Well I know quite a few people that are still trying to find the perfect substrate after keeping ball pythons for years. I'm using ARS tubs, I actually started out with Aspen until I found that it tends to mold and I had problems with it getting stuck in a snakes mouth after feeding. Then I tried newspaper but it got my white snakes dirty and I've found that shredded newspaper is toxic to my rodents, so I stay away from it. Some people use unprinted newspaper but I haven't tried it.
Then I changed out everything to Reptichip which is coconut husk chips. I tried the fiber but I don't like it. I've since switched to Prococo, it's the same as Reptichip but I can buy it in bulk on pallets. I think it's by far the best substrate I've tried but it still has it's drawbacks, some people get too much humidity, others have to spray it a lot to keep it moist. Some of my snakes still get some in their mouth when feeding and when it gets in the water it turns it into a brown 'tea'.
I'm actually now considering going to 'Retpi-Zorb' and just ordered my first batch to try it out, it's basically a thick felt paper that is custom cut to fit my ARS tubs. I've even seen people spray it down a bit with water right before a snake sheds to help with humidity. I like the idea of something similar to paper towels but that is stiff and won't get bunched up and is more adsorbent than just paper towels. I also like that it's white and I can easily spot a mess, it won't get stuck in a snakes mouth and it won't get the water dirty. Once I use it for a bit I'll post a review on this site.
I've seen some big breeders like BHB use cypress mulch for years, they have since switched to using all paper, looks kind of like butcher paper. Not sure I'm a fan of going that route. I've tried cypress mulch for my rodents and it's the best one out there for keeping the smell down but it's pretty expensive compared to other options. I think it would be a good option for ball pythons.
To find the perfect substrate I think you need to fly out to Africa and get some dirt from under a termite mound LOL!
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