Python Reticulatus Wallace Progression!

[Gio]

I try to keep my cages fairly clean but Caesar is a disaster. I actually found him sleeping on top of a poop . I had to lift the hide, then deal with a shoving match with him as he didnt want to be woken up or moved so i shoved him, he shoved me. We went on with this for a couple mins until i got him shoved off the turd. Then i was able to spot clean and F10 it. Then i just put the hide back on top of Caesar and let him be lol. He is such a character.

And I'm one of those OCD people Reinz!!! I hate seeing any poop or piss in my snake cages but with Caesar, it's impossible to catch it all. It's like a game to him i think. He sees how many pisses he can hide from me and i see how many i can find quick enough

On a side note, Pat is going ballistic today. I think i fed him a little small of a meal 2 days ago as he is up in arms atm and any time you go near the front of the cage, he stretches out to investigate flicking his tongue wildly. I think he is hungry. I swear, pythons eat, digest and poop faster than anything lol.

And i thought about doing bioactive. Was going to do it for Pat and still might. The boas would be a bit more work as they kind of tend to bulldoze stuff. They do seem to love potting soil though lol.

I don't think Reinz meant not cleaning out waste, although it does become benign rather quickly unless you have overly moist conditions. Hopefully we didn't give anybody the wrong idea. I keep a clean cage, but I also don't fully change substrate more than every 6 months. The winter months are times where feeding is less frequent, once the snakes become older. There is less waste and less activity, especially for the boa and royal.

I use a mix of various natural substrates. Cypress, coco husk, bark, Eco-Earth. When I clean, I remove the soiled areas, and replace with new stuff.

Natural substrate does have some odor defeating qualities, and good absorption. If I were to use paper, I'd likely clean daily. Paper doesn't absorb liquid and doesn't cling to feces. A large, busy animal will certainly "paint" an enclosure quickly if dirty paper or cardboard isn't immediately changed.

My cage decor is clean before I put it in, but I don't go overboard cleaning it weekly or monthly. It doesn't mold/rot or get soiled. If I need to mist, I'll let the humidity spike and then allow it to dry out. That way I don't provide eternally wet conditions.

My point here is that having some natural decor isn't as much work as some folks think.

It is all about what you are comfortable and what works for you.