paper or plastic?

lanalizard · 01-07-03, 11:05 AM

ok lol here is my real question..

1. paper towel or aspen
2. aquarium or rubbermaid.

Ok i have had my corn in an aquarium with paper towel bottom that looks all pretty but then i see people having rubbermaids and shavings and the snakes look sooooo comfy....shoudl i change it or am i fine where i am?

Tim_Cranwill · 01-07-03, 11:09 AM

I don't think your snake cares either way!

It's really up to you. It depends on what you like to look at and what you have the time to keep clean. Both enclosures are fine.

As long as you meet your snake's needs, he/she won't care either way

lanalizard · 01-07-03, 11:10 AM

true true..is both ways sufficient tho? or is there a "better" way

Tim_Cranwill · 01-07-03, 11:13 AM

Both are totally fine in my books. I use the old rubbermaid and newsprint method only because of the cleaning time factor. If I only had 2 or 3 herps, I think I'd go for the more natural aquarium look

Kyle Walkinshaw · 01-07-03, 11:21 AM

Rubbermaids are usally just used for people with large collections because they are alot cheaper than buying a few dozen aquariums, but if you just have one or two corns, aquariums are fine. As for substrate, that is mostly preferance and how you feed. If you feed your snake in a seperate container, aspen is fine but if you just toss it in the tank your going to want to stick with paper towel or newspaper.

Hope this helps

Regards, Kyle Walkinshaw~

gonesnakee · 01-07-03, 05:10 PM

I use blue "shop' papertowel for everything. There is no risk of ingesting substrate, unless the snake eats the towel (if you have a kingsnake like mine this "may" happen, not likely but possible). The "blue shop towels' are the most expensive papertowel you can buy but it is also the best (majorly absorbent). No dust or shavings messing up your house or being breathed by you or your snakes. If you go with shavings I recomend aspen over pine etc. (never ever cedar!!!) because it is also very absorbent & masks odors well. If you go with towels you must clean things much more often (daily) or they get smelly & gross quick. Towels are also good to help prevent any mites etc. from new specimens. It makes things much easier to "monitor" & if new ones are "packing" it offers less hiding/breeding area for the little parasites. I have mostly tubs, but I have at least 80 snakes + at any given time. I recomend display tanks for people with only a couple so you can show off & enjoy your collection more. One thing about shavings though is that the snake always can hide where ever it wants, where as it is more important to make sure to provide proper "hide spots" when there is nothing but towels to hide under. Whatever works for you & meets the needs of your animals is whats best. I use old KD boxes etc. whereever possible that way if they poop in their hidebox I just throw them out rather then clean it out as I would an expensive ornament. Old margerine containers etc. make good water dishes also. The snake don't care what things look like as long as all it's requirements are met. It can be quite healthy/happy hiding in an old cereal box, drinking out an old butter container. It's what you think that looks good what matters. Mark IsBell - GONE SNAKEE!

lanalizard · 01-07-03, 09:39 PM

cool! i know about the pine and cedar stuff...i used to breed show quality rodents

Hope_H · 01-08-03, 05:11 AM

I use Aspen for mine. My adults could care less, when they want privacy they just get in their hide boxes. My hatchlings on the other hand really like to burrow and hide in the Aspen.

Izzie · 01-08-03, 04:54 PM

ummm I have repti-bark in my cage and I feed inside the cage- is that ok?

lanalizard · 01-08-03, 06:04 PM

not really....it is very easy for a snake to eat the repti bark and cause impaction..i would suggest when feeding INSIDE the cage, use papertowel or newspaper which they cant impact...

Lisa · 01-09-03, 02:16 AM

I like cypress mulch, keeps humidity up, lets them burrow (our corns like to burrow), and looks way better then a messy paper towel. Often when feeding we just put the prey item in a dish in the tank.

ReneeB · 01-09-03, 08:31 AM

My tanks have black soil, then some "forest floor" stuff.. it's bark chucks and dryed moss and leaves..

There are two dry hides and a moist hide [plastic shoebox, with holes in the lids] burried in the soil with opening to the surface.
My pines, and corns love burrowing thru the stuff..

I have pics in my gallery if you want to look.

As for cleaning.. simple just remove the soiled soil/bark and when it gets low replace it with some new stuff.. with a full tank cleaning every 6-9 mths.

BUT I am switching to a rack with rubbermaids are my collection is growing alot faster than I expected. In the last year i've gone from NO herps in February to having kept over 45 by Dec 1.

Nanashi04 · 01-09-03, 10:16 AM

I used pine with Travis... but I may switch to paper towels if I get something new... I'm still vacuming pine shavings out of my carpet....

MidnightIris · 01-09-03, 02:22 PM

I prefer to put down a layer od newspaper, then a layer of paper towls over that. It's pretty absorbant and looks nice too. I've tried chips/shreddings in the past but I found it harder to keep clean as mine would burrow, then go potty, so that the smell would linger even after the soiled area appeared to be removed. They can still burrow between the layers of paper and it's easier for me.