Quote Originally Posted by markface
any snakes that i have on aspen i put a paper towel down before feeding . most of my snakes are kept on newspaper so swallowing substrate is not an issue .
Just be careful with the paper towel too - I've read that sometimes a corner of the paper towel starts to go down with the prey and then the whole paper towel - which will then swell with the moisture in the stomach.

I do happen to feed all of mine live, and I feed them in their enclosure on aspen. Sometimes one will "dip" their prey in their water bowl then pull it out on the aspen. Some aspen bedding certainly goes down with the meal - but mother nature adapted the snake so that it can digest bones, fur and teeth. Remember too, that in nature, they also are certainly swallowing leaf litter and twigs with their meals.