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Pine substrate?

~slither~

~slither~

Mr Dan Mansell
I've just been scouring some old threads and saw one about substrates. I was thinking about changing mine to something a little darker, so I had a read. It mentioned that pine was toxic, and TBH I have no idea if mine is pine or not.

Can I get some opinions if it is, here's a couple of pics. (the colours in the two are very different because of lighting, but it's the same stuff, came from the same bag.)

Picture 1 Picture 2

If it is she'll have to go on paper for a day or two till I can get it sorted.
Thanks, Dan
 
All the pine I've ever seen I was able to see the grain in it, pine is a tad bit yellower too. Yours looks like aspen to me!
 
I just wish I could tell. The reason I'm worried is that it's from my local greengrocers and there's no label on the bag. I've even googled it but can't tell from the results.
 
I think it looks like pine. Pine has an aromatic odor to it that's hard to miss. This is most likely what leads some folks to think it is "toxic". 20 yrs ago, aspen was not a readily available substrate at most pet shops, you had corn cob and pine. I used them both for a long time and never had any issues. Like Mary-Beth said, ventilation is the key. In glass aquaria with a screen top, I wouldn't think twice about pine. In a sterilite tub with solid lid, well no I probably wouldn't use it :cheers:
 
Right I'll go and smell it, lol. honestly I will. My viv is wooden with sliding glass front and two circular vents in the back, do you think being in this with it, if it is pine, would cause any harm?
 
I wouldn't get fanatic over it. How long have you had the snake in that setup with that substrate? Any shedding issues, or breathing disorders? If you can find aspen, it is no doubt a better choice, but personally I think you're fine :cheers:
 
I've just googled aspen and it does look very similar, but the actual shape of the bits was different. I just smelt it, and it smells like wood. Have you ever been in somewhere thats newly built with alot of wood, or a woodworkshop? it smells just like that. I didn't think it was aromatic, but heck I'm a 19 year old guy how would I know if it smells aromatic?
And I didn't notice any grain in it. I just wish I knew a carpenter, lol.
 
It definately looks like aspen to me. The shape of the chips doesn't matter, that just depends on how it's cut up. And what you described is exactly what aspen smells like, I use it as bedding for my hamsters so I know. Maybe you could ask the person you buy it from what it is?
 
I've used the stuff for around 6-8 months. I've had 1 bad shed, the rest perfect, which I blame on feeding her during blue, and stretching the skin.
No other disorders that i know of.
I would like to know, as my rats use it aswell, and I believe it's possible that it can really shorten their lifespans. Thanks for the opinions everyone.
 
Sure looks like pine to me. I've never seen aspen like that before. Most is either shredded or big chips---nothing that fine.
 
And the way you described the smell, like being in a workshop with a lot of wood being cut, that's pine. Aspen does not smell that strong
 
I used pine for years and never had a single problem with colubrids, but since my collection has grown quite large I now use news paper for simplicity, and hatchling/newborns are on paper towels.
 
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