Substrate

[redmantodd]

I read in the husbandry faq that Repti-bark is ok to use. This substrate is made of fir bark. Somewhere else I read that substrate made from soft woods like pine, fir and cedar have phenols that are not good for ball pythons. Is this Repti-bark from ZooMed ok to use or not? Thanks.

Best,
Red

[RichardA]

I do not use Repti-bark any more. I use Cypress mulch as do quite a few others.

[redmantodd]

I do not use Repti-bark any more. I use Cypress mulch as do quite a few others.

Did it cause problems for your snake or did you not use it long enough to notice anything? I just bought some and then read that it could be harmful. Man I need to stop asking questions at the local pet store.

Best,
Red

[RichardA]

It usually has wood mites in it....which is okay....easy to fix just freeze it over night. But it is way more $$$ then other subs. So just not worth it to me. Seems to stick to feeders more too and get in the water.

[open_eyes]

iv always just used newspaper with my bp, its simple, easy to clean and it cant be injested.

[Mr. Constrictor]

iv always just used newspaper with my bp, its simple, easy to clean and it cant be injested.

Couldn't agree more. Plus its cheap. I've used the Repti Bark and I didnt care for it. I also don't feel that "spot cleaning" is cleaning.

[Oxylepy]

Depends on how you spot clean. In my 65 gallon that I'm now getting rid of, I'd just grab a huge chunk of substrate so that I got all of the liquid urine out of the tank, and then I'd replace it with more substrate and fluff it all. But if you're just picking out the pee/poo then you are leaving tons of chemicals in the substrate, and especially ammonia which isn't good for the snake's health.

Personally I use aspen because it's a lot easier to see things in it (pee stands out as a super white, while poop is a brown, both of which easy to notice on the off white of aspen).

[TheVipersHouse]

the best thing to use for ball pythons as substrate is either 1 of these 2 items
Newspaper or most commonly used is Aspen Bedding
which Aspen is perfect for them due to the fact its digestable should they eat any ..

hope this helps

[redmantodd]

Thanks everybody. I was reading the other day about substrates and somewhere someone wrote that fir has phenols that are dangerous to balls. I will be using aspen or newspaper (which we never have a shortage of) from now on. Again, thanks.

Best,
Red

[hawaiianice99]

another inexpensive alternative is paper towels, i go to the dollar store and but a couple rolls every other week or so. it also looks a little nicer than newspaper and is easier to clean than aspen. being that its light in color also helps to to monitor your snakes leavings, and spot mites easily.