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Hamster aspen vs reptile aspen?

M

Muzby

New member
Hey guys, just wondering if there is a difference in the aspen you can buy for a small animal and the aspen the one they sell in the reptile sections? Obviously it looks different.. but is it important that the wooden pieces are small and shredded for snakes? Or are the larger "flakes" of shaving okay too?

A HUGE bag of hamster shavings is $20, and a small bag of snake shavings is $10. :(
 
i just started using the Keytee brand aspen, i really don't see the difference. the Kaytee has bigger chips though than the shredded reptile stuff. so DEFINITELY don't be feeding on the substrate
 
Thanks for the reply.

No, we feed in seperate bins, so no worries about that.. I guess the snake stuff just looks nicer, but there isn't much difference!
 
Its the same thing, its just a marketing ploy. I found shredded aspen at my walmart, just as shredded as the snake aspen sold at the pet stores. For $3.20. It was a small compressed bag, but it was more than enough for me to clean out and completely replace the aspen in six 15qt tubs and three 32qt tubs.

If you ever can make it to a reptile expo, pick up a bag of Harlan shredded aspen. Its a HUGE compressed bag that will last you forever (probably too long if you only have a snake or two), and it usually runs about $15.
 
ratsncorns said:
Its the same thing, its just a marketing ploy....
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This reminds me of the Zoo Med "Turtle" bones which to any bird keeper would be known as a Cuttle bone. Just put it in a fancy box, give it a new name and charge twice as much. It's the American way!:)

Terri
 
that's what i'm finding with EVERYTHING in the reptile industry! pretty much anything marketed for reptiles can be found elsewhere. i'm getting rid of all our big clunky exo-terra rock hides, because they're annoying to wash poo off, and i can just use empty boxes from frozen pizzas and stuff. and those boxes were going to be recycled anyways, so when they're soiled they just go to the recycling bin.

fake plants? buy fake plants from craft stores, and hot-glue suction cups onto them.

shredded snake aspen? my pet store sells the 24quart for $26 (!!!) or i can get the big big bag of Kaytee aspen for about $16.

if the big snakes need water bowls...small sized kitty litter pans suffice.

DEFINITELY a marketing ploy...EVERYTHING!
 
I think the "hampster bedding" Aspen is dustier than the reptile stuff & bigger chips as posted earlier...other than that...the same.
 
I'd also check any farm supply stores in your area. I get a huge bag of aspen, 45 pounds of it, for less than $6. It is sold as horse bedding, 100% aspen (similar cut style as the 'snake' aspen). Lasts just about forever.

IMG_2960.jpg
 
The same thing applies to rats. When I had pet rats, all their toys were from the cat or dog section, or random things around the house. The same water bowls sold for pet rats were at least $3 more than the cat/dog bowls. I used to use yesterdays news for their litter boxes. In the cat section you could get a 25lb bag for about $10. In the small animal section, it was nearly double, for a much smaller bag. The only difference - the pieces of litter were about 1/4 smaller.

Thanks for the tip on the horse bedding Heather! I used to have horses and used to get those big bags, but they were always pine. Didnt know they sold aspen for horses. It looks to be the same size as the Harlan bags too!
 
Our snakes have a habit of poo'ing on their hides, so whatever empty boxes that fit their viv are perfect :) Makes clean-up a lot easier.
 
ZoologyGirl said:
I'd also check any farm supply stores in your area. I get a huge bag of aspen, 45 pounds of it, for less than $6. It is sold as horse bedding, 100% aspen (similar cut style as the 'snake' aspen). Lasts just about forever.

IMG_2960.jpg
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that is what im talkin about!!! i buy a whole skid at a time for like $75 bucks and it lasts for like two years!! same with some of the moss i use in display cages...the "reptile moss" is like ten bucks at a pet store, go to jo anne fabrics and get three times the amount for $0.99!!!
 
I was going to mention moss. A small square box, probably 1cubic foot, Labled "New Zealand Spagnum Moss" was $15 at the pet store!!
A big bag, probably 3 or 4 cubic feet, was $3.40 at Home Depot.
 
ratsncorns said:
I found shredded aspen at my walmart, just as shredded as the snake aspen sold at the pet stores. For $3.20. It was a small compressed bag, but it was more than enough for me to clean out and completely replace the aspen in six 15qt tubs and three 32qt tubs.
.
Click to expand...

Great to know!

I've looked in feed stores for substrate marketed for horses because it's cheaper, but I've never found aspen. I've only found these pellets that expand when wet. It's definitely cheaper though! I think anything you can find in bulk is worth the lower cost. As long as you stay away from Pine!



crackerhead said:
Just put it in a fancy box, give it a new name and charge twice as much. It's the American way!:)

Terri
Click to expand...

Kind of off topic, kind of not. If anyone here has Netflix, check out "Exit Through the Gift Shop." Part history of Street Art, part story of the man who capitalized off it.. aka the American Dream! Movie by Banksy.
 
Jessicat said:
Great to know!

I've looked in feed stores for substrate marketed for horses because it's cheaper, but I've never found aspen. I've only found these pellets that expand when wet. It's definitely cheaper though! I think anything you can find in bulk is worth the lower cost. As long as you stay away from Pine!

pine is not the only thing to watch out for. any cedar bedding is eventually fatal to snakes.
Click to expand...
 
Yeah, pine/cedar are a no-no here. I have been really into pet rats/mice for a long time, actually ran a small animal rescue as well. So none of my pets will ever be put on that crap. :)

Thanks for the posts, everyone! Will definately check out our farm supply store for the large bales of aspen!
 
By the way if anyone lives in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, or ND, the store I get the big bale of aspen at is Mills Fleet Farm. I'm not sure if Blain's Farm and Fleet carries it or not.
 
I have to change the Aspen in 16 cages every week and have seen a difference in the quality of the different types of Aspen.

It all depends on what quality you want.

I find that the Bulk horse bedding has larger chunks and bark in it and to much dust for me. It lasted along time but the bark allows mold growth and I hate how long it takes to wipe out all the dust.

Quality really differs in the Large package pet Aspen. I haven't found any with bark but the dust quantity in some was to much. I found the one I like and have stuck to it.

The Reptile bedding I have used has been the best for consistent chip size and lack of dust. It was nice to be almost dust free but I also cannot justify huge price difference.

Yes, I does make me upset to see how the pet supply industry rapes the reptile owners.
Go into Petsmart! There are lots of examples between the "Reptile" isle and the "Aquatics" isle. eg: the Tetra/Tetrafauna filters. The Tetra whisper is black for $14.99 and the Tetrafauna is green with a small cover for $34.99.

They also have a 10 gallon terrarium kit (Tank, screen lid, lid clamps) in the reptile isle. If you buy the three pieces separately and call it an aquarium you save $20!
 
I get horse bedding as well! I learned after getting my 200 gallon it was going to take like 20 bags of the reptile stuff and half a bag of the horse stuff...SOLD lol
 
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