whats safe to use

[jhiggy69]

and whats not safe? cedar?aspen?pine?red cedar?for my kingsnakes, bull snake ,gopher snake ?

[Lankyrob]

Aspen would be choice out of the options you gave, cedar and pine CAN be dangerous to snakes in some of their forms.

[GarterPython]

Aspen is the best choice out of those. Alot of people use it.

[jhiggy69]

ok thanks .....i heard once that pine shavings can be toxic to most snakes ....is that true ?

[Skits]

Aspen would be best from those you mentioned. I know pine has some oils and chemicals in it that is toxic to the snakes skin and also causes RI's as it's dusty. I wouldn't even use it for rodents, I've had rodents die because of pine. Cedar is almost as bad as pine as well.

[Trent]

Actually cedar is way worse than pine.

[mykee]

"and also causes RI's as it's dusty"
Wrongo!
Respiratory infections are not caused by dust.
They are caused by bacteria or a virus.

[Skits]

Actually cedar is way worse than pine.

Wrongo!
Respiratory infections are not caused by dust.
They are caused by bacteria or a virus.

Thanks for the corrections. I always thought that by them breathing in the chemicals, it's what caused the bacterias that gave respiratory infections. Learn something new every day.:p

[youngster]

I'm going to spare Wayne here and say this for him xD

Cedar and pine DON'T pose any harm to your animals when they are KILN DRIED.

The toxic oils are evaporated in the kiln drying process.

[mykee]

"Cedar and pine DON'T pose any harm to your animals when they are KILN DRIED.
The toxic oils are evaporated in the kiln drying process. "
Wrongo!
Oil does not evaporate during kiln drying, only the moisture in the wood; concentrating the oils further.

[KORBIN5895]

I use coco husk.

[mykee]

I use unprinted newspaper stock.

[youngster]

Wrongo!
Oil does not evaporate during kiln drying, only the moisture in the wood; concentrating the oils further.

You're sure about this? That came from a trusted source.

[mykee]

Yup.
If you're going to reference something, back it up with some knowledge.

[Coffee Black]

I can't find unprinted newspaper stock. I use cypress or newspaper. Actually hard to find cypress without a lot of additives unless one is willing to pay pet store prices.

[mykee]

Moving supply companies sell unprinted newspaper stock.

[hellosugaree]

Wrongo!
Oil does not evaporate during kiln drying, only the moisture in the wood; concentrating the oils further.

You're sure about this? That came from a trusted source.

Neither of you backed up your words. I'm not saying either of you are right or wrong, but neither of you supported your claims in any way.

[hellosugaree]

I use coco husk.

I keep meaning to order some of that. I think I'll do it now. Thanks for the reminder!

[KORBIN5895]

I get 56 cubic liters ( compressed) for $6

[insignia100]

Yup.
If you're going to reference something, back it up with some knowledge.

*ahem*

If I'm not mistaken, the harmful oils in cedar and pine are aromatic oils. These are very volatile, meaning they do in fact evaporate. Ergo, there is no reason why kiln drying wouldn't remove these oils from the wood.

Use of Cedar as a Substrate for Reptiles and Other Pets (http://www.anapsid.org/cedar.html)