non-conventional substrates (yet another substrate question)

[Bristen]

just wondering if people use different substrates than the convential ones... I would consider the "convential substrates" as being the following:

a) newspaper (old newspapers, pelletized, CareFresh, etc)

b) aspen (chips, shredded, ripped, etc)

c) orchid or cypress barks (nuggets, mulch, etc)

I can't find reasonably priced bark suitable for snakes in my area. I have been experimenting with a few substrates recently (shredded aspen, fine and not so fine, newspaper, pelletized newspaper). So far I have found that the pelletized newspaper works best for both cleaning, humidity and feeding the animals on it. I however don't like the cost on the stuff. I was wondering if pelletized alfalfa (aka rabbit food) would be ok for Ball Pythons? Similar to pelletized newspaper but way cheaper... anybody using it or experimented with it?

Thanks,
Bristen.