Substrate

[Jr Nimeskern]

Hi all im new to this site... im a new owner of cornsnakes... I just started this week I have 2 corn snakes... my question is what kind of substrate should I use?:confused: I've gone to my pet stores around here and they keep telling me diffrent things... I think so they can get my money :mad: but I'm not sure... can someone help :confused:

[Alicia]

I personally use aspen. Newspaper and paper towels are also used. Never use cedar and I don't recommend pine (just my personal opinion). I like aspen because it is absorbent and the feces can be scooped out easily. The snakes like it because they can burrow thru it making tunnels and hides. Hope this helps. I'm sure you will get some other responses that will help you make your decision. :)


Alicia

[Simon]

Agreeing with Alicia. Using aspen bedding is cheap and it's good for the snake too. As Alicia said newspaper and paper towl is used too. But then They don't look as good as using aspen bedding. I buy them in blukes and they are only around $25 dollars each and it last around 3 months. So I would say aspen is good!

Good luck and Happy Herping!

[Jr Nimeskern]

right now i have some bone sand??? it clumps good with the poop... but then ive heard that it keeps the humity low... does it really matter... i havent read anything about the bone sand being good or being bad in any of my cornsnake manuals or on any internet sit... where do i get aspen? and what does it look like?

[Alicia]

Sand should be used for desert type herps and corns are not. The humidity is very important for corns. If the humidity is too low they will be uncomfortable, have trouble shedding and could become dehydrated. The dehydration is especially important to watch for in young/small corns. Aspen can be found in most pet shops small & large or most Wal Marts. You can also find it on line, I don't have any web sites in mind right now maybe someone who orders theirs on the net can point you to a source.
Hope you find some soon. For now tho I would put some newspaper down .

:) Alicia

[Serpwidgets]

BTW--they aren't Ball Pythons, that's for sure--but humidity will eventually get ya if you ignore it. :)

Sand can also be annoying when it gets caught between their ventral scales... they hate that.

You can get aspen via mail order (with cheap shipping) from Bush Herpetological Supply (http://www.bushherp.com/).

[Jr Nimeskern]

hmmm... speaking about ball pythons... I have a burmese python... what kind of substrate should i use for her??? aspen??? i have some cypruse forest wood stuff for her right now... but it looks like it has termites... these lil and i mean lil white bugs... and she seems to alwasy be in the water... i know it dont deal with our beloved cornsnakes... but i would really like to know about this... thanks Serpwidgets... i checked out all your sights... and i must say im very impressed...
corny...

[Matt L]

Corny,
I'm guessing that your Burmese is still on the small side.
Basically the same rules apply. I like Aspen! it has no odor,very little dust and seems to last longer than everything else I've tried.
NO cedar! and to be safe I would leave the pine for the rodents. I have used cypress mulch--It's alot cheaper than aspen, but very dusty. When your Burmese gets to 10feet+, they can krap as much as my 80 pound dog. A couple pieces of out door carpet works very well. I cut a few pieces to fit the bottom of the cage and rotate them, wash them with the hose and make sure they dry completly. Good Luck!

[lynn]

Hi Corny, I read all of the post's on this site and I think just about everyone use's the aspen, it seem's to be the most popular and best for the snake. At the moment I'm just using paper towel's till she is bigger. But in the cornsnake manual by Kathy Love it say's that pine is toxic. Good luck with your corn's they are a brilliant snake.:)

[Kevin M]

Aspen is the way to go. You can use newspapers or paper towels for younger corns. But Im not stating anything new here am I?

-Kev

[jim]

corny,
i've read that if you use sand as a substrate with snakes and you cage-feed they can ingest it and become impacted. the other big problem is the humidity. for substrate i use all god's creatures litter. it is a chipped hardwood substrate with no cedar or pine and very low dust. i think it is a little more expensive than cedar but i like it because it provides a firmer surface for the snake to crawl on while still being easy to burrow into.just thought i'd give my 1.5 cents. (due to inflation jim's opinion isn't quite worth what it once was) enjoy!!! ---jim

[Jr Nimeskern]

thanks all for the advice... i just bought some aspen for my corns... i think theyll like it... how about the poop? with the sand... the poop is like a little bit liquid... and it runs all ova... will the aspen work good against it... and if it does obsorbe the poop... how much should i take out?

[Jr Nimeskern]

oh and yes my burmese python is small shes only 4 ft. long but shes only like 4 months old...:D
what can i say cant wait till shes a giant:eek:

[Traci]

I do not use any substrate. I have used different shavings for other animals I have had and I started using it for him, but there can be dust in them and I had an animal die due to the dust collecting in his lungs so I am afraid of using the stuff. I just use that reptile carpet. Is that ok? Thanks.

[Alicia]

Cage carpet is good too. I use it under my Aspen so that my snakes can't lay directly on the uth. I just make sure I have xtras on hand that are clean when I clean cages. It's unfortunate when you have a bad experience, but I can honestly say that the Aspen I buy has very little dust. The snakes really like burrowing thru it and it gives them a place to hide and feel secure:)

[Jr Nimeskern]

Ok I went out and bought some aspen... now i have just a few questions... when my snake poops will they usually do it on the top? or will they do it underneth the aspen? and how will i know if they pooped under there? i think im only goin to clean out the tank like every month... ill take out any poo that is on top... but will it be unsanitary? if I dont clean the bottom? cause that would be too much work to take out all the aspen sort it looking for all the poo... what do you think?

[nicky]

Well like many people already said aspen works very well cuz it's cheap and snakes love to dig in it. I'd stay away from anything with cocanut or pine sand's ok but not for hatchlings cuz they might swollow it. I personally uses t-rex all oraginic bedding it's a dark brown soil which my corn loves to dig in it expands and is affordable all thoe i'm thinking of switching to aspen

[Kevin M]

Corns can and will poop on top, in the middle at the bottom and just about anywhere else if given the chance. I suggest you check everyday (Or whatever your schedule may be) and "fluff" through it all. Its rather quick. The aspen bedding is light enough that you can spot the soiled parts rather quickly.

-Kev

[peteworrall]

I have been keeping snakes and lizards for ten years or so. For the last few years I have been using normal sand (silver sand or playground sand) with no trouble. My snakes all shed OK, and the humidity issue does not seem to apply. They VERY occasionally sit in the water bowl for a day or so, which is fairly normal, and both eat really well.

To minimise ingestion of sand, I feed them both on a large flat rock in their tank. They will sometimes move off this when feeding, but this does not cause any problems.

I believe their wild habitats include sandy (semi-desert) regions, so I shouldn't worry too much about using sand. It's a lot cheaper than aspen (although I STILL don't know what aspen is...).

Cheers.

Pete