When to change substrate?

[slowhite03]

I have a king snake and he is currently on aspen but I'm done with aspen and I'm going to switch over to reptile carpet. My question is when should I do this? He is currently in shed and when he is done he is going to be hungry. Should I wait till after he eats so he can get the full 7 days of getting used to it or should I do it before I feed him?

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by slowhite03

I have a king snake and he is currently on aspen but I'm done with aspen and I'm going to switch over to reptile carpet. My question is when should I do this? He is currently in shed and when he is done he is going to be hungry. Should I wait till after he eats so he can get the full 7 days of getting used to it or should I do it before I feed him?

My kingsnake doesn't care where when and what it eats. It just eats and wants to eat more all the time. Most of my kings have been like this so I think your king should be fine eating after the switch to carpet. Although waiting a week wouldn't hurt either. Just do what you want.

If it were me, I would feed him, wait a 2-3 for him to digest and then switch the substrate. Then after 4-5 days I would feed again.

[slowhite03]

That's what I'll probably do and he's an adult so he gets fed every 10 days

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by slowhite03

That's what I'll probably do and he's an adult so he gets fed every 10 days

Ok I see.

What reason do you have for switching to carpet? I never actually used carpet for my snakes so I've wondered what they were like.

Wouldn't it be a hassle to keep changing it out and washing it as opposed to spot cleaning loose substrate or replacing dirty newspaper/papertowel?

[slowhite03]

I had my other king get allergies to aspen and switched to carpet. I have 3 pieces for him, so when he soils I take him out replace a pad and then hose off the remains. I just don't like aspen, the hides I have are to heavy so everytime they burrow under them they just sink. It's just a hassle not to mention the dust. I have a mexican black and it shows the dust. They reason I don't use paper towels is I would have to have a seam in the middle and he's a burrowed, so that would cause a bigger headache. Reptile carpet is one solid piece and fits my breeder tank perfect

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by slowhite03

I had my other king get allergies to aspen and switched to carpet. I have 3 pieces for him, so when he soils I take him out replace a pad and then hose off the remains. I just don't like aspen, the hides I have are to heavy so everytime they burrow under them they just sink. It's just a hassle not to mention the dust. I have a mexican black and it shows the dust. They reason I don't use paper towels is I would have to have a seam in the middle and he's a burrowed, so that would cause a bigger headache. Reptile carpet is one solid piece and fits my breeder tank perfect

If your kingsnake likes to burrow then wouldn't it be better to provide him with substrate he can burrow into?

I'd like to recommend a cocohusk substrate called kritter's crumble. It doesn't produce a lot of dust and it comes in two grains. Coarse and fine. I use it dry for my kings and humid for my ball pythons. It also looks a lot more natural then aspen in my opinion.

[KORBIN5895]

Repticarpet is notorious for being disgusting and harboring bacteria so I would just keep that in mind.

I also didn't realize snakes could developed allergies. Are you sure it wasn't just the dust making him sneeze and not an allergy? How knowledgeable is your vet?

I also recommend cocohusk. It is the best substrate I have used hands down.

[Mikoh4792]

OP I'm not saying it isn't allergies, but when I keep my snakes on aspen they sneeze a lot, especially when kept dry since the dust kicks up. I haven't seen this with cocohusk.

[slowhite03]

He just wasn't sneezing, he was making that popping noise. Took her to two vets and they both gave her a clean bill of health. I switched her to reptile carpet and now she is completely fine. I know they can hold bacteria. That's why I got 3, everytime they poo/pee I take it out and hose it off. This method seems to be working just fine so far

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by slowhite03

He just wasn't sneezing, he was making that popping noise. Took her to two vets and they both gave her a clean bill of health. I switched her to reptile carpet and now she is completely fine. I know they can hold bacteria. That's why I got 3, everytime they poo/pee I take it out and hose it off. This method seems to be working just fine so far

My snakes would also make the popping noise as well.

[slowhite03]

Oh, we'll that's why I'm getting away from aspen. I know people love aspen but I have grown to dislike it due to the dust. Has anybody worked with sani-chips? Some say it is dusty but I've also read that it isn't.

[Chu'Wuti]

Weird, my colubrids that were on aspen (we're remodeling, so they're all on paper toweling for the duration) never sneezed or made popping sounds.

Anyway, simply hosing off the reptile carpet off won't eliminate the bacteria; some will remain in the pores. I don't really have much experience with reptile carpet, though; I was given a king snake on it and eventually tossed it because it got really nasty even with washing it every week. Too nasty for my comfort, anyway.

[Mikoh4792]

Right, in order to completely rid it of bacteria you would need to use soap or detergent.

[KORBIN5895]

Mykee and Aaron swear by beta chips which I believe is similar.

[slowhite03]

Originally Posted by mikoh4792

Right, in order to completely rid it of bacteria you would need to use soap or detergent.

Oh I forgot, you change your tank substrate everytime your snakes takes a dump. I clean them thourghly every couple if weeks but hey, you think you know everything I do.