Best Reticulated Python Bedding?

[EeveeIvory]

I’ve always had smaller snakes growing up, until I went to an expo a couple years back and fell in love with the Reticulated python, I spent about a year doing research on Reticulated Pythons and finally just earlier this month I purchased my first baby Reticulated Python. I’m so happy with Sol, she is just what I wanted in temperament and behavior. However, I’m starting to quickly learn that many information is pretty al over the place, so many things I had to try out for myself.

Sol is currently 5 month old, about 3ish feet. Perfectly healthy and eats like a champ. Her cage is an 80 gallon long (until she gets bigger, I have plans to put her in a custom large cage I’m currently building her) One Hiding rock, a massive water bowl, plenty of climbing sticks. And mixed coconut fiber and Reptibark as bedding. Her temps temporarily sit at 87 hot side and 75 cold (Her 250 watt ceramic heater broke for whatever reason and I’m heading out today to get it fixed) and humidity ranges from 51-68.

Now with the important information out of the way, I’m having an issue with the bedding, She keeps getting it in her mouth. Not like, she’s eating it, more like shes digging in the soil and getting it stuck between the skin and teeth of her jaw. It makes it extremely difficult to take it out, but she doesn’t seem to mind. I have tried just Reptibark in the past but she continues to somehow get it in her mouth. I would try aspen, but aspen doesn’t hold humidity very well, and with her screen like top, It does no justice keeping it in.

What would you recommend for a bedding? Is this normal and I’m just overreacting?

[dangernoodles]

Tell your retic I said hi.

Anyway, it´s normal for snakes to ingest some bedding at one point or another.
There´s really no avoiding this. Aspen is gonna do the same thing.
MOST retic keepers recommend using newsprint or paper towels... but those are pretty ugly. Get a chunky and solid substrate like beech wood chips, or similar. https://www.reptilecentre.com/beech-woodchip-f34549_270251.htm

Does she get it in her mouth when feeding or by just slithering around?

[EeveeIvory]

She says, lelele. Which i think is hi, in her language who knows.

I will definitely check that out. I think what she does is instead of sleeping in her nice (very expensive) hide, she coils in the bedding and puts her body on her head. And maybe that’s why she gets it in her lips? I’m not entirely sure. I don’t feed her in the cage, I have a designated bin where I take her out to feed her in. She’s very aware of what that bin is, And gets very excited when placed in it. I just wanna limit feeding responses from her cage. I know doesn’t completely avoid it, but I thought I’d try.

Also, what do you think of Fir Bark? You think that’d help?

[dangernoodles]

Do NOT feed her in a different bin. Imagine trying to do that with an adult retic! It may be easy now, but moving her to that bin every time it not going to be an easy task, especially when she is full grown. To limit feeding response, get a snake hook or another thing to let her know its not feeding time. To avoid eating substrate, AFTER she has struck and coiled, put her head and front of body in a ¨feeding bin¨ which can be a flipped over hide or similar.
ReptiBark IS fir bark. It´s literally the same thing- still gonna get in her mouth, although coarse beech wood chips are large and unlikely to get stuck to her lips.

If you want to avoid this all together, use paper towels. No feeding bin, no ingesting substrate, no substrate getting stuck to lips, etc.

[craigafrechette]

Yeah, ditch the seperate feeding tub ASAP!!!

Seperate feeding tubs are old school and have been proven counter productive over time.

There's literally ZERO benefit to a separate feeding tub.

Like mentioned above, you DEFINITELY don't want to have to move an adult retic at feeding time.

Looks like you should have done a LOT MORE homework before bringing an animal like a retic home. If you really did a year of research you wouldn't be asking these introductory level questions.

[sgtstinky]

Hi, and congrats on the retic !! I don't use bedding, instead I use packing paper. I can get at my local walmart. It is cheap, and easy to use. I have used bedding in the past to help maintain humidity but it just seemed to be more complicated than it needed to be for my set up. I will use three or four sheets and fold them so they cover the floor. With the paper its fold up and go for cleaning.

I have a large plastic tub that has a lot of surface area that helps maintain humidity and provides an area for the snake to soak.

My solution may not work for your set up, good luck and keeping researching until you get what you need.

[dave himself]

I also use paper it's much more cost effective than substrate, it's ok now but my girl lives in a 8x3x2 and when she pees which is quite regular she can easily soak half the viv. So I would just paper if I was you