What's the best substrate for ball pythons..

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Cohazard

Cohazard

Arapaima
MFK Member
Jul 13, 2005
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I'm getting back into reptiles after having to sell all my animals a few years ago due to a move.

I kept my ball pythons on aspen back then,but after doing some refresh research, some sources say even aspen is no good and the dust will cause respiratory disease.

Some sources stated eco earth (ground coconut husk) is best because of humidity demands for ball pythons.

my snakes never had problems shedding when kept on aspen with a water bowl they could soak in if they had to.
 
Humidity demands? Bps are from arid regions.... just give them a moist hide and they are fine.... over all humidity is bad for them...
the BEST substrate is probably news paper, simple, easy to clean and sterile.
Aspen is perfectly fine though if you are wanting some a little more aesthetically pleasing. I have never heard of dust problems from aspen... the only real concern is with feeding, feed in a separate container or on a clean plate to avoid having the snake swallow any wood chips, If they swallow any wood chips entirely they should pass it just fine, but they have been known to get a piece stuck in their throat and choke on it.
 
+1 to newspaper
Works great with mine
No problems shedding
Just mist like once a day when opaque
This is in a sterilite tub btw
A tank will be harder to keep humid
 
Cohazard;5124699; said:
I kept my ball pythons on aspen back then,but after doing some refresh research, some sources say even aspen is no good and the dust will cause respiratory disease.

Some sources stated eco earth (ground coconut husk) is best because of humidity demands for ball pythons.

my snakes never had problems shedding when kept on aspen with a water bowl they could soak in if they had to.
Click to expand...

I breed and have about 200 balls / boas. I've tried all types of substrate. My favorite is corrugated cardboard, which I buy in big rolls for cheap. However, I still use aspen for some animals. Aspen will not cause respiratory problems.

Try to keep your humidity around 60%. Too low and too high humidity can cause or at least irritate upper respiratory.
 
I agree with the above suggested 60% humidity target... that is a very loose target (+/-10%) but either extreme has negative influences...

I keep a water tub in my BP enclosures and otherwise attempt to keep humidity low. I love EcoEarth (pulverized cocnut shell) for display tanks but it retains humidity very well (too well for BPs in my opinion).


There are countless substrates that work to one degree or another... and there are pros and cons to everything. What are you biggest priorities? cost, ease of use, appearance, etc, etc...
 
coconut husk is really good otherwise just do paper towels or something..
 
Has anyone asked the OP what he is using for caging? as it makes a huge difference... With glass caging and screen top a substrate such as eco earth or aspen is recommended from me due to its ability to retain moisture. If you have him in PVC caging or a rack (doubt that sense u only plan on one animal) newspaper or pretty much anything will be fine due to its ability to hold moisture..

Cheers
 
Thanks for all the great replies.


Toby_H;5126551; said:
I agree with the above suggested 60% humidity target... that is a very loose target (+/-10%) but either extreme has negative influences...

I keep a water tub in my BP enclosures and otherwise attempt to keep humidity low. I love EcoEarth (pulverized cocnut shell) for display tanks but it retains humidity very well (too well for BPs in my opinion).


There are countless substrates that work to one degree or another... and there are pros and cons to everything. What are you biggest priorities? cost, ease of use, appearance, etc, etc...
Click to expand...


My biggest priority is making sure my animals will feel comfortable and healthy.

Everything else is secondary.


Mikeyy;5126933; said:
Has anyone asked the OP what he is using for caging? as it makes a huge difference... With glass caging and screen top a substrate such as eco earth or aspen is recommended from me due to its ability to retain moisture. If you have him in PVC caging or a rack (doubt that sense u only plan on one animal) newspaper or pretty much anything will be fine due to its ability to hold moisture..

Cheers
Click to expand...


Great question, but I never said I was only planning on one animal :)


I plan to have several snakes, and I have finally decided to go with sterilite tubs.

I am not sure if I'll be using a rack, or just tubs with bungees securing the lids (I had great success with this method before, never had an escape, by using multiple bungees).

With my previous setups, I used aspen, and kept humidity at 50% in the tubs.

The snakes had a water bowl they could soak in and a hide on each side of the tub.
 
Racks are a perfect choice :) I currently have 3 x AP 1630 models which are the 3 foot deep by 18 inch wide that i house male boa's and grow ups. Racks are fantastic because shed is never an issue. Id fully recommend aspen or newspaper. I switched to newspaper when I had a mite scare, and never went back due to the ease in which it is changed. But aspen has a HUGE advantage with masking snake **** smell.

EDIT: I have the above racks plus 4 other racks and 4 AP 4 foot cages lol.

If you have any questions or concerns on PVC caging please feel free to send me a pm Ill go into depth
 
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