Another newbie question about bedding ;-)

[Stefanie]

Hello Forum!

After doing plenty of google'ing I ended up here, in hopes I can get some answers out of experienced snake owners =)

We're looking into getting our first (corn) snake and I'm trying to set the tank up perfectly before getting the snake.

I've reconstructed my old 35gal. Aquarium, got a screen for the top, and - because it's about as tall as it's long - got both a heating pad for under the tank and a heating lamp to shine from the top. I'll monitor the temperature for a couple days after I finished setting up the tank before I make the trip to purchase the snake.

I've read and read and read posts after posts about bedding. It seems Cedar shavings, Cypress mulch or Coconut fiber are the ways to go.

But I have a couple of questions .......

a) Cedar shavings: I understand the snake will burrow into the shavings to snuggle in them - understandably so. Is there the risk of it burrowing so "deep" down that it can get burned from the heating pad attached to the bottom half of the tank?! And I imagine it being a PITA to clean, trying to find the feces of a baby corn in those shavings ... is it that hard?

b) Cypress Mulch: Can you even spot clean mulch by spotting the poo?! Or do you have to exchange the entire mulch each time you clean the tank?
(I guess that same question goes for the coconut fiber lol!)

I really really really don't want to use newspapers or just paper towels. Due to the eye-sore reason.

I'd appreciate any info I can get. I'm a newb in the whole snake department and try to not kill our new baby as soon as it moves into it's new home /sigh.

Thank you and have a good night

 

[Cassie16]

I personally love aspen. It's cheap, fluffy, and not dusty. You can find it anywhere, and you can economize by buying in bulk (I think there was recently a discussion about using hamster aspen shavings, which is perfectly acceptable, and cheaper as well) I used bark once, and I felt like it had to be uncomfortable to slither on.

My snake hides under the aspen probably more than he uses any of his actual hides. I also like it because you can look under the glass and see where he's been tunneling; useful for getting a good gauge as to what temperature he prefers (or if he's staying predominantly on one side, which may mean you need to adjust temps_

I've never had to "dig around" to find any snake poop. It's usually sitting right on top. All snakes are different, and I'm sure some might go on the very bottom, but I'm lucky enough to have one who obviously does his business with my preferences in mind

 

[Stefanie]

LOL you seem to have a well-trained snake right there

Thank you for responsing so quickly.

Are you using an under tank heater? Also, do you moisten the aspen bedding by misting it during shedding?

Looking under the tank to see the travel-route sounds handy, but I can't do that as my tank sits on a solid piece of furniture lol. Too bad!

 

[bitsy]

Any soft wood with resinous properties is generally advised against, as the sap can cause respiritory problems (although this is under discussion a bit more recently). So generally, I'd go more for aspen than cedar.

Spot cleaning by taking out poop as soon as you see it, is recommended - just take out the dirty handful, give the floor surface underneath a clean and replace with a handful of fresh. Do a thorough check maybe once a week for "stealth poop" - they love to go in inaccessible parts of the tank or behind hides etc where it's sometimes difficult to spot! Replace the whole lot once every 4-6 weeks.

I don't worry about humidity unless the shed is a problem. Depends on your local conditions - if you use aircon or heating, those are more likely to dry the air. I avoid general misting as I don't like the idea that the snake can't get out of the high humidity, but that's just me. It works fine for other folks here. I prefer to put a humid hide in the tank so the snake can choose to use it if necessary.

 

[smallet]

Cedar is a definite don't! Cedar is toxic to reptiles. As far as them burrowing in it....they will. Which is why you have to regulate your UTH with a rheostat or thermostat.

Shredded bedding seems to be the best IMO. It allows the snakes to burrow and the poop seems to sit on top better for cleaning. But I have used shavings as well and the snakes don't seem to mind. Either seems to look good in the viv. Paper towels are still reccommended any time you have health issues though. Some prefer them when the snakes are young also as it is easier to see evidence of successful digestion.

As for misting, not sure what others do but I mist the snake and maybe it's hide if they are in shed and the aspen gets it a bit as well. But not too much of problem. I check all my snakes after every shed just to make sure there are no issues anyways. I find the odd tail tip that needs to be wet down and removed. But it usually comes off with ease.

Hope it helps.

ps. Just a suggestion: Buy either Kathy Love's book on corn snakes or Don Soderbergs or both. They cover everything from A-Z on Corn Snakes and you will be glad to have them as you go along. And they are inexpensive to buy, but the info between the covers is priceless.

 

[Stefanie]

Ugh, that was my bad. /blush
I was meaning to type Aspen, I WAS talking about Aspen (albeit only in my head) and typed out Cedar. They all kind of tumbled together after reading so much about the different beddings. But thank you for jumping up in Alarm! That's much appreciated =)

@ Bitsy : "Stealth Poop" LOL! Awesome

Depends on your local conditions - if you use aircon or heating, those are more likely to dry the air. I avoid general misting as I don't like the idea that the snake can't get out of the high humidity, but that's just me. It works fine for other folks here. I prefer to put a humid hide in the tank so the snake can choose to use it if necessary.

Thank you for mentioning that the snake wouldn't be able to "escape" the humidity, I didn't think of that.
We live in Mississippi. So although the humidity in the air is THROUGH the roof outside of the house, the AC Is running pretty much all day long to keep it down inside the house. So I'm a little concerned about the humidity in the tank. I've done a lot of reading and purchased some nontoxic live plants to put in the tank. I've cleaned and steralized their pots, cleaned the plants and potted them in Coconut fiber. I'm hoping that they will help control the humidity and give the snake some more shaded darker areas in the tank.

Some prefer them when the snakes are young also as it is easier to see evidence of successful digestion.

Hmmm, maybe I should change to Aspen later on if we happen to get a Baby ...
I did order Don Sonderbergs book a LONG time ago and for some reason the seller missed the order. So after weeks of waiting to get my questions answered I started online research lol. The book is shipped now, and should arrive this week. Can't wait

Thanks for your replies!