aspen question

[bigbosky]

sometimes when i feed my jungle pieces of aspen get stuck to the mouse and i find myself picking them off before he finishes eating it. will the aspen hurt him or is it safe for him to injest

[sharthun]

No problem. My snakes ingest small pieces of aspen when feeding Sometimes. It will pass! Lol:)

[Terranaut]

Never had a problem or known anyone who has.

[bigbosky]

cool thanks guys

[mclund]

Never had a problem or known anyone who has.

Below is a Youtube video extracting Reptibark from a Jerdons red spotted pit viper. As the title of the video says "Never say Never" I will say reptibark is much harder than aspen, but there is always a possibility non-digestible items that are swallowed can get stuck.

Never Say Never - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPagdWPwI88)

[Terranaut]

Below is a Youtube video extracting Reptibark from a Jerdons red spotted pit viper. As the title of the video says "Never say Never" I will say reptibark is much harder than aspen, but there is always a possibility non-digestible items that are swallowed can get stuck.

Never Say Never - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPagdWPwI88)

The ops question was about aspen. A fluke occurrence does not change my point of view. Never say never is like saying I could win the lottery. I won't ;)

[mclund]

Never say never is like saying I could win the lottery. I won't ;)

but if you play...you might. That was my point. It can happen. The information I provided was factual and educational. I was not calling you out. You have never had a problem or knew someone who did. I did know of someone. That was the reason for my post. I also did state it was Repitbark and not aspen.

[lady_bug87]

I would just make sure you dry the prey item better. I used to offer the prey on a Tupperware lid.

[Terranaut]

I didn't feel called out. No worries. I was using the lottery example to show how yes it could happen but the odds are astronomical like winning the lottery. You are more likely to die in a car crash than your snake is to die of substrate impaction. I would even bet more snakes have died in car crashes than from substrate impaction.

[mclund]

I would even bet more snakes have died in car crashes than from substrate impaction.

I would have to disagree with that. unless you are talking about road kills. I think it happens a lot more often than you think.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/63157-impaction-due-substrate-ingestion-fact-fiction.html

[Terranaut]

I would have to disagree with that. unless you are talking about road kills. I think it happens a lot more often than you think.

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/general-discussion/63157-impaction-due-substrate-ingestion-fact-fiction.html

So that's 3 and the last post was 2005. One burst? After 1 day? This doesn't sound fishy to you? Consider the millions of snakes that eat aspen or wood or whatever every day. This did not support your argument very well at all. What about wild snakes eating forest floor? If this was such an issue we would have forrests littered with dead snakes.

[jonny_l]

I would not be so worried about impaction, as I would with the aspen getting stuck in the upper parts of their gums. I can definitely see how that can cause a bacterial infection.

[mclund]

So that's 3 and the last post was 2005. One burst? After 1 day? This doesn't sound fishy to you? Consider the millions of snakes that eat aspen or wood or whatever every day. This did not support your argument very well at all. What about wild snakes eating forest floor? If this was such an issue we would have forrests littered with dead snakes.

I didn't see you post any proof of snakes dying in car crashes, which is what I was disputing.

[mclund]

I would not be so worried about impaction, as I would with the aspen getting stuck in the upper parts of their gums. I can definitely see how that can cause a bacterial infection.

Excellent point jonny_l. The lacrimal duct which is located in the back of the mouth, can become clogged with substrate. The result is swelling of the eye. If the duct is not cleared, infection can occur. I have had first had experience with this.

[jonny_l]

Excellent point jonny_l. The lacrimal duct which is located in the back of the mouth, can become clogged with substrate. The result is swelling of the eye. If the duct is not cleared, infection can occur. I have had first had experience with this.

Matt,

I first thought of this when inspecting one of my female Ball Pythons mouths up close. I gently opened her mouth with a small wooden dowl and noticed pieces of aspen in towards the back of the mouth. They looked as if they had been there for a couple days. I removed them with Q-tips. I went over every one of the other snakes in my collection and found that this was the case with most of them. A couple months later I switched my substrate. Not because of this, but because I found the aspen to be a little too messy for my liking. I now use a product called Diamond Dry. It is a celluose base bedding that works wonders. It's non toxic, super absorbent which makes for less of a spot clean and hold odors VERY well. Plus it's white so it's really easy to see where the mess has been made. One of the problems with aspen is that I could barely tell where the snake had deficated so I usually cleaned up a larger surface area just to be safe.

[mclund]

I am not against using aspen as a substrate. I just think when feeding, try to avoid having the snakes ingest it, any substrate. Impaction may not happen that often, but it does happen. It's easy to avoid any of these potential health issues. Feed in a tub, offer food on a plastic mat or Tupperware lid. I use paper as a substrate, it's not aesthetically pleasing, but the benefits far out weigh the eyesore.

[poison123]

Below is a Youtube video extracting Reptibark from a Jerdons red spotted pit viper. As the title of the video says "Never say Never" I will say reptibark is much harder than aspen, but there is always a possibility non-digestible items that are swallowed can get stuck.

Never Say Never - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPagdWPwI88)

Sorry I didnt watch the whole vid but I would think after a while the substrate would get broken down and able to pass through the snake?