Substrate

[butters!]

i have and do it every time i get a new bag.it smells great!also smells good once you have misted it.i have heard in this forum that ink is toxic(hence buying unprinted rolls) like i said i dunno how true it is.as for dust ive tried aspen and it seems to be a lil more dusty than bark.

[pythontricker]

DONT USE CAREFRESH! That is what gave both of my snakes Major RI's. I regret ever even seeing or touching that stuff. I literally hate that stuff. Just use paper towels. All that bark and aspen stuff could also cause problems + you can easily see if there is poop or pee on paper towels. If the snake burrows and poops or pees you might not be able to see it. That is until everything in that area molds up a week later. Paper towels are easy to clean and isn't not dusty. Good luck!

[Mochelem]

I use nothing but carefresh and I have used it for years, carefresh is not dusty however I use the origional carefresh not the stuff you have pictured... I dont like aspen it can get lodged in the snakes mouth... Ive never had a problem with carefresh and it is very good for keeping humidity lvls right.... Ive never had a problem with odor from it either... Aspen shavings have a much stronger smell than carefresh...

If you do use it dont get cheap non namebrand stuff... That stuff is dusty....

[Mochelem]

Also it costs about the same amount as aspen bedding... If you buy mulch its a lot cheaper but I dont like to cook stuff before I use it.... If you buy the huge bags of carefresh the cost is a lot less....

[The Green Man]

Just putting in my two cents.

I've been using EcoEarth, which you can also find under the cheaper brand name "ForestFloor". It's compressed ground coconut fibers, and it's been working excellent for me. It's very attractive, retains misted moisture for days and days, and so far hasn't grown any mold and isn't dusty all. It's kinda a pain when changing the substrate, since you have to soak the bricks and then wait for them to expand and dry before putting it in your cage, but it's not such an inconvenience for the clean look and other benefits. It spot-cleans very well too.

[Schlyne]

I know you said you looked at aspen, but did you look at Sani Chips? It's aspen in a small square chipped form. The chips are very smooth and when I was using them, they were not as dusty as aspen. I quit using them because it was making too much of a mess in my herp room...and the snakes were getting a bunch of the chips in the water bowls. I think it would be good for burrowing snakes like KSB's though.

[Mike Cavanaugh]

Newspaper people.... Newspaper......

[starmom]

Or indented (or not) kraft paper. It's a medium brown color and looks great in cages and tubs!!

[blackcrystal22]

Newspaper people.... Newspaper......

Haha, I already use newspaper/paper towels. I'm getting a burrowing snake so I need something that it'll feel safe in, considering jimis boas don't use hides and I want the availability for them to burrow.

How would indented kraft paper work for burrowing? I don't think I understand like I'm supposed to..