Is pine really that bad/

[BCS]

Pine and cedar have greater phenol content than cypress and aspen...

That being said, I'm not going to comment on the safety of pine bedding as I have absolutely no experience using it. Some people claim to have had problems from it, some people claim to have used it for years with no problems. It's just one of those things where you've got to weigh the evidence. Personally, I would probably switch to something like newspaper or paper towels rather than using pine, but that's just because I've used newspaper for my colubrids for years and it's free. Plus my snakes seem to enjoy getting between the pages.

The only thing I'd say definitely never use is cedar. It's kind of in a league of its own when it comes to potentially harmful compounds.

It costs me $10.50 for a roll of unprinted news paper. Pine costs $7.37 for 4 cubic feet which is compressed and expands. I already said this wasn't about cost anyway. The issue I have with newspaper and paper towel is the snakes hide under it and tend to attack my fingers during feeding day (as I lift up the paper to offer the rat). And they also poop on the tub floor. It would make more sense for my not to use any bedding at all if they just poop or pee on the tub floor anyway. I may not have as many BPs as some, but it would make life easier to not have to shower down each and every tub every time they defecate. Doesn't mean I wont do it just because I have pine, I would just have to do it less.

After posting this questions and receiving a few replies I decided to call two local Exotic Vets. One vet said it is completely fine and that they use for some of their reptiles as well. The other vet said to use it with good ventilation and to not buy "wet" pine. (So pine that has sat outside for long periods of time and may have gotten wet from rain).

Either way, I think I have a good few answers and I thank you all for them. I think this is a lot about opinion, rumors, myths, then actual facts from what I am reading. The resin part is the only fact I have received so far. Maybe I am wrong (I am always okay with being wrong as long as I learn something from it). The breeders here (where I live or in the area) have used pine for a long time it seems. Some people on this forum could argue till they were black and blue of why to and why not to use it. So far, the only reason I should not use (according to the people here) is simply because of a smell and resin. Aspen, as far as I am aware (which also grows naturally here) also has resin. So I am not too sure why people are worrying about one against the other as neither have full fledged proof of being harmful or safe? Simply saying "I wouldn't do it just because I have "heard" it is bad, seems to remind me a little bit about people having a fear of snakes. Scared of all snakes just because the media talks about legless killing machines, then the idea of "all snakes are bad" just because of a few bad stories when really these people are just not properly educated. And hey, maybe that person is me and not you but with people saying yes and no, it is kind of hard to get the proper education.

I think I am going to try it for my BPs. I use it for my rodents which my snakes do eat and nothing has happened as of yet... "Yet" can be a big word. If anything at all goes wrong, I will remove the pine from the tubs immediately.