." It's easier to clean because you just pick up the old paper and put down new. I love it and the snakes seem happy.

[Belle]

I've read up a bit more, and I feel pretty confident I can insist that wet spots of aspen be cleaned up daily. Mold, rot, etc. When I do his cage, I take the wet aspen and spread it out on the hot side to dry. If the quality of the kid's aspen stirring/cleaning doesn't improve dramatically, the snake is going paper towel/newspaper.

Thanks to the input I received about paper towels being okay, I've compromised for now with paper towels around his water dish and a layer of aspen everywhere else. The aspen probably is more fun to snuggle on, plow through, and it does provide insulation.

I rearranged his enclosure today and found several bits of something I suspect are urates the kid and I missed. To be sure, I'm going to dig around in the unused bag of aspen (Zoo Med) to see if the stuff I picked out is present in the clean material. It is hard for me to tell because the color of urates and the aspen are so similar.

Does anybody know if urates/snake urine glow under UV light? If so, I have a UV flashlight I could check his cage with. When the solid material isn't present, it would be really easy to ID urine that way.

I know that humidity is a very important issue, but I wanted to separate it out of this substrate/burrowing discussion. I monitor it, and his humidity is fine in the summer. It can be a challenge in winter when I heat the house. (He has a glass enclosure with a screen top.)

It sounds like his housekeeping is a bit shabby, but rest assured it is pretty good and the entire enclosure is being thoroughly cleaned and sanitized on Friday when the kid returns.

[bcr229]

I would suggest cypress over newspaper if you're using tanks. My BP's loved the stuff and turned into little excavators when they were on it. It also handles humidity better than aspen, and if it does get wet it just tends to release excess water slowly without molding. Bear in mind that while urates are definitely easier to see, #2 isn't.

[Belle]

I'm definitely open to trying coconut husk or cypress mulch after the aspen runs out, especially this winter when I will need more humidity. I liked the look and feel of Eco Earth but it always seemed too wet. I haven't given cypress a chance, but it sounds promising.

[MsMissy]

I use and love reptibark.... It's dark <easy to see urates> holds humidity relatively well <I mix mine with Eco earth because I live in a humidity challenged area> and is easy to clean. I'm impressed that you think enough of the animal to come here to figure out what is the right thing to do. My Nagini started out my 17 yr olds... I didn't get her for him until I knew I was ready to raise yet another animal. I dare the boy to try to take her from me now.

[Belle]

I was steered away from Repti Bark because I got the impression it could be hazardous to the snake. Any truth to that?

My kid begged for a snake since she was 7 years old. We didn't give in until she was 13. She's capable of doing better care but needs some better instruction. Part of the problem is that she is a teen who knows I'm a crazy lady (who never owned a reptile before) so she assumes I'm a paranoid crazy lady about my standards when I try to tell her how to take better care of the bp. It will really help her take me seriously when the forum backs me up on something like not letting the aspen stay WET under his hide, etc. I did read many books about the bp to ensure I could oversee his proper care.

[Expensive hobby]

I was steered away from Repti Bark because I got the impression it could be hazardous to the snake. Any truth to that?

My kid begged for a snake since she was 7 years old. We didn't give in until she was 13. She's capable of doing better care but needs some better instruction. Part of the problem is that she is a teen who knows I'm a crazy lady (who never owned a reptile before) so she assumes I'm a paranoid crazy lady about my standards when I try to tell her how to take better care of the bp. It will really help her take me seriously when the forum backs me up on something like not letting the aspen stay WET under his hide, etc. I did read many books about the bp to ensure I could oversee his proper care.

Have her take a look at the forum, and let her see that you are not paranoid, but rather it is proper husbandry.


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