• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

Natural substrate

R

RollingStones420

New member
I was wondering what the most natural looking but safe substrate would be. I dont like the look of the woodshavings, it looks too much like a hamsters cage. Coconut bark seems like the best option to me, but I would like to hear some of your opinions. Thanks.
 
I would have to say mud is the most natural looking substrate...
but don't just get it from your garden, as there is a high chance of gettting parasites from the soil. you would be best off buying sterile earth. dunno if garden centers sell it?
If you insist on getting it from your garden, bake it at a high temparature in the oven for 20-40 minutes.
hope this helped,
 
Thanks, that would look alot better then aspen or something. Would it be best to go out into the woods or something for the dirt so theres no fertilizers or anything? Also do you think I'd have to feed outside the tank? Thanks for the help.
 
I use ReptiBark which I love the look of! However, you will want to freeze (or bake) the sunstrate before use to ensure there are no buggies. I have found little wood mites which are really more of a nuisance than anything. I just throw the bag in my freezer when I get it. Problem solved!
 
Persoanlly i LOVE aspen.

Some of the darker reptile barks are much better looking, however they can be much more expensive and are prone to carrying wood mites.

Soil isn't a great idea, mainly because is very messy, and can become a breeding ground for harmful bacteria.

I would suggest to feed outside the viv. Mainly because of the risk of injesting any substrate. It would also reduce the risk of food aggression when you are going into the snakes tank.
 
Posted by Tula_Montage

"I would suggest to feed outside the viv. Mainly because of the risk of injesting any substrate. It would also reduce the risk of food aggression when you are going into the snakes tank."

I agree completely. If your snake is fed in the viv, it would program a feeding response, and could lead to aggression, as Elle said.
If it is fed in a different container it will not associate the opening of the viv as dinner time.
 
I personly never liked reptilebark, yes it looks good and is safe to use but i don't think its good looks out weight its problems.

Snakes can't easily burrow through it, it is really dusty, it is prone to having wood mites (big problem in wooden vivs), is sucks up moisture lowering humidity (unless you soak it with water), and if you soak it with water it gets moldy.

In my opinion your original thought (Coconut bark) is your best bet for a natural, nearly trouble free, bedding.

Hope that helps.
 
Billybobob said:
I personly never liked reptilebark, yes it looks good and is safe to use but i don't think its good looks out weight its problems.

Snakes can't easily burrow through it, it is really dusty, it is prone to having wood mites (big problem in wooden vivs), is sucks up moisture lowering humidity (unless you soak it with water), and if you soak it with water it gets moldy.

In my opinion your original thought (Coconut bark) is your best bet for a natural, nearly trouble free, bedding.

Hope that helps.
Click to expand...


I have been using ReptiBark for numerous years and I have not experienced any problems. It can be slightly dusty but I actually find that I have better humidity using it. If you use coconut bark, just make sure that it isn't TOO moist. Ultimately it should be your preference and you might want to consider trying out a few different types of substrate. You can also use the search feature on here. You are bound to get ample information.
 
CHARMER said:
I have been using ReptiBark for numerous years and I have not experienced any problems. It can be slightly dusty but I actually find that I have better humidity using it. If you use coconut bark, just make sure that it isn't TOO moist. Ultimately it should be your preference and you might want to consider trying out a few different types of substrate. You can also use the search feature on here. You are bound to get ample information.
Click to expand...

I was not sure if your post was addressed to me or RollingStones420, but since you quoted me I figured I would respond.

Like I said I personally don't like ReptiBark (sorry for my typo in my first post). My post was not trying to say that no one should use ReptiBark, I know that a lot of people use it without problems. I was just sharing my experience with it and some other problems with it I have seen so RollingStones420 can make his/her own decision. I currently use aspen and I will not go back to ReptiBark. Like I said to many problems.

The biggest problem with coconut bark is "user error", you have to use water to make it expand and then let it dry out before putting it in the viv and most people don't wait long enough. That is why there are problems with it being to moist, most are to impatient to wait for it to dry before putting it in their viv.
 
Billybobob said:
I was not sure if your post was addressed to me or RollingStones420, but since you quoted me I figured I would respond.

Like I said I personally don't like ReptiBark (sorry for my typo in my first post). My post was not trying to say that no one should use ReptiBark, I know that a lot of people use it without problems. I was just sharing my experience with it and some other problems with it I have seen so RollingStones420 can make his/her own decision. I currently use aspen and I will not go back to ReptiBark. Like I said to many problems.

The biggest problem with coconut bark is "user error", you have to use water to make it expand and then let it dry out before putting it in the viv and most people don't wait long enough. That is why there are problems with it being to moist, most are to impatient to wait for it to dry before putting it in their viv.
Click to expand...


My post was just a general response, directed more toward the original poster (RollingStones420) if anybody, but thanks for the response anyway. We all have our personal preference and this would be no fun if we all did it the same! So I too was just sharing my opinion. :cheers:
 
I have used Eco-Earth shredded coconut fiber for most of my tanks at one time or another. I liked it because it looked like natural dirt.

I wouldn't recommend getting dirt from outside. You never know what may be in it.
 
OK kiddies I'm going to let you all in on one of the best kept secrets in herpetoculture.......if you intend to go fully naturalistic you should use a bioactive substrate.....I have done this with all of my display cages and it works wonders especially in the gecko enclosures

OK so by now your asking what the heck is bioactive substrate? Well bioactive substrate is a substrate that has active bacteria and other microorganisms....

I know what your thinking now isn't bacteria a bad thing? well yeas and no there are both bad and good bacteria and in a boactive substrate beneficial bacteria breaks down waste material and uses it to feed the plants that you have planted in the viv

basically you start with plastic egg-crate or a couple inches of washed and dried river pebbles, or my favorite hydroponic clay pellets sometimes called expanded clay aggregate (LECA) in a pinch PLAIN kitty litter (that is bentonite clay unscented fired clay kitty litter) will do...you place this on the bottom of the viv....you then cover this with a layer of plastic/nylon screening material....do not use galvanized steel screen as it will rust on you and throw the natural balance off by throwing too many minerals into the mix.....this is your drainage layer then you want to add roughly two to three inches of sterilized peat moss and for the top layer you will want to add a few inches of either sterilized cypress mulch, fine grade fir bark such as orchid bark, or even shredded coconut will work.....win they have a bowel movement you simply scoop it out with a spoon and stir the substrate at least once a week...you will find your maintenance duties cut in half..this mixture holds moisture well and allows real plants to draw nutrients from the water at the drainage level...plus if you have at Least one side made of glass you can check out the moisture content of your mixture

as your reptile begins to urinate and pass movements in this soil mixture a live bacterial culture will begin to form and eventually become bioactive...it is the same sort of thing that happens in a fish tank filter.....if you really want to get into it you can even add an earthworm or two to complete the mix....

this has become very popular overseas (Europe) and in a lot of zoo and reptile parks...they just aren't letting the secret out!

Me and my big mouth


MCHouse
www.Nightbreedreptiles.com
 
No offence but bioactive substrates are not that big of a secret.

I have seen it used in chameleon and gecko vivs before. Bioactive substrate really is not the best thing for corn snakes because humidity is really high when using it, you can't use a UTH with it either, and snakes won't be able to burrow through it.

There is also the problem of a harmful bacteria establishing itself before beneficial bacterias do. And the last problem I can think of is mold or fungus, in a wet and warm environment even with stirring you can develop a big mold or fungus problem very quickly.

Also IMO this should not be done by beginners because it can be hard to get the correct balance.

Like I said no offence is meant by this, but bioactive substrates are not good for corn snakes, but they are good for some other reptiles.
 
this is a very effective method for glass vivs with screen tops

example:
substratephbkt.jpg


but i also use it in my wood Amazon Tree Boa Cages...you just have to make sure the wood has been properly sealed to keep it from warping and rotting
as far as ventilation is concerned there are three vents in the back and one on each side I have had them set up this way for several years with nor problems!

MCHouse
www.Nightbreedreptiles.com
 
MCHouse

I love idea. Not for my corn but I think I may try this for my anoles and geckos. I have a ton of live plants in there (in pots) but it would be nice to plant them. Now I have to find the time to do it.
 
I saw something inthe store the other day. Crushed walnutshells. It was advertised to be used for a substrate for reptiles including snakes. It looked interesting. Not too dirty, messy, Has anyone used it or heard of it before? I was just curious. I use Ecoearth and like except for it being too much like dirt for me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top