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Is this bedding poisonous to my snake???

_Sam_

_Sam_

Kelsey
Hey, I just bought a new type of bedding for my snake. I believe it is called Repti-Bark, and it's 100% fir....I really like it because it gives my snake's enclosure a more natural look, but I read that it can be poisonous to snakes. However, I also read that it's completley fine on other websites. I'm really confused! I liek the way it looks a lot but I don't want to kill my snake. He's kind of just laying around, but I don't know if that's normal since he's digesting food or whatever or if somethings wrong. Please write back asap!
 
I believe fir can be toxic to a cornsnake. If I am not mistaken their is a thread in which the owner of a snake describes siezures and spasms due to a fir substrate. Aspen shavings are the preferred "natural" substrate. Search for "siezures" and you will find it.

I do know that the bark of a tree contains the majority of the moisture and oils in a tree, and, therefor, if fir IS toxic, the higher concentrations of the toxic oils will be in the bark, rather than pulp shavings. It is therefor recommended to use shavings rather than bark as substrate to prevent any possible complications.
 
Plenty of people use Repti-Bark. It's not the best, but it's probably not going to hurt your snake.
 
I've never heard of Repti-Bark being toxic, but it isn't the greatest substrate for Corns. It tends to hold too much humidity, and can get moldy.
 
Thanks guys, I think I'm gonna change it asap...would cypress be ok? I would like to try something other than aspen.
 
cypress works well but mabe holds to much humidity and is also kind of dirty. Aspen is the preffered substrate because its inexpenssive and works well.
 
Sam, there's a book called The Art Of Keeping Snakes which isn't really what I thought it was about when I bought it- but it's about maintaining snakes in realistic vivs. You might like it. It goes way into what substrate to use for what snake if you want to keep them on a natural substrate.

I like good old aspen.

Nanci
 
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I used repti-bark in one of my racks for about 2 days. Never again, I hated it. It left a dust layer on the bellys of my corns. They also seemed to have really dry skin, and it tore up there nose trying to burry in it.
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Use aspen.!
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Ryan McCullough
MC Reptiles
 
Repti-bark is also known for harboring bugs. If you want something that looks like dirt, but is safe, Eco-Earth is a good option. The only thing is, you have to let it dry thoroughly before you put it into the tank. I've used it before, and still use it for my ball python.
 
BeckyG said:
Repti-bark is also known for harboring bugs. If you want something that looks like dirt, but is safe, Eco-Earth is a good option. The only thing is, you have to let it dry thoroughly before you put it into the tank. I've used it before, and still use it for my ball python.
Click to expand...

I'm also a strong advocate for Eco-Earth. I use it for my corn, and it really helps keep the humidity up in dry environments. Plus it looks really natural, and my corn seems to enjoy it. If it were cheaper and took less time to dry out, I'd use it for my boa's vivarium, too.
 
ALright, I just changed to aspen.....it seemed to do the rick! He's climbing all over the place and exploring his cage.
 
I will also agree with the fact that Aspen works the best. I've used Bed-A-Beast, which I'm sure is just like Eco-Earth, and I've used newspaper. Mousetrap actually took a while to adjust, though. He seemed to favor the newspaper strips. It took me a few weeks to ween him off them, and onto the aspen shavings, but now, he seems to enjoy the bedding. It's much easier for them to borrow, it has a natural look, and I'm guessing, feel, to it. And it's much easier to keep clean, which is a major plus for me. The Bed-A-Beast didnt give me much of an issue, besides the drying time, and the cleaning wasnt easy.
 
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