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Substrate
- Thread starter ChrisR:)
- Start date
Tula_Montage
It's Jager time!
i would stay away from heat lamps. personally i find they give inconsistance heat and can often damage the snake. why not try a much less expensive heat mat?
oh and no newspaper is not a problem at all but why not try something more natural like aspen, its cheap and soooo easy to clean
good luck
oh and no newspaper is not a problem at all but why not try something more natural like aspen, its cheap and soooo easy to clean
good luck
Lennycorn
Just see the truth
ChrisR:) said:
i don't use newpaper but I never heard of anybody state that the ink will get on the snakes.
Side note, when I go to stores and ask question like that I also ask.."What kind of snake do you own" , you"ll find out that they only own a dog or something. Then they will say "well thats what somebody told me".
Try to "feel" the person out, who you are asking.
BeckyG
Making it up as I go
Nothing is wrong with using newspaper, and I've never heard of the ink coming off on a snake. Most newspapers use soy based ink these days, so it wouldn't hurt the snake even if it did. If you are worried, just let the papers dry for a couple of weeks before putting them in the viv.
Tula_Montage
It's Jager time!
snakes tend to coil around heat and if the bulb is inside the viv and unprotected the snake will probably get too close and burn itsself...
i have had disasters with hot rocks in the same way... if they are cold they will coil around the nearest source of heat, however hot it may be and will indeed harm themselves.
i have had disasters with hot rocks in the same way... if they are cold they will coil around the nearest source of heat, however hot it may be and will indeed harm themselves.
Tula_Montage
It's Jager time!
no problemo... i woiuldnt take the risk of putting lamps into the viv. do you keep yours on constantly or just for certain periods of time? what watt is the bulb aswell?
erisan
Corn's name: Stimpy.
Tula_Montage said:
I have a day glo 75W on all day and at night I have an infrared heat glo 75W.
( snakes can't see infrared) it has a little shield reflector on it to direct heat and light into the cage and sits on top of the slide out screen that comes with the Critter Cage brand terrariums so he's safe from the bulb.
kimbyra
cornsnake addict
Even though I'm using a bulb temporarily for my adult corn, they tend to dry out the air a lot and can give a bad shed. So if your using a heat lamp, make sure to mist. I've read that belly heat is better for their digestion, but I don't know if it makes a big difference or not.
As for substrate, I actually have heard of the newspaper getting damp by the water bowl and leaving ink on a snake. That was probably an exception. I prefer plain paper towels when I'm not using aspen. Its really cheap. I think I'm going to switch my adult to just paper towels. He's heavy and doesn't burrow. My young snakes LOVE aspen. I've tried a lot of different things (reptibark, carefresh ultra, etc..), and they really seem to enjoy the aspen the best.
BTW, pet shop employees are famous for not knowing what they're talking about, and even worse, trying to up their sales to get you to buy stuff you don't need. A lot of them don't know that boa and python care is different from corn care. When I got my first snake, a checkered garter, they told me to just throw a handful of crickets in now and then. They don't even eat insects! Good thing for the internet. After research, he's set up sweet, eating on pinkies and live fish in his HUGE water bowl (since they're water lovers).
As for substrate, I actually have heard of the newspaper getting damp by the water bowl and leaving ink on a snake. That was probably an exception. I prefer plain paper towels when I'm not using aspen. Its really cheap. I think I'm going to switch my adult to just paper towels. He's heavy and doesn't burrow. My young snakes LOVE aspen. I've tried a lot of different things (reptibark, carefresh ultra, etc..), and they really seem to enjoy the aspen the best.
BTW, pet shop employees are famous for not knowing what they're talking about, and even worse, trying to up their sales to get you to buy stuff you don't need. A lot of them don't know that boa and python care is different from corn care. When I got my first snake, a checkered garter, they told me to just throw a handful of crickets in now and then. They don't even eat insects! Good thing for the internet. After research, he's set up sweet, eating on pinkies and live fish in his HUGE water bowl (since they're water lovers).
Albino Billy
New member
Ok, I have my very first pet snake and at that, it was an accident because he had to have BEEN someone else's snake before. To find a four foot butter corn in a parking lot is like winning the freaking lottery. LOL! BUT, my brother raised snakes for about 20 years. The ONLY thing he use was newspaper and there were never any problems with ink or anything else. When I found this snake, I did what I had learned watching my brother and I put a layer of newspaper on the bottom of the viv and then I shredded newspaper and put it all through the viv. He seemed to be very happy in just that. Now, in getting advice about all kinds of things on here, people kept talking about the aspen. So, I got some to see if he liked it. I still have a layer of newspaper on the bottom of the viv because snake feces is VERY watery and I don't want him burrowing through a mess (the aspen is very absorbant though) but just in casers, I like the paper. It's a matter of taste. But I will tell you that this snake LOVES the aspen. He burrows all over his viv and pokes his head out and seems to be very happy that he can hide his whole body down in the stuff when he wants. It is relatively inexpensive and makes your viv look nice.
I have found that at the pet stores, unless they actually own a snake, they don't know much about them and will sell you anthing. I was asking a guy at a store that had snakes about some things for Billy's viv. He was telling me they had four snakes for sale there in the store and told me what kind. He said they had a king snake and I asked him if it was a Scarlet or a Florida King and he said, "I don't know, it is black with yellowish stripes on it.." I explained that it was a Florida King and went to look at him. Beautiful snake but not very bright pet store guy. Um, hello, if you are going to sell it, don't ya need to know what it is? Hehehehehe... I would have understood if it had been a big store and not his dept. but this was a tiny store and it WAS his dept. Oh gosh!
I went off on a tangent, sorry... If you want to use newspaper, use it, but the aspen is awesome I have found.
Good luck!
I have found that at the pet stores, unless they actually own a snake, they don't know much about them and will sell you anthing. I was asking a guy at a store that had snakes about some things for Billy's viv. He was telling me they had four snakes for sale there in the store and told me what kind. He said they had a king snake and I asked him if it was a Scarlet or a Florida King and he said, "I don't know, it is black with yellowish stripes on it.." I explained that it was a Florida King and went to look at him. Beautiful snake but not very bright pet store guy. Um, hello, if you are going to sell it, don't ya need to know what it is? Hehehehehe... I would have understood if it had been a big store and not his dept. but this was a tiny store and it WAS his dept. Oh gosh!
I went off on a tangent, sorry... If you want to use newspaper, use it, but the aspen is awesome I have found.
Good luck!
MooreSnakes
I'm a no-good teenager!
I used to use newspaper for all my corns and I noticed with youngest snake, that she was not satisfied with the hiding places I had provided so she began hiding under the newspaper. I thought little of it until I noticed she had a grayish blotch on the top of her head that didn't disappear until she shed again. So I tried putting more things in her viv for her to hide under/to weigh the newspaper down so she couldn't get under it. She still managed to get under it so I gave up and switched to sani chips. After that the blotch stopped appearing. I don't think the ink harmed her at all but I had to switch just in case.
If anyone finds this useful . . . :shrugs:
If anyone finds this useful . . . :shrugs: