Eco earth or Kritter's Crumble?

[CosmicOwl]

I'm looking to try out some new substrate(he's on paper towels right now) for my grey rat snake. I want to get him something that he can burrow into, that also isn't going to be a problem with digestion. I've used aspen for a long time, but I'm finding it a bit too dusty, and I don't want to risk an accidental swallowing up such large piece with a small snake.

I think I'm going to go with either eco earth or Kritter's crumble. I like the idea of the chunks of coir, but it's also seems a bit expensive, and has to be bought online. The eco earth is finer but I can get at local place like Petsmart. What do you guys think?

[poison123]

Top soil and childrens washed play sand mix from home depot is the best imo :) Very low price and comes with a lot.

[Hotchkiss]

I use eco-earth for my king, she loves to burrow. It holds a burrow fairly well (Even when dry) and humidity is held really well too

[Mikoh4792]

If money is an issue go with eco earth, I personally like kritter's crumble and not something as fine as dirt(eco earth)

[CosmicOwl]

I've thought about going with the play sand and topsoil idea, but I'm not ready to go that far out of my comfort zone yet. And the issue with the crumble isn't strictly a money issue, it's also the issue of having to order online and have it shipped. I'm not a huge fan of that.

[Mikoh4792]

I've thought about going with the play sand and topsoil idea, but I'm not ready to go that far out of my comfort zone yet. And the issue with the crumble isn't strictly a money issue, it's also the issue of having to order online and have it shipped. I'm not a huge fan of that.

What's wrong with getting it shipped?

I think the topsoil and playsand mixture would be great. Especially if you make it bio active with live plants. Something I plan to do in the future.

[CosmicOwl]

What's wrong with getting it shipped?

I think the topsoil and playsand mixture would be great. Especially if you make it bio active with live plants. Something I plan to do in the future.

I guess the problem isn't that it's shipped, so much as that I can't just run out and get some if I need it. I also don't like paying for shipping and handling.

[Sharlynn93]

I use the eco earth for my rainbows. Also for the tarantula. I use it damp or dry depending on humidity needs...works awesome! My CRB burrows in it every night. I enjoy getting up in the mornings to see what trails she left..I always fluff it before bed so she can make new ones too...also helps the humidity factor and keeping mold from forming...

[TeaNinja]

i mix eco earth and repti bark for my dumerils, they love to dig in the substrate and ambush hunt. with the mix of both you get the fine stuff and the thick stuff so i feel like it makes nice substrate.

[exwizard]

I also use Eco Earth for my Brazilians. It holds the humidity much better than the newspaper they were on. I find that having them each in their own CB70 tub with very large water bowls placed directly over the heat really makes things quite humid for them. The problem was that the newspaper I was using was not holding up to that level of humidity and was making things very wet for them. Eco Earth, on the other hand holds the humidity very well without making things so wet for them.

[CosmicOwl]

Well, the eco earth is a no-go. It was holding too much moisture in a plastic tub, and my snake didn't even want to crawl on it. I replaced it with shredded new paper and he's right back to crawl around his tub.

[poison123]

Sand/soil *cough*

[Pirarucu]

Topsoil and sand works very well, I use it with all my animals.

[CosmicOwl]

Sand/soil *cough*

Okay :P

He seems to enjoying the shredded newspaper, so I going let him stay on that for a while. I will try the play sand and topsoil mixture, though. What ratio do you suggest, and should I just buy the products from Lowes or home depot?

[ilovemysnake]

Well, the eco earth is a no-go. It was holding too much moisture in a plastic tub, and my snake didn't even want to crawl on it. I replaced it with shredded new paper and he's right back to crawl around his tub.

i just got the eco earth today, they love it. only thing i did different was i only used half the water they recommended and it came out perfect. i didnt want it to be too wet.

[CosmicOwl]

i just got the eco earth today, they love it. only thing i did different was i only used half the water they recommended and it came out perfect. i didnt want it to be too wet.


I used as little water as possible, and then laid it out on sheet pans to dry. It was still holding too much moisture inside of a plastic tub. He also seemed to dislike the feeling of it and was staying elevated more than usual. The shredded paper seems to work though.

[poison123]

Was this eco earth from a brick or was it in a bag already to go?

I use bricks because they are cheap ($6 for 3). After I soak it in hot water I get hand fulls and squeeze out the water by hand then place it in the enclosure. If you're still not a fan of how moist it is after that then you can just set the bucket of dirt outside in the sun to dry up.

[CosmicOwl]

Was this eco earth from a brick or was it in a bag already to go?

I use bricks because they are cheap ($6 for 3). After I soak it in hot water I get hand fulls and squeeze out the water by hand then place it in the enclosure. If you're still not a fan of how moist it is after that then you can just set the bucket of dirt outside in the sun to dry up.


It was the compressed brick. Maybe it would works better in a screen top cage, but it was creating too much humidity in a tub.

[CosmicOwl]

I did make one small oversight by using the shredded news paper... it may be difficult to find a small gray and brown snake in an inch and a half of shredded grey and black paper.:D He does seem to enjoy burrowing in though.

[ilovemysnake]

I used as little water as possible, and then laid it out on sheet pans to dry. It was still holding too much moisture inside of a plastic tub. He also seemed to dislike the feeling of it and was staying elevated more than usual. The shredded paper seems to work though.

off topic, but you have rat snakes.. Do yours constrict prey?

[poison123]

off topic, but you have rat snakes.. Do yours constrict prey?

Rat snakes are constrictors. But when feeding on pinkies they don't see a reason to constrict something that is harmless.

[drumcrush]

Rat snakes are constrictors. But when feeding on pinkies they don't see a reason to constrict something that is harmless.

^^^ yep,my king when she was a baby and my brothers baby corn took pinkies and swollowed them alive, didn't even constrict. as the prey got bigger, they started constricting more.

[poison123]

Some snakes will never constrict when feeding on F/T my cornsnake (aka red ratsnake) will only constrict live.

[CosmicOwl]

off topic, but you have rat snakes.. Do yours constrict prey?

Nope. He just eats the pinkies. My corn snake does the same with his adult mice unless he's been off food for like 10 days or more. Then he will strike them hard, wrap them up and "kill" them. Though when he was fed live mice he had to constrict them out of necessity.

[ilovemysnake]

Nope. He just eats the pinkies. My corn snake does the same with his adult mice unless he's been off food for like 10 days or more. Then he will strike them hard, wrap them up and "kill" them. Though when he was fed live mice he had to constrict them out of necessity.

Awe I thought it would be pretty cool to watch.

[LiL Zap]

I've never had any problems with aspen. I use the Zoo Med brand. I love it so much.