What do you sugest for a substrate?

[lightningfast]

I just got a new baby corn and was wondering what king of substrate i should use for the bottom of the viv.






Creamsicle 0.0.1 Named Draiko

 

[lightningfast]

spelling

sorry about the spelling KIND OF SUBSTRATE

 

[Iris]

Some popular choices are paper towels, aspen, repti-bark.
Do NOT use cedar because it can kill your corn.

 

[shane.N]

I only use paper towel.It is clean,inexpensive and you can feed your corns in their vivs withouy the worry of your corn ingesting any of the substrate

 

[mykal]

substrate

I use Cypress mulch, I find that it works well.

 

[13mur 6]

I vote for Paper towels. No substrate is easier to clean up, non-staining, and as absorbant as a good paper towel. No way your snake can get impacted, easy to spot mites if your snake has them, and poo is readily seen also.

Older corns can be kept on aspen and it looks nicer and the snakes can burrow in it.

Astro turf is also nice, but a pain in the butt to clean.

But for youngun's paper towel is the way to go IMHO.

-13mur 6

 

[mykal]

change of substrate

Just a thought to save some money. Do you think if I changed to paper towels, my snake would freak out?

 

[lightningfast]

thanks

thank you everyone for all the information. I have changed to paper towels and it seems my corn is just fine with it. Thanks again.





Creamsicle named draiko

 

[Melinie]

Great Substrate

We use paper towels for babies, but you might want to try CareFresh once your snake(s) is (are) established.
We've been using it for years with all ages, and feeding right in the tank. Never a problem.
It also has great 'tunneling potential' if your snake needs to 'get away from it all', and is bored with it's hides.
Holds humidity well if needed, cleans easily, and is even flushable in small quantities at a time.
Just love this stuff!!!

 

[jakethesnake001]

substrate

I used to use that corn cob litter stuff, but i read that it is harmful to snakes if ingested so i switched to repti-bark. It looked nice but it caused me problems. It dried out my snake's underbelly. It also causes reddish-brown spots under the skin. Also the skin started to peel. I have also read that it can jab between the belly scales and cause problems. I now use this recycled newspaper stuff in the shape of pellets. It looks nice (not as nice as repti-bark), has caused no problems what so ever, and has been great. I have a snow corn and it looks cool with the white snake on the dark blue background.

 

[Melinie]

CareFresh Bedding

A (shortened) quote from the bag-
"CareFresh is...made from reclaimed wood pulp waste.
...short, virgin pulp can't be made into paper so it would normally be burned or sent to a landfill....helps save natural resources.
...contains no pine or cedar oils....Absorbs up to 3 x its weight in liquids.
Not recycled newspaper - No ink, clay, or chemical contaminants...
Sanitized at 380 degrees - Reduces bacteria, mold, and fungus...
...Light and fluffy... is safe for post-operative care. If ingested in small quantities, can pass safely through GI tract."

My snakes LOVE it!!!
Here's a pic:

 

[IndianaCorn]

Melinie...

That stuff sounds pretty cool! I'd like to see a picture of it, I don't think you previous attempt worked (at least it didn't for me), could you try again? How much does it cost?

IndianaCorn

 

[13mur 6]

Carefresh is on the expensive side, $5.49 for 10 litres at Petland. I personally do not like the stuff because it's very dusty and tends to dessicate my animals. For mice it's great because it's so good at absorbing moisture. It looks like grey paper matter that's been put through a washing machine.

-13mur 6

 

[IndianaCorn]

Expensive and Dusty?...

I think I'll pass then... but other than that it sounds like a good product

IndianaCorn

 

[CowBoyWay]

Newspaper and paper towels...

Newspaper is readily available at just this side of free,
free if you ask around.
Newspapers are printed with "soy based" inks these days, In the U.S. anyways, so the inks are considered harmless.

Rich Z has been using newspaper happily and successfully for 25 years or so I have read in another post at WWW.FAUNACLASSIFIEDS.COM .

Kathy and Bill Loves book recommends Aspen shavings, I do believe. Who has got their book handy?
All ages recommended?

I use newspaper and also I use paper towels, as they both are convenient and make sanitary upkeep pretty easy.
Paper towel for the smaller boxes and newspaper for the bigger tubs works for me.

I saw 'em four rolls for a dollar recently and now own a 10 foot wall stacked high with 4 packs of paper towels.
That ought to hold me till next year when they go on sale again.

They follwing is a quote from "South mountain Reptiles" Corn care sheet....

As a substrate for the cage remember the three "don'ts". CEDAR, SAND and GRAVEL.
These are either toxic to your snake or are not absorbent therefore promoting the growth of bacteria.

Folded newspaper while not aesthetically pleasing is sanitary, inexpensive and convenient.

Aspen beddings are natural and absorbent substrates that most breeders and keepers use.

Pine shavings are sometimes used, but I only recommend them for adult snakes. There is talk lately about the toxic properties of pine and fir. Especially when it gets in your pets drinking water.

You only need to remove the soiled portions of the beddings routinely and only have to completely change the contents periodically.
Let your eyes and nose dictate the frequencyof maintenance.

 

[blito]

i use the corn-cob kitty litter stuff. Been on it for 6 months without any problems at all. I feed my snake in its tank by placing a few paper towels on the substrate and placing the pinkies on those towels to minimize the chance of the litter being ingested

 

[lightningfast]

Thank you everyone for replying to my thread you have given me great advice thank you!

 

[Melinie]

For IndianaCorn & others...

I'm sorry that pic didn't show up. I guess I'm having trouble with uploading images again.
Yes, CareFresh is on the pricey side, but I don't have a huge collection, so can still afford it.....well, at least until the Daytona Expo......then I might have to switch to newspaper, like CowboyWay suggests, depending on how many new 'kids' end up coming home with me! AND how many 'keepers' I hatch this year. I just don't like it when I look in and see fresh 'yuck' just sitting there on the top of the paper, waiting for my snake to crawl through it before I can get it out of there. I like a more absorbant product. But that's just me.
And I've never had any trouble with drying out ANY of my animals when using this product. I've even raised very sensitive baby birds on this stuff. I do 'mist' my snake enclosures from time to time. It aids in shedding. And, in the wild, I assume they would encounter the occasional rain shower, so I provide it for them.
Maybe some bags are just 'dustier' than others, but I've found no more particals in the air with this, than with Aspen, as I'm dumping it in. And, having Asthma, I'm careful to watch for these things.
Now, watch - in six months, or a year, I'm going to be telling you all how handy it is to just use newspaper, since my snake population has doubled, or (gasp!) tripled! LOL

 

[lightningfast]

What about walnut shell. My friend uses walnut shell and it seems to just work great. It seems very absorbent and it isnt dusty like some CareFresh bags. Tell me if you ever have used it and have you had any troubles with it?

 

[Melinie]

Here's that pic...

Here's my buddy, "Cho" in some CareFresh a couple of years ago.