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Newbie substrate question

I

Iskroot3

New member
Hello,
I recently acquired a bubblegum snow corn snake and I have a question about what substrate is best to use. Right now I am using a reptile Astroturf with a layer of newspaper underneath so my snake won't get burned by the UTH.
I wanted to buy something like Eco Earth bedding or something similar to that but I wanted to know if that is a good idea. :shrugs: Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

jerred
 
First, let me say welcome! :wavey:

Glad you're asking questions about your snakes well being instead of just going out and buying something.

It is customary for all people who post similar questions to be referred to "The Corn Snake Manual" by Kathy Love, so pick up a copy sometime.

Now, onto your question. Most people dislike astroturf because it is a pain in the rear to clean, and it harbors bacteria. It also doesnt conduct heat very well, but that's not really a big issue.

The most common answer you'll get about the best substrate is Aspen shavings. You should be able to get those at any local petstore. Other acceptable forms of substrate include but are not limited to: newsprint, paper towels, repti-bark, eco-earth (forestbed, bed-a-beast...they're all the same), carefresh, etc etc.

You'll find mixed emotions about pine, and cedar is a big no-no. Also, stay away from sand of any sort, as it causes more problems than it's worth.

If you want to use eco-earth that is more than fine, just make sure that it is not too damp when you use it--try to wring most of the water out before putting it into the cage.

Hope that helps, and if you have any more questions feel free to ask.

P.S--If you're going to be using any substrate other than newsprint or paper towels, please feed your snake in a seperate enclosure. If you feed them in a cage with substrate you increase the risks of them swallowing substate and causing an impaction. Also, it teaches the snake not to associate you opening the lid with food, thus decreasing the likelyhood that you'll get bitten.
 
Joejr14 has it covered i think.

All i woud add is that i sware by asphen, or beach bark chips as a close second.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.
 
Thanks for your help. I do have "The Corn Snake Manual" by Bill and Kathy Love. They didn't mention the Eco Earth or the Bed a Beast. I just wanted to make sure it was ok to use. it.
 
I just recieved a ton of 'coconut bark' bedding and i was wondering if that will be any good for my corn.
 
Does the "coconut bark" have a brand name? Or is it like reptile bark? I was going to switch to Repti-Bark because I like the look for a couple of my snakes to show off their colors, but at $7.99 a bag, I'll stick with the aspen! :wavey:
 
I got a good deal on mine actualy, i got it at 7.99 for one bag, but two came free with it. Anyways, its of the T-Rex Brand.
 
barret said:
I just recieved a ton of 'coconut bark' bedding and i was wondering if that will be any good for my corn.
Click to expand...


Coconut bark, or husk? Husk is like eco-earth, or bed-a-beast. I've personally never seen coconut bark offered, so I'm going to assume it's husk compressed into a brick?
 
JTGoff69 said:
Does the "coconut bark" have a brand name? Or is it like reptile bark? I was going to switch to Repti-Bark because I like the look for a couple of my snakes to show off their colors, but at $7.99 a bag, I'll stick with the aspen! :wavey:
Click to expand...


There's a few ways around this. You can do one of two things.

For my ball pythons, I've got a thick layer of eco-earth and then about 3/4" of reptibark over top, which does a great job of keeping the tank humid by not letting the eco-earth dry out.

You could do the same thing except use aspen instead of reptibark and just use the reptibark as a thin top layer. You could also do half aspen, half repti-bark. I do that quite a bit.
 
Packerfan4 said:
I personally prefer Corn Cob bedding. its really absorbent and snakes love to burrow in it.
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Most will actually say that corn-cob isn't a good substrate. It can harbor bacteria quite well, and there are other better alternatives. But if it works for you, that's fine. Just dont feed your corn on it.
 
81560.jpg
well thats a picture of the stuff, I can't seem to get the link to the page to work. Anyways, I should leave some aspen on the bottom ( which is already there) and put this stuff on top?
 
barret said:
81560.jpg
well thats a picture of the stuff, I can't seem to get the link to the page to work. Anyways, I should leave some aspen on the bottom ( which is already there) and put this stuff on top?
Click to expand...


Hm, see something new everyday. I've never seen that stuff before. You can do that, or split the tank up 50/50 with aspen and that, and see which your snake prefers.
 
BrandonB said:
I bought that stuff today; thought it looked the neatest out of the choices.
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Coconut bark doesn't provide many opportunities to burrow. Lizard Litter makes substrate from shredded coconut fiber, which holds humidity nicely.
 
jaxom1957 said:
Coconut bark doesn't provide many opportunities to burrow. Lizard Litter makes substrate from shredded coconut fiber, which holds humidity nicely.
Click to expand...
Mine seems to have no trouble burrowing...its now somewhere under all the bark, haha.
 
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