Substrate options?

[MlizGr]

Alright, so since my lovely little Achilles Heel [yellow bellied Racer] was a surprise snake I've been using paper towels on the bottom of the cage for a "substrate" of sorts. He seems to like to hide himself right under the edge of them, so I'm thinking that I want to figure out something he can burrow through [once he's healed up from his cat attack first! All his wounds were looking great today though, and he's definitely on the upswing!]

So, what are some of the more natural looking options for substrate? I've considered doing a planted tank to be rather... prairie-ish? I've got some antlers in there for him to climb on and for decoration, along with a cool twisty stick I found and baked some time back. Even his water bowl looks rather naturalish [though I am considering getting him a larger one so he can soak easier...]

I've already read that sand isn't a good choice, so that's out. In terms of plants I was thinking some of the spider plants I inherited and are starting to take over the house. Would I keep them in their own pots or would I be able to plant them into some kind of substrate?

And yes, I'll get photos of the tank so far and put them up as soon as I get home, and there will be more photos of Achilles as well!

[stephanbakir]

Besides the barks, have you thought of mosses? peat moss etc.

[MlizGr]

Haha, I actually just looked through the vivarium posts and saw that was an option. Right now I'm torn between that and reptile bark. Which one's easier to clean? Is it just a case of taking out the stuff he's messed on and then a monthly complete change of the substrate, or do I have to change it every time he poos? Which one would Achilles enjoy more? Maybe I'll do a mix of the two... Has anyone tried Eco Earth with snakes? I know sand is a nono [which sucks, cause I have a TON of that...]

I haven't had a chance to get to any of the pet stores in town yet since it's been weekend and holiday time, so I'm honestly not even sure what they have as options.

[stephanbakir]

Honestly, its newspaper for the most part, I use aspen with Kirana but shes arboreal.

[MlizGr]

Hmm.. What happens if it gets wet? I keep the water on a slightly higher shelf to try and keep it from splashing all over, but that doesn't mean that he wouldn't get it wet anyway.

[stephanbakir]

It soaks up the water. But there are ways of making it impossible to tip the water bowl.

[MlizGr]

Oh, he can't tip it [or if he can I'll be VERY impressed] but he could curl his entire body in it and displace all the water, or splash around or something I'm sure...

How's cleanup with it? Do you have to replace it all every time they poo or just a little bit?

[stephanbakir]

its easy to replace it all. Companies just give away old newspaper.
How I do it is, take the paper and toss it in recycling if it has no poo on it, otherwise garbage. Wipe the wet area down and disinfect if needed then place new paper.

[MlizGr]

Ack, I was asking about the Moss. sorry for the confusion there.

Honestly, I've considered just sticking with the paper towels, but it just doesn't have the right look to it! The artist part of me is screaming to make this tank look amazing...

[stephanbakir]

Moss is dirt cheap, for the most part you just remove the dirty spots and let it grow back, but it needs replacing sometime, and should be replaced every once in a while anyway.

[MlizGr]

Wait, this moss grows? Do I need to put dirt down first? Will it start growing on other stuff? How do I do a full tank cleaning with it?

[stephanbakir]

Wait, I'm thinking of a different moss :P I had scorpions on moss I found in my back yard a few years back.

[MlizGr]

Haha! Okay. Well, I'll still look into peat moss and reptile bark as options. Still not sure if I'll go with either of them or a mix or what... Guess it will depend on the look and price and whether or not I have to replace it all or just the area where he poos... Do snakes generally poo in the same area of their tank?

[stephanbakir]

They poop everywhere, although one of the snakes I used to own would only poop in water, either his water dish or the bath tub. Made cleaning up after him a dream.

[MlizGr]

Oooo, maybe I'll get lucky and have one like that! I mean, I don't mind cleaning poo, but I would like it if I didn't have to hunt for it...

[Lankyrob]

Reptile bark is easy in terms of cleaning - take out the poo and the bark that it was lying on and chuck a handful of replacement bark back in its place - as long as you keep on top of the spot cleaning then a full replacemtn is probably every 6-8 months or so

[MlizGr]

Well that doesn't sound too bad. As long as he doesn't dig down before pooing anyhow. I'm planning to swing by a couple of pet stores today, so I should be able to pick stuff up.