What Substrate do you use?

[ndizzleg]

Douglas Fir Bark

Burrow-friendly bark for tropical/forest habitats
Reptiles from a variety of habitats...from the tropics to northern forests...will thrive in additive-free Douglas Fir bark. Loose and light enough to encourage natural burrowing behavior, this material promotes the free transfer of heat and moisture essential for the health of cold-blooded pets. Made of 100% natural ingredients harvested in the USA, and readily biodegrade in a backyard compost at the end of its useful life.

Thats what i use. Great Stuff, sorta soft and pourous. I keep an extra bag for when i spot clean. And every month i sanitize the tank and replace with a new bag!

[Blue Apple Herps]

Used to use aspen, but would sometimes have issues with shedding and humidity. Now I use newspaper on the bottom with cypress mulch on top. So far so good!

[Lowen]

I use a large folded towel and I keep the tip of one corner dipped inside the water dish so half of the towel is always somewhat moist, and the other half is relatively dry. I love towels because they make good hides and are reusable, making them an economical choice. Putting a large granite rock (like one found outdoors) inside the habitat will give your snake a place to bask and a rough surface to shed on.

Different substrates work for different people though. It all depends on personal preferences.

[dr del]

Hi,

How often do you have to wash that to avoid bacterial or mould buildup? And have you ever found any problems with scale rot using a substrate where half of it is damp and the other half "relatively dry"?

It's not something I would ever have thought of using to be honest - I like newspaper for the cleanliness factor.


dr del

[Argentra]

I wondered the same about the towel when I read that. Any fabric, from carpet to towels, will harbor bacteria like nothing else...no matter how often it is washed unless you constantly bleach it. As long as you are doing just that, and making sure the moisture isn't constant (to avoid scale rot), then I suppose that would be a fine substrate.

All in all, newsprint and aspen are the two best I've found after many trials with a variety of substrates (carpet, cypress, paper towels, just newspaper). I now use a layer of newsprint with a layer of aspen on top...and I've started using the Harlan shredded stuff for my snakes as opposed to the chip-like stuff from Petsmart(which is still used for my mice). The paper helps absorb liquids and makes cleanup a snap: just roll the aspen up in the paper and toss, then sweep/dump out the little remaining aspen.

[Houzi88]

I wondered the same about the towel when I read that. Any fabric, from carpet to towels, will harbor bacteria like nothing else...no matter how often it is washed unless you constantly bleach it. As long as you are doing just that, and making sure the moisture isn't constant (to avoid scale rot), then I suppose that would be a fine substrate.

All in all, newsprint and aspen are the two best I've found after many trials with a variety of substrates (carpet, cypress, paper towels, just newspaper). I now use a layer of newsprint with a layer of aspen on top...and I've started using the Harlan shredded stuff for my snakes as opposed to the chip-like stuff from Petsmart(which is still used for my mice). The paper helps absorb liquids and makes cleanup a snap: just roll the aspen up in the paper and toss, then sweep/dump out the little remaining aspen.

Great Idea!!! I just bought Aspen and I'm waiting a few days, then when I clean out the cage of the Repti-bark (I think, whatever came with the cage) then I'll put newspaper down and then the aspen on top.

[Thor26]

Cocunut Fiber all the way it holds in the humidity alot better it looks nice its good for them to burrow in and its no big deal if they eat a little. The only downside is they tend to track it into there water bowl.

[Lowen]

The towel does need to be bleached weekly, and if the bleach weakens the fabric and causes holes, it also should be replaced to avoid accidental strangulation. So I can definitely understand why some people wouldn't use it.

An accurate estimate of how dry/wet it is would be as follows:
1/3 of it is damp at the very corner, and just slightly moist all the way down. The midsection of it is cool, but not wet. The other third is completely dry and warm. The hide extends half-and-half over the last two sections and has three entry points, so he has some variety in there. It's a good setup in my opinion. My cage is not elaborate because I like to clean often and I like it to be convenient for me.

A safe cleaning solution that can be used whenever is as follows:
1/2 tsp baking soda in vinegar (let it bubble in the sink and wait until it stops) baking soda/vinegar ratio does not really matter. It's a personal preference.

Now, the ratios should be made up of 1 part of the above solution and 4 or 5 parts water. Vinegar smells funny to some people, but if you used more baking soda than vinegar, it should be 4 parts water.

It doesn't substitute regular sanitizing, but it will greatly reduce the bacterial growth in your cage. Watch the acidity of your vinegar though. Anything above 6% should be diluted.

[Emma]

I use aspen but thinking about using reptile bark instead.