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Thread: Best substrate?

  1. #1
    Registered User MontyAndMelissa's Avatar
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    Best substrate?

    I know I'm going to get 100 different answers. I'm currently using coconut shred, I want to change it. I love how it holds humidity, I hate how it sticks to prey. I don't want to use paper towels or news paper, only because I do want a good aesthetic, but I will use them if I get a high rating. What is your favorite substrate? I'd prefer something that holds humidity well and doesn't have a nasty smell. We have been having some damn dry weather in California lately.

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    I use a mix of fine coco as bottom layer and coarse coco as top layer but i lay down a papertowel or 2 inside in the "food zone" where i put the rat to keep small stuff off of it, other than that ive used cyprus mulch and aspen bedding and neither hold humidity anywhere near coco for me
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    Re: Best substrate?

    Quote Originally Posted by MontyAndMelissa View Post
    I know I'm going to get 100 different answers. I'm currently using coconut shred, I want to change it. I love how it holds humidity, I hate how it sticks to prey. I don't want to use paper towels or news paper, only because I do want a good aesthetic, but I will use them if I get a high rating. What is your favorite substrate? I'd prefer something that holds humidity well and doesn't have a nasty smell. We have been having some damn dry weather in California lately.
    If you're happy with it, don't change it. A little substrate being ingested is not going to hurt your snake.
    It is okay to use pine bedding for snakes.
    It is okay to feed live food to snakes.

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    Registered User MontyAndMelissa's Avatar
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    Re: Best substrate?

    Quote Originally Posted by 200xth View Post
    If you're happy with it, don't change it. A little substrate being ingested is not going to hurt your snake.
    Well, it's also messy as hell. I guess we can stick with it. She seems to have healthier shed with it.

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    BPnet Senior Member jclaiborne's Avatar
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    I am a fan of a good ol fashon dirt mix in my cages.
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    BPnet Senior Member Marissa@MKmorphs's Avatar
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    Re: Best substrate?

    Paper towel, newspaper, shredded Aspen or Sani chips are the only things we use at our place for snakes.
    ~Marissa~


  7. #7
    Registered User Snake Judy's Avatar
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    Re: Best substrate?

    Why not try the coarser coco chunks? Same advantages but I don't have any trouble with mess or it getting stuck to things. I like it a lot.

    I'm switching over to a bioactive peat/soil/coir mix in a couple of months, which I'm really excited about. Can't vouch for it yet personally, of course, but I think it should work out great.

  8. #8
    BPnet Senior Member jclaiborne's Avatar
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    Re: Best substrate?

    Quote Originally Posted by Snake Judy View Post
    Why not try the coarser coco chunks? Same advantages but I don't have any trouble with mess or it getting stuck to things. I like it a lot.

    I'm switching over to a bioactive peat/soil/coir mix in a couple of months, which I'm really excited about. Can't vouch for it yet personally, of course, but I think it should work out great.

    I use a screened topsoil, sand, peat mix with leaf litter and some dried spag moss across the top for ground cover and love it!
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  9. #9
    Registered User Snake Judy's Avatar
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    Re: Best substrate?

    Quote Originally Posted by jclaiborne View Post
    I use a screened topsoil, sand, peat mix with leaf litter and some dried spag moss across the top for ground cover and love it!
    Cool! Sounds like we're on the same trajectory. How's it for humidity? Do you use springtails or anything? My new enclosure is gonna have about 5" of substrate and a drainage layer. Also planning to try adding in a few (sturdy) plants and see how they fare.
    Last edited by Snake Judy; 04-24-2015 at 05:13 PM.

  10. #10
    BPnet Senior Member jclaiborne's Avatar
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    Re: Best substrate?

    Quote Originally Posted by Snake Judy View Post
    Cool! Sounds like we're on the same trajectory. How's it for humidity? Do you use springtails or anything? My new enclosure is gonna have about 5" of substrate and a drainage layer. Also planning to try adding in a few (sturdy) plants and see how they fare.
    Depending on the ratio of the mix you do it can hold humidity really well or you can create a dry environment depending on what you are keeping. I don't use a drainage layer myself. If you are using a heat mat for your snake then don't do 5 inches over that as the heat won't make it through. I had to thin it out in my snake cage over the heat section...for my lizards they use bulbs so depth isn't an issue. I use springtails with my lizards but haven't decided if I wanted to make that jump or not with the snake. The plants will need some form of light to grow well.
    SNAKES
    1.0 Childrens Python
    LIZARDS
    0.1 B&W Tegu, 1.0 Bearded Dragon, 1.1 IJ Blue Tongue Skinks
    FROGS
    0.0.5 Dendrobates tinctorius 'Citronella'
    DOGS
    1.0 German Sherherd (Timber), 1.0 Wolf/Shepherd (Sabre), 1.0 Chihuahua (Taz), 0.1 Chihuahua (Penny), 0.1 Pitbull (Luna)

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