robeyeshua
New member
best substrate
aspen - hands down
aspen - hands down
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The BEST Substrate
- Thread starter kloe2008
- Start date
ForkedTung
Serpent Mound Monk
Aspen for the corns and newspaper for the BP's.
Thank you, my local reptile store recommended it though
it is from Zilla and says right on it, that it is acceptable for snakes
Zilla recommends Douglas fur bark, or Terrarium liner for snakes, however the bark is not as readily accessible for me at this time. I will switch to Aspen as soon as possible as everyone seems to be recommending that.
however, can i get some more confirmation on if "Douglas fir shavings with Eucalyptus" (from Zilla) is in fact unsafe for corn snakes.
Asbit
So Many Morphs...
Rave
This is taken directly out of Kathy Love's book Corn Snakes The Comprehensive Owner's Guide
Chp 3 Basic Caging and Housing Requiremnets Pg. 41-42 sub section Cage Substrates bottom of page 41
....However,not all kinds of similar mulch are good for reptiles. Avoid using resinous wood mulches such as cedar, pine, fir, and walnut which have toxic aromas or iols especially dangerous to juveniles or animals in cages with low ventilation. Beddings made from the barks of these trees are to be particularly avoided. Logic dictates that the trees' natural insect-repelling chemicals would be concentrated in exposed bark more than in any other part of the tree. Breathing vapors, drinking water that may have bark particles fallen into it, and having close physical contact with such materials year after year have caused problems for some herps."
Really it is not worth the risk, in my opinion.
This is taken directly out of Kathy Love's book Corn Snakes The Comprehensive Owner's Guide
Chp 3 Basic Caging and Housing Requiremnets Pg. 41-42 sub section Cage Substrates bottom of page 41
....However,not all kinds of similar mulch are good for reptiles. Avoid using resinous wood mulches such as cedar, pine, fir, and walnut which have toxic aromas or iols especially dangerous to juveniles or animals in cages with low ventilation. Beddings made from the barks of these trees are to be particularly avoided. Logic dictates that the trees' natural insect-repelling chemicals would be concentrated in exposed bark more than in any other part of the tree. Breathing vapors, drinking water that may have bark particles fallen into it, and having close physical contact with such materials year after year have caused problems for some herps."
Really it is not worth the risk, in my opinion.
Asbit
So Many Morphs...
this one is from Don Soderberg's book Corn Snakes in Captivity
Chp 2 Housing subsection Substrate pg. 28 second paragraph
"There are at least four substrate materials you should never use for corn snakes. Never use sand, gravel, cedar, or tree bark products. Sand and gravel have no absorption properties. In sand and gravel, when water is spilled or your snake defecates on it, the moisture is trapped in the substrate where it becomes a growth medium from bacteria and other germs. It will eventually evaporate, but the interim bacterial growth will contribute to odors and poor hygiene for your snake. Cases of intestinal impaction have been attributed to sand consumption. Cedar is toxic to your snake and prolonged exposure to it will cause nerve damage than can result in death. I have seen cases where a snake died the came day cedar was introduced to the cage. Teh bark of trees contains the highest concentrations of harmful chemicals. One piece of bark in the snake's water could pollute it with harmful that will be consumed by your pet during its next drink. Also, if ingested the relatively large sizes of bark pieces are not easily passed through the digestive tract.
Another organic substrate that is not safe for corns is ground nut shells. While the shells of nuts are indigestible and allegedly benign when ingested, most shell fragment have very sharp edges. By virtue of not being digested, the sharp-edged pieces pass through the intestines and can have a lacerating effect, not unlike broken glass. Nut shell pieces are barely absorbent so I can see no reason to use this product as cage substrate for your corn snake."
Hope these help clear up your questions.
Chp 2 Housing subsection Substrate pg. 28 second paragraph
"There are at least four substrate materials you should never use for corn snakes. Never use sand, gravel, cedar, or tree bark products. Sand and gravel have no absorption properties. In sand and gravel, when water is spilled or your snake defecates on it, the moisture is trapped in the substrate where it becomes a growth medium from bacteria and other germs. It will eventually evaporate, but the interim bacterial growth will contribute to odors and poor hygiene for your snake. Cases of intestinal impaction have been attributed to sand consumption. Cedar is toxic to your snake and prolonged exposure to it will cause nerve damage than can result in death. I have seen cases where a snake died the came day cedar was introduced to the cage. Teh bark of trees contains the highest concentrations of harmful chemicals. One piece of bark in the snake's water could pollute it with harmful that will be consumed by your pet during its next drink. Also, if ingested the relatively large sizes of bark pieces are not easily passed through the digestive tract.
Another organic substrate that is not safe for corns is ground nut shells. While the shells of nuts are indigestible and allegedly benign when ingested, most shell fragment have very sharp edges. By virtue of not being digested, the sharp-edged pieces pass through the intestines and can have a lacerating effect, not unlike broken glass. Nut shell pieces are barely absorbent so I can see no reason to use this product as cage substrate for your corn snake."
Hope these help clear up your questions.
crackerhead
Hug Free Zone
Funny thing about the pet trade most of the crud they pan off as safe for reptiles has never really been tested on said reptiles. Zilla, who is owned by Energy Savers Unlimited (a lighting and fish specialist), sells/recommends products based on what they think the public wants to hear. No one likes the smell of poop, except possibly a dung beetle. Therefore many products used for the collection of said foul stuff are scented with some equally odiferous scent in an attempt to mask the smell. On top of being lousy for your snakes respirator system, oily/resinous shavings are NOT as absorbent as their non resinous cousins. Think about it logically. What's more water repellent a piece of wooden furniture coated in wax or bare wood? Besides what person, or snake for that matter, would want to be constantly assaulted with the smell of eucalyptus with no place to escape it? Save it for the Koalas.
As for an answer to the OPs question I like aspen chips (Harlan santi-chips) or Carefresh (although it's still too pricey for my sized collection).
Terri
CrousesCorns
New member
I use Kaytee 8 cu. ft. bags of shredded aspen. Last for a few months at $24 I think. I get it by special order at my local pet shop.
VickyChaiTea
Snake enthusiast
I'm currently using both the plantation soil and aspen. I think I'll be sticking with aspen for my plainer tanks, but for anything fancy I want to go with the soil, it looks a lot nicer. My only concern was the soil getting into nostrils like asbit said. So far so good, but I check to make sure theres nothing clogged when I take her out.
Snakesalive
New member
I've used both aspen and Harlan Sani Chips. No problems with either.
ReptileGuy
New member
Would crushed walnut shells work? Thats what I use for my leopard gecko. Or should I just use aspen.
ReptileGuy
New member
ReptileGuy
New member
But would the crushed walnut shells work?
born2slither
New member
I have been using a mix of coconut fiber and terra firma mix in a naturalistic substrate setup, also with dried leaves and decorated with palm bark and cork bark. So far my corn seems to enjoy it, but i wouldnt recommend it unless you have the time and energy to maintain it meticulously and on a daily basis, also monitoring humidity. I do have this time and energy, and compared to taking care of nano planted tank setups, this is actually not that much work.
Also i have been culturing several springtails and isopods in this setup to handle biological waste.
This setup requires a great deal of research and commitment though, and i would not recommend it as it is not simple, cheap, or easy. Also wouldnt recommend it for a young snake simply because when a snake is too small you will rarely see them. Although, this could be a plus for the snake as they prefer to be hidden.
This setup was not cheap, and required a lot of work to even get setup. Probably spent close to 600$ getting things together. But this is actually less than some of the nano planted fishtanks ive worked on, and these tanks were smaller than 10gal.
Also i have been culturing several springtails and isopods in this setup to handle biological waste.
This setup requires a great deal of research and commitment though, and i would not recommend it as it is not simple, cheap, or easy. Also wouldnt recommend it for a young snake simply because when a snake is too small you will rarely see them. Although, this could be a plus for the snake as they prefer to be hidden.
This setup was not cheap, and required a lot of work to even get setup. Probably spent close to 600$ getting things together. But this is actually less than some of the nano planted fishtanks ive worked on, and these tanks were smaller than 10gal.
HerpsOfNM
My name's Blurryface...
NO! Crushed walnut is both razor jagged and does not break down in the digestive tract. It is one of the easiest ways to cause impaction within leopard geckos. Mind you this is coming from someone that happens to house his 40+ adult leopard geckos on sand, some of which have been on sand going on 20 years (obviously cleaned and replaced many times during that time). I use a fine grade sand though, which facilitates digging and burrowing.
Crushed walnut is not and never will be a safe reptile substrate. There is tons of information out there regarding how unsafe and inadequate of a substrate it is. :awcrap: Browse about the Geckos Unlimited forums or Gecko Forums.net to start to even research how bad of a substrate it is.
I've long used aspen shavings for mine and think they work well; dry, fairly pleasant smell, looks appealing, dropping show up well and it holds together well for him to make tunnels in, which he seems to like to do.
I used a horse bedding based on recycled paper for a while. It was alright but it had a peculiar, unpleasant odour and didn't hold together. Haven't tried anything else.
I used a horse bedding based on recycled paper for a while. It was alright but it had a peculiar, unpleasant odour and didn't hold together. Haven't tried anything else.