Best Substrate for Columbians...?

[chris124578]

I am planning on housing 2 female columbians in a 7'l,2.5'd,2'h custom made wood tank....
i was wondering what the best substrate to use for my girls would be.....
thanks...
matt

[JaredAren]

I don't know wht is the best substrate. I do know that newspaper is very cheap, easy to put in and take out of cages that are large, its clean, and it is very absorbant. I have tried cypress mulch, reptisand, reptibark, and paper towels and I like newspaper the best. Papers towels are my favorite for the smaller tubs in my rack but for large cages newpaper is the stuff.

[Jeff_Favelle]

I agree with Jared, there is no BEST substrate. There's TONS of usable substrates and they are well documented in all the herp literature. Pick one for YOUR needs and go with it. Its that simple.

[Linds]

My favourite substrates for larger boas are either newspaper or bath towels. Bath towels are more attractive if that's a concern. If you want something more natural, I would recommend cypress mulch. Substrates I would avoid would be astroturf, gravel, and any barks containing softwoods such as pine, fir, etc. as these contain phenols which can be harmful. Some people like aspen, I personally don't like it because it doesn't hold any humidity and molds easily.

[Yanis]

You can use reptile cage carpet like substrate for your boa,it is easy to wash.

[Solid Snake]

Originally posted by Yanis
You can use reptile cage carpet like substrate for your boa,it is easy to wash.

same here.

[NewLineReptile]

Reptile cage carpet is more for you not the snake. With newspaper you can see were your snake has gone to the bathroom and just change it. Instead of waiting for a smell to no when your snake has gone to the bathroom.

I would go with newspaper it works well and it's cheap. But looks like sh*t

Brandon

[Black Mamba]

Like other people said, there is no BEST substrate. I would reccomend newspaper, easy to change and cheap.

[Invictus]

I absolutely hate newspaper as a substrate and I have to strongly diagree with Linds on something here - I think astroturf is great. We're using astro for our big BCI, and it is fabolous. It looks good, it absorbs well, cleans easily, and can span the whole cage. Paper towels and newspaper sucks for big snakes in my opinion - as soon as they move, their weight just takes all the substrate with them and it ends up bunched up on one side. Bath towels are also great substrate, especially if your boa is like ours... he likes to knock over his water dish.