Substrate?

[BBirdP]

Whats a good substrate? I use repti-bark, but I hear it frequently causes mite infestations by bringing in the mites in the bag..

 

[dgustafson]

hello...Im still very new also but i also started with the repti-bark i didnt use it to long..It worked ok i dont really know about it carrying mites but i switched to aspen bedding..my snakes seem to like it alot..its easy for them to burrow under..Works great for me and my snakes..hope that helped a little :shrugs:

 

[BBirdP]

I heard aspen bedding is extremely easy for snakes to swallow. Still curious if anyone else has heard of repti-bark bringing mites.

 

[dgustafson]

I feed my snake in a separate tank so i have never had a problem with it swallowing any. I have heard that too but i thought thats only if you feed it in its viv. :shrugs: .oh well works great for me..good luck getting the answer your looking for.. :cheers:

 

[sbourget]

Aspen is the prefered bedding. If you don't feed in the cage then there's no risk of the snake eating the substrate. I use reptibark for my Anole and haven't found mites. If you're worried about mites and really want to use reptibark, then you can put it in the oven and cook it for a while, or throw it in a large freezer and freeze it solid.

 

[Joolz68]

I heard aspen bedding is extremely easy for snakes to swallow.

I'm also new, but I think snakes would only swallow the aspen bedding if it's stuck to their food :eatpointe (which is why you should use a seperate container for feeding).

I'm sure more experienced owner will add their knowledge soon.

 

[BBirdP]

does the separate container need to be anything special? Or just an empty tub (no substrate, water bowl, etc). I heard you're not suppose to handle for a day and a half after feeding..So do I keep inside the feeding tub until that time expires or move the moment i see the mouse move to mid body?

 

[dgustafson]

I just use a plain plastic container with a removable lid and nothing in it and that works fine..but one of my other snakes doesn't like to stay in it for some reason so i feed her on a kitchen table with a towel over the table..then after their completely done I put them back..its ok to handle to put them back but thats it then just leave them alone. At least thats what i have learned..I'm sure some of the pros will give you some advice also.

 

[dgustafson]

Oh I also wait till the mouse gets to mid body

 

[Daeraelle]

I just use a rubbermaid takealongs (like gladware) with air holes poked around the sides, when she's done eating I let her crawl out of her feeding container back into her viv to bury or hide in pvc joints on her own at her own pace. I think some people line them with paper towels (at least I've seen a few like that) but I don't put anything in it but snake and mouse.

 

[Velox415]

I use papertowels for my lil one, cheap and easy to see a regurg, just make sure there's lot's of places to hide ^^

 

[Weebonilass]

I've always used Critter Keepers and moved to a larger size as the snakes got bigger. I took the not handling the babies advice seriously too. I would take the lid off the keeper and just slide them back into their cages if they took too long to slide out on their own.

 

[fire daemon]

ok, my advice/answer on this substrate thing might seem a bit off, but it works great for me. i don't use repti-bark, nor aspen, nor paper towels. i used cubbard backing from wallmart. yes, cubbard backing. it works fine for me. it's reuseable, really cheap, easy to clean, it's a nice colour, and the snakes really don't mind it. i'm sure they'd like to burrow etc, but i give them multiple hides, and i'm sure they're happy. there's a certain texture i have to use, 'cause i bought a different one (wanted different colour to change it up) and they wouldn't go near it. so, if you want advice or more info, just pm me or msn me.

cheers...

 

[BeckyG]

What's cubbard backing?

 

[Joolz68]

What's cubbard backing?

I think it's a shelf liner, like Contact Paper. :shrugs:

 

[Joolz68]

I think the dry shelf liner would be a better choice than contact paper. I'd think the adhesive would have fumes.

 

[fire daemon]

yeah, it's shelf liner. like i said my snakes won't go on certain types. so if you want to know more, just pm me. it works well for me. they can't, well don't, borrow underneith it, so they don't get right next to the UTH. i like it. cheap, easy to clean. just cut to size, and you're done.

cheers...

 

[BeckyG]

yeah, it's shelf liner. like i said my snakes won't go on certain types. so if you want to know more, just pm me. it works well for me. they can't, well don't, borrow underneith it, so they don't get right next to the UTH. i like it. cheap, easy to clean. just cut to size, and you're done.

cheers...

No thanks. I'll stick with aspen. Better for me. Better for my snakes.

I know what shelf liner is. I think what threw me was the word "cubbard". I've never heard of that word.

 

[fire daemon]

maybe it's a canadian word, i dunno??? heh. but it works fine for me. if i'm in a hurry i can feed my snake in it's viv, it's really easy to clean, and it goes well with the rocks etc i put in there. it looks good, it's cheap, for me it has no negatives. just make sure you wash it when you first get it. who knows what was on it in shipping. also make sure it doesn't feel sticky at all to the touch. you should be able to run your hand over it and it shouldn't want to stick to your hand at all. otherwise i found my snakes wouldn't go near it.

:cheers:

 

[Joolz68]

I might use contact paper for the feeding bin (since it wipes clean easily) and as a nice background for taking pictures. But Nibblet likes to burrow, so it's Aspen inside the viv for us.

:-offtopic

I think what threw me was the word "cubbard". I've never heard of that word.

I remember it from the nursery rhyme: "Old Mother Hubbard went to her cubbard to fetch her poor dog a bone..."