substrate

[kidchameleon]

i have read a bunch of different things about what kind of substrate you can use for cornsnakes, and a couple things i read said white pine. however, one thing i read said that if it gets wet, it becomes acidic. is this true? and also, what woul you recommend for substrate? my friend uses aspen, and my uncle uses newspaper, but i dont like how that looks.

thanks

[MouseKilla]

I'm not sure about anything turning acidic but to as far as I'm concerned wood chips are for hamsters.

Newspaper is what I use because it's free, clean and easy to use and replace. I don't ever have to put off cleaning a cage because I need a new bag of whatever. It's true that it isn't as nice to look at as some of the loose substrates (I went through a calci-sand phase myself, which is terrible stuff) but along with the ease of use you also don't have to worry about the snake ingesting it. You can also enjoy the same features with paper towel or shop towels, the dirty stuff goes into the garbage and new stuff goes in.

Whatever you choose just remember that the harder it is to clean the cage the less often you'll likely do it. The reality is that the snake benefits more from having a cleaner environment than it does from one that looks pretty and in the end the cage should be more a place for the snake to live than it is something for you to look at. I'm not saying it can't be both but I am suggesting that your set up should take care of the animal's needs first and everything else should come second.

[sapphire_moon]

actually wood chips are bad for rodents as well! Any pine and definitly cedar can be VERY bad for your snakes. They have phenols in it which can cause respirtory problems (so I've HEARD).

I personally use aspen, but am getting ready to switch back to paper.

[Auskan]

I use paper towel on most of my corns. A couple are on aspen but I agree with mousekilla about ease of cleaning. When they poop on aspen, you can't just replace all the aspen each time, (expense) which means you have to pick the poop out of the aspen and dispose of it. On paper towel, I just throw out the whole paper towel and don't have to actually touch it.

A third alternative is Carefresh, which is recycled wood pulp. Its a loose substrate - doesn't look as nice as aspen, but does allow them to burrow if you have one that likes to do that. I use it for my mice & rats but have never tried it with the snakes.

Another consideration when choosing a substrate is what to do at feeding time. With paper towel, I can just feed right in the enclosure. On a loose substrate you either have to feed in a separate container, or put newspaper or something on top of the substrate to feed on (and hope they don't drag it off the paper and back onto the substrate).

[aNi-DiFrAnCo]

I use Repti-Bark...that stuff was what they used at the pet shop that I bought my snake at. It is nice and light weight so its easy to for them to burrow in, and it smells nice :)

[joebagadohnut]

The problem with Repti-Bark is it is really expensive....
So if you are filling up a 20-30 gallon tank with sufficient substrate, expect to pay $15 bucks each time you replace it all.

[aNi-DiFrAnCo]

One bag of reptibark filled my tank...not sure if it is a 20 or 30 gallon though

[Linds]

Originally posted by Auskan

A third alternative is Carefresh, which is recycled wood pulp.

Actually it's not recycled, it is 100% virgin wood pulp, so it hasn't been exposed to any inks, dyes, or chemicals. :cool:

Originally posted by aNi-DiFrAnCo
I use Repti-Bark...that stuff was what they used at the pet shop that I bought my snake at. It is nice and light weight so its easy to for them to burrow in, and it smells nice :)

The problem is that the smell is caused by the oils which contain potentially harmful phenols. :eek:

[urd]

i personaly use repti-bark for my corns, but it is cheap here in england, a £3.50 (bout $6 i think?) will fill two 20 gallon tanks easily.

I didnt know it could let of harmul phenols though linds, i will have to look into it and maybe find a similar altenative.

[dave68]

Although I like to have some more natural looking display cages in our living room, for the majority of my cages I use newspaper or papertowel or a combination of both. So easy for cleanup and no risks at feeding time as stated earlier.

[kidchameleon]

well, i finally got my cornsnake today. its a 5 month old female sunny vale cornsnake. i got her from the show in PA today. i have her on aspen, and im just gonna keep her on that. it looks nice and she burrows good in it. thanks anyway for the advice/suggestions.

[aNi-DiFrAnCo]

Wow! Phenols...I should have known. I will have to use carefresh, I use that for my pet mouse..hey, at least I won't have to buy two different substrates :D