substrate info for bp???

[boa+python]

Is sand a good substrate for a ball python or am i better off using wood chips from a pet store, i want the cage to look natural so news paper is out of the question, if anyone has any good substrate ideas they would be greatly appreciated. THANKS

:dumb: :dumb: :dumb: :dumb:

[boa+python]

I Think I Am Going To Use The Bark/wood Chips You Can Buy At A Pet Store Because I Have Just Found Out That Sand Is Not Very Good For Ball Pythons, If You Have Any Other Suggestions They Would Greatly Be Appreciated Thanks

[Jeff_Favelle]

Bark chips are great. Cypress bark seems to be the preferred substrate of th pros. Orchid bark works as well!

[Bass Assassin]

I use paper towel and news paper with but make sure if you use them you have a hide box with sphagnum moss init for humidity.

[kronic2005]

Hey, i was just wondering how often sphagnum moss should be changed wen you have it in your ball pythons hide?

[Muhahaha]

i use bark chips, theyre geat, they last a long time and they look really nice

[pitviper10]

Aspen shavings are great, and they too look nice.

[kronic2005]

how often should the aspen shavings and bark chips be replaced completely? once a month?

[justinO]

Originally Posted by Jeff_Favelle

Bark chips are great. Cypress bark seems to be the preferred substrate of th pros. Orchid bark works as well!

what Jeff said! Plus sphagnum for humidity if you like...

Mine are all on towels, but I'm sure that's not the look you are going for, ha ha

SUBSTRATE LINK

this is Tim Cranwill's FAQ section, it's got lots of helpful tips!

Jessy

[rrrrr]

Originally Posted by kronic2005

how often should the aspen shavings and bark chips be replaced completely? once a month?

When necessary. I'm sure that's not the answer you were looking for. It depends on the ventilation, water-dish spillage, thoroughness and frequency of spot cleaning etc. I used to use aspen and I'd guess I changed it every 6-8 weeks for my colubrids, and less often for my pythons. Bullsnakes have messy poop.

Any sign of mold and you need to clean everything and replace the substrate.

[kronic2005]

Thanks for the info . What about spaghnum moss? if i add that to his hide how often should that be changed?

[YoungBuck]

Personally I use course pine shavings...works well for me~! Easy to control humidity with spraying or not~! Plus it's cheap and easy to scoop into the garbage with a dust pan. Only downside is that I find that I vacum my snake room alot more now

[justinO]

Originally Posted by YoungBuck

Personally I use course pine shavings...works well for me~! Easy to control humidity with spraying or not~! Plus it's cheap and easy to scoop into the garbage with a dust pan. Only downside is that I find that I vacum my snake room alot more now

uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, as far as I know, pine is pretty bad. It might work for you, but I'd be afraid what condition the internal organs of your snakes are.

keep the pine for rats.

[Princess Erica]

Originally Posted by kronic2005

Thanks for the info . What about spaghnum moss? if i add that to his hide how often should that be changed?

You really only need a moist hide during shed cycles. Add damp (not sopping wet) moss to something like a plastic butter dish with a hole cut in the top and mist it when it gets dry throughout the shed. You shouldn't need to change the moss for the week-plus that it'll be in there, but keep an eye on the situation. You can also use damp paper towels for the same effect.

[Bluzmn59]

The pine is a real bad idea - not healthy for any reptiles to take internally. I use Astro-turf for my boas and they seem to like it. It is better looking that newspaper, nowhere as messy as mulch, etc., and very easy to clean. You can get a roll of it cheap at Home Depot, cut a couple of pieces for each cage and usually just pick feces and urates out of the cage. If it gets messy, throw the other piece in the cage and soak the soiled piece in a bucket with water and a little bleach. Hope this helps.