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Husbandry and Basic Care General stuff about keeping and maintaining cornsnakes in captivity.

Aspen as a substrate = dangerous??
 
 
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Old 03-03-2007, 03:03 PM   #1
Hypancistrus
Aspen as a substrate = dangerous??

Okay, I know a lot of us were involved in the thread started by Waldo recently regarding a situation on another board with regards to aspen as a substrate. A long-time poster on that board has stated that he feels aspen is an "unnecessary risk" for snakes as tiny pieces or fragments of aspen can get stuck to the snakes vent and if pulled into the snakes body, will decay and cause infections of the cloaca which can be fatal. This is truly the first I have EVER heard of such a thing... and I am saying this as a person who considers myself to be this fellows friend.

The one "information source" that popped up in this discussion was from Melissa Kaplan's page. I am not sure how I feel about her as a credible source of information, but here it is:
Quote:
Particulate substrates, even when made from "natural" or "biodegradable" products such as plant fibers, should not be used for any lizard who smells with its tongue. Particles become stuck to the tongue and are swallowed. Over time, they may build up in the gut causing a serious, even fatal, impaction.

Particulate substrates can be problematic for both snakes and lizards as it can become stuck to their hemipenes or everted cloacal tissues when they are defecating, being taken up into the cloaca when the tissue or hemipenes are retracted. This can cause injury and/or infection.
Source: Melissa Kaplan's Reptile Substrate Page

The thing about HER pages are that they contradict themselves. It seems like she thinks snakes should NOT be kept on ANY particulate substrates at all, but then later she says:
Quote:
Shavings
Aspen and pine shavings may be used for snakes and fossorial lizards. The shavings cannot be cleaned and so have to be removed and replaced with fresh shavings when soiled. At least once a month, all shavings should be removed and disposed of, and the entire enclosure cleaned and disinfected before new shavings are placed inside. Cedar shavings are toxic for all animals and should never be used in predator or prey enclosures. Cedar and redwood should not be used in constructing housing for any animal, nor in any furniture or paneling in a room in which any animals are housed.
So which is it??

It seems that the individual in question also claims that aspen is bad because no snake would naturally live on wood chips in the wild, but that seems silly if you advocating keeping snakes on reptile carpet. The dangers of reptiles carpet, to me, FAR outweigh any percieved benefit. It can be dangerous to animals with toe nails, it is difficult to clean, impossible to sanitize, and provides no burrowing opportunities (I know corns don't tend to burrow naturally, but mine seems to enjoy it).

Of all the option she lists BESIDES aspen, these seem the best.
Quote:
Other Materials

Terry Cloth Towels
Terry cloth towels may be inexpensively obtained from thrift shops. They are easily cleaned and disinfected by machine washing in hot water, soap, and bleach. They are especially suited for reptiles in quarantine or with abdominal injuries.

Linoleum
Self-stick tiles may be inexpensively obtained from building supply stores. They may be grouted around the outside edges with aquarium silicone grout. Linoleum tiles are easily cleaned and disinfected and provide a durable flooring for large arboreal lizards and snakes.
But again, is it even worth the bother?? I think that many of us have significant others that would object to varying degrees to use using our family washing machines to launder our poopy snake towels. At least, I do.

In essence, this discussion has gotten me thinking in depth about substrate choices. I have considered going to aspen "sani-chips," as I have seen a high degree of variance in the aspen I currently purchase- some is well shredded and fine, and other packs are rather dusty and contain large and somewhat abrasive pieces.

What does everyone else think about this? Can anyone shed further light on the issue of cloacal infections due to pieces of wood fiber being brought up into the body during defecation?? I particularly am interested in the thoughts of long-term breeders, who, by sheer numbers have basically seen every problem that could possibly crop up.
 
 

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