Good and easy to clean bedding?

acidonangles · 07-04-17, 10:02 AM

I have been using eco earth (shredded coconut husk) and it has been an absolute pain to clean. I have a 6ft enclosure and prefer not to use repticarpet or paper towels. So I was wondering if orchard bark or aspen is okay to use or if you guys have any recommendations?

riddick07 · 07-04-17, 10:13 AM

Aspen works fine. Aspen can be a pain too when you try to change out all the bedding in that size cage. I use big sheets of paper that I get at Uline or other local shops. They are 36X30 I think is the size of a sheet. So far they actually don't move the big paper around easy. I use it with the retics too.

I've been using a humidty type box sometimes it is an open top bin to increase the overall humidity. I just use cocohusk in the box and its easier to deal with that way.

dannybgoode · 07-04-17, 10:26 AM

Aspen isn't good where humidity is required. Orchid bark works pretty well but could be expensive in the long term in a larger viv.

Personally I like the natural look of a nice soil, eco earth, sand mix so put up with the pain of keeping it clean

MDT · 07-04-17, 02:18 PM

I just switched over to Sani-chips and provide a humid hide with moistened Eco-earth type stuff. Seems to be working well, easy spot cleaning and pretty easy total clean-out of enclosures. Also, aesthetically nice.

Doug 351 · 07-04-17, 07:24 PM

Get the wife to do it!!! Oh, wait...were we talking about snake cages?

bigsnakegirl785 · 07-05-17, 06:51 AM

I'm using aspen in a lot of my boa enclosures currently. The aspen does just fine in the tubs, but doesn't seem to hold up in my RHP-heated PVC enclosures quite as well. You can give aspen a go, but you may need to consider a different bedding if it doesn't make the cut.

As far as cleaning out bedding, I normally just grab a dust pan and shovel out the bedding, then vacuum up any remaining when doing a full bedding change. When I spot clean, I pick up any feces/urates and all immediately surrounding bedding. I also turn the bedding over and run my hands through it to find any hidden bits.

Scubadiver59 · 07-05-17, 10:42 AM

I have aspen in my Corn & King enclosures, but I will be switching to a Cypress/Reptibark mix when I make a full cage clean up later this month...there's just too much dust and like it was said earlier, it doesn't hold moisture well.

Once I move those two cages over, all my snakes will be on Cypress/Reptibark.

trailblazer295 · 07-05-17, 05:33 PM

I like coco husk chunks. I buy 4.5kg blocks at expos for much cheaper. It's not a cheap solution when used in quantity but I can keep the humidity I want. I spot clean as needed and will gut the cage every few months.

Azrt · 07-05-17, 05:51 PM

Paper towels

RedTailRutiodon · 07-08-17, 04:38 AM

Another vote for aspen, if you aren't having any shed issues with your boa. If you're struggling keeping humidity up, I'd use cypress.