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commonly used substrates and their ratings

SAND

:confused: I just inherited a cornsnake from a friend. I got the whole setup free and it had sand at the bottom. All these posts mention aspen, pine and paper but no sand. . . Is this a suitable substrate for corns? Should I switch? Many of you sem more pro and into breeding, I just have the one as a pet, are their any major health issues with the calcium sand? Should I feed on it?

And completely unrelated: how do you determine sex in snakes?
 
Sand of any sort is a no-no for corn snakes. They're more of a temperate climate species and sand would just be a nuisance and possibly a health hazard for them.

It can get in nasal pasages and give the snake a respiratory infection, it can be ingested in large enough quantities to cause a possibly fatal impaction, and it can get under scales and cause rubbing and severe irritation.

And no, no feeding on any loose-type of substrate is recommended. You can feed on paper towel or newspaper however, as I doubt there's any danger of the snake ingesting the comics anytime soon. =P

I would get rid of the sand as soon as possible and put your snake on newspaper or paper towels until you find the substrate that you like best. Hopefully it will not have been too late for problems from the sand.

Unlike other hobbies where the elite do things differently than the common hobbyist, all corn snake owners utilize all sorts of substrates for their snakes. Anyone from Rich to me can use newspaper if they want. It's all mostly personal preference.

And as for sexing, I would recommend you make an appointment with a vet that specializes in reptiles to have them professionally sex your snake. It also would be a good idea to get the snake a good once over to make sure the sand hasn't caused any health issues and to check for parasites or disease. Always a good proactive stance to take.
 
I got a bag of Repti-Bark for my snake. It seems to work well but next time I buy substrate I may try something less expensive.
 
Hi Folks -

(1) I just got my first snake yesterday (a 16" motley-striped cutie named "Ziggy"). For my substrate I purchased the Fluker's brand "washable terrarium substrate" repta-liner. Basically, it's a carpet. My cage is a 40-gallon "Critter Cage" brand glass terrarium.

I would, however, prefer to switch as some point soon to Aspen shredding or chips, as I'd prefer a more natural look. My question is - if they like to burrow in it, what prevents them from touching the bottom glass surface on the half where the heating pad resides? Couldn't this burn the belly? I am assuming it's just a matter of getting enough depth to the substrate...like 2 inches thick???

(2) Also, do I need to remove the entire carpet and clean the feces everytime "Ziggy" answers the call of mother nature? or is it effective to just reach in and spot-clean the immediate area?

Thanks for sharing your insight with this newbie!

-Chris
 
Re: substrate

Hi Chris,

I tape two layers of paper towels on the glass bottom before adding the substrate, then my snake can't burrow underneath it and burn on the glass. I put about 2 inches of substrate and that seems to keep him happy burrowing.

As for the carpet, I heard it is best to have two handy so that when you wash one, you can replace it with the other (or use newspaper). Spot cleaning might be OK for the short run but eventually you'll want to wash it to prevent bacteria building up as I hear the moisture can get underneath and cause bacterial growth.
 
at what temperatures can a corn get burnt? Since I added my thermostat, the glass over my matt stays steady at 85 degrees. Prior to that, it was close to 120 at times. I'm assuming 85 is more than safe. Is this correct? I have reptile carpet taped down over the UTC (under the aspen) but plan to take it up when I clean the tank just to keep the tank more hygenic. I had it there to prevent burns.
 
I use newspaper (not shredded) for my adult snakes, and paper towells for my hatchlings. Using paper (for me) makes it a lot quicker to clean them up since I have quite a few.
 
Hemp

Has anyone used the Hemp product now available? (as seen in Wal-Mart)
Is it a safe substrate?
I had read that Pine was not to be used but that is obviously incorrect.
I currently use Aspen (it is a bit dusty) and don't plan on using anything else unless this Hemp product is safe.

anyone care to comment?
 
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Eco Earth

mattsnake, you forgot the best eco earth. Its compressed coconut fiber expandable substrate. Its cost is pretty minamal, $10 for three bricks. It does not give any smell, the snakes can burrow very easily, and it really looks natural. Ill post a pic of my viv to show all of you.
 
i also use eco earth and it is perfect!! :) it smell good, keeps a good humidity level, easy to clean, snakes love to hide into it and it look awesome!!!
 
newt said:
mattsnake, you forgot the best eco earth. Its compressed coconut fiber expandable substrate. Its cost is pretty minamal, $10 for three bricks. It does not give any smell, the snakes can burrow very easily, and it really looks natural. Ill post a pic of my viv to show all of you.
Click to expand...

I agree, I was reading through all the posts to see if anyone mentioned it. I've actually found the same substrate under several different brands and despite differences in prices, they all seem the same to me. I used aspen for the first year I had Mach, but have been much happier with the coconut. For one, it's entirely digestible, I've not had a problem with it in the last 3 years. I use several bricks in my 50 gal tank, and he loves to burrough in it. It also seems to distribute moisture well, which leads me to my question..... How much humidity is best for a corn, I've heard so many conflicting things, if anyone can give me a straight answer. I live in Las Vegas which is extremely dry, so this is of major concern to me, it's a constant battle to keep any ambient moisture in the tank at all, so suggestions would be great, also what works best for maintaing the correct moisture level. Look forward to hearing from all of you experienced herp lovers out there.
Thanks,
Heather :cheers:
 
For good shedding someone found that (I believe it was) 53% humidity worked well. I don't think you'd need that high all of the time though. Too much humidity is worse than not enough. The Cornsnake Manual says they like humidity, but to watch for skin blistering and other signs of excessive moisture. Daily misting they say is beneficial.
 
Does anyone know where you could purchase some of that coconut substrate in bulk? I curently use aspen shavings and have had no problems with it, but my mom hates the smell, and it can be dusty. Thanx!
 
I Just started using Cage carpet and I love it. No Dust, Nothing for the snake to ingest, And it comes in a 2 pack so you always have a fresh one ready. It also disperses the heat from my under tank heater perfectly. Missy my snow corn seams to love it. I think it feels good on her belly because she has been a lot more active crawling back and forth over it all night. No worries any more about impactation, Borrowing under and getting burt by the heater etc. But it all comes down to personal preference and what your snake likes. Hope this helps.
P.S. although the price is higher it is reausable so it pays off in the end. Plus it looks very nice.
 
speaking of aspen

I use aspen shavings for all of my snakes.
Much easier to spot clean, reduces odor, fairly cheap and looks better then paper towels or newspaper.
I just changed the aspen in all of my containers yesterday.
I have a 55 gallon tank split in half for two snakes
four 20 gallon tanks
two 30 gallon tanks
two 10 gallon tanks
fifeteen 28 quart rubbermade containers
and twenty six 6 quart rubbermade containers.
This took a while to do but aspen is well worth it.
Now today I get to do complete substrate changes in my two 55 gallon and one 125 gallon bearded dragon tanks...yipee?

by the way...the cage carpet or reptile carpet holds odor and moisture and helps to promote bacteria. To many things have to be rearranged, in the tank, to replace it and it has to be done more often.
just not a favorite of mine
 
We used to use reptile carpet but I found it a major pain to clean and it really smelled bad when a snake poo'd on it. We switched to fir chips (Exo-Terra Forrest bark), which is the same as Repti-Bark, and never looked back. It's a little bit expensive and I've thought about trying aspen but haven't done so yet.
 
The only problem I found with repti-bark, is that I couldn't easily find the poop in it, since it was the same color. I use aspen now for my amel, and since the Aztec is being fed in the viv, she's on paper.
 
Eco Earth

I'd just call your local pet stores, I've seen it sold in 3 "brick" packs. I have a 55 gallon tank and 2 bricks is plenty for Mach to tunnel through. I know that PetCo sells it. It also lasts longer than any other substrate I've used. Take my advice, don't follow the instructions that tell you to squeeze the stuff out, it took forever and killed my hands. Just use half the water or however much it takes to get it all wet, put it in a big bucket or rubbermaid container and let it sit in the water over night. In the morning, stir it up by hand and put in your reptile's home
 
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