Change out substrate?

Hi, Zaya's mom here. We've had Zaya (juvenile female) several weeks now and she seems to be doing great, she even completed her first shed yesterday.

Anyway, we keep her with aspen bedding which I've been spot cleaning and fluffing up for her. I just read something that made me realize that perhaps I should be totally replacing her substrate; is this true? How often should it be totally replaced?

Thanks very much for any help!

I do a full change every 4-6 weeks or so. Depends on how deep you keep it, how messy the snake is, etc. One of mine likes to soak a lot and get her substrate all wet...

When I used aspen I'd do a complete change once a month, spot cleaning as necessary. Now I use paper towels instead, and clean each container after a defecation.

Thank you both. I will but a new bag of aspen shavings since we've had her for 6 weeks now.

it's a good idea to "Clean the Tank" (disinfect) while changing the substrate too. Just as you sometimes clean your bathroom or kitchen, vacuum your carpets, you should do the same for your snake's home too. Simply tossing in fresh Aspen might be nice, but any germs living in the cage are still there. Yes, there are germs in snakes, mice, poop, etc...

Some of these germs can make your snake ill. There are several commercially available Reptile Cage Cleaners on the market you can use. A lot of people make their own by mixing about a tablespoon of bleach to a cup of water. Some people even use Vinegar. Vinegar is an excellent disinfectant.

Anyway, I no longer use Aspen myself, but I do have to clean snake poop out of my cage like everyone else. I spot clean immediately when I see the need for it, and once a week I switch my bedding out (I use Reptile Carpet). I have 2 pieces cut to size. I use the clean one and wash the dirty one. I always have 1 ready. When I change it out I completely clean the cage. This means I clean the furnishings too. I usually run some water in the bathtub, put in a little bleach, and toss in the soiled piece of carpet, the vines, the hides, etc..... Rinse everything off and I'm good to go. It doesn't take very long and it's sort of my "Sunday Morning" Routine. I usually wrap Rufus, My snake, around my neck as I do this. After all, it's his home and he likes to watch and supervise.

Thank you Karl_McKnight for your response. I did wash out the inside of the tank with very diluted unscented dish detergent when I swapped out the bedding, but I am guilty of not cleaning her other furnishings except for wiping out her hides. Do you even soak wood in the diluted bleach? Bleach is such a no-no with tropical fish that I am leery of using it around animals.

What do you use instead of aspen shavings? I see that Twolunger uses paper towels.

Thanks again!

When I do use bleach, which is not often and only for specific purposes, I rinse very well and use Prime which is a dechlorinator for aquarium use.

The first step in cleaning is washing well and your detergent wash if well done is very effective. I used vinegar but recently switched to F10 which is a veterinary disinfectant. I just find the smell more pleasant.

The most important thing is to promptly clean up any feces. I don't even try to sterilize everything. I believe that is overkill. There is a balance to keeping things clean so that your snake's immune system is not overwhelmed by a large number of pathogens in close quarters vs. not challenging their immune systems at all.

P.S. I never soak wood. I wipe it off. If needed dried feces can be scraped off then wiped down. Baking for 30 minutes at 200 degrees is an effective way to sterilize wooden objects.

Originally Posted by beckyhiker

Thank you Karl_McKnight for your response. I did wash out the inside of the tank with very diluted unscented dish detergent when I swapped out the bedding, but I am guilty of not cleaning her other furnishings except for wiping out her hides. Do you even soak wood in the diluted bleach? Bleach is such a no-no with tropical fish that I am leery of using it around animals.

What do you use instead of aspen shavings? I see that Twolunger uses paper towels.

Thanks again!

As I stated above I use Reptile Carpet rather than Aspen. I've used aspen before, as well as paper towels, newspapers, and currently Reptile Carpet. I just like it better.

I actually use a Reptile Cage Cleaner produced by "National Geographic" that most pet shops sell. I use it on the cage itself, the glass bottom, sides and trim.

I run a little water in the bath tub and add bleach to wash out the carpet, the flat slate rocks and the plastic vines, his cave hide and his water bowl. I do not use that on the wood half logs. I use an old discarded toothbrush and warm soapy water on the wood.

Everything inside the cage was acquired from a pet store or online. I'm not a big fan of bringing rocks or branches from outside and placing them in the cage for the reason they can contain ticks, mites, bugs, germs, fungus, who knows what kinds of other pathogens. As DollysMom pointed out you can bake wood or rocks in the over and kill most of that stuff. I did bake my rocks and half logs when I first introduced them into the cage, but I have not baked them sense. If you bring stuff in from outdoors I would highly recommend it.

Although some of us use paper towels, it is usually because we have multiple corns and utilize a rack system. With multiple snakes hygiene is so very important, and you can't take a chance on disease or internal parasites infecting them. I have heard that the Reptile Carpet is a good substrate, or tank liner, especially when cleaned as Karl described. I used bleach for many years, mixed with anti-bacterial soap, but my Vet suggested ammonia rather than bleach. She said ammonia will kill some organisms unaffected by bleach, so I follow her advice.

I have several snakes of various species. I use either Aspen or Reptichip, based on humidity needs. I spot clean daily as needed and have them on a 4-6 week deep clean rotation. When I spot clean, I use F10 on a paper towel to wipe off the cage bottom area. I deep clean with F10 and Citrus II, a hospital cleaner that I order on line. It has no lingering odor, rinses cleanly, and it's great for water bowls. Water bowls are kept filled and rinsed every other day. On deep clean day, I soak them in a bleach and water solution to easily remove any scale buildup, then a good wash with the Citrus II. I, too, bake all wood products and I only buy them New and commercially, never from outside. This summer I'm going to make them little jungle gyms for their cages. Evause the wood makes me nervous. I've seen some scary things fall out of wood and cork in the oven.