FAQ:Best substrate for pythons

[Mayo]

Depends what suits you best I'm looking at changing from newspaper to marine carpet at the moment.

[Hix]

I've been using Marine Carpet for a while. I like it.



Hix

[jkrakka]

yeah i know their good but they just dont look natural so what do you all think about the marine carpet as a substrate

[dickyknee]

Mate use what ever you like the look of ,aslong as your happy with it ........ some will say newspaper , some kitty litter ...... I dont think there is any right or wrong answer .
I use breeders choice as i only have one cage at the moment , but i am sure if i had 10 or 20 cages i would use newspaper ( for cost reasons ) .

[Jungle_Freak]

Newspaper

[turtleboy]

can you get marine carpet or that fake grass from flower power?

[turtleboy]

the ground nuts can cause majour impaction in beardies, i dont know about pythons but i'd steer clear..

[Tatelina]

Originally Posted by jkrakka

as yet i have not tryed any of them but iv bin told that pythons can swallow the gravel when they drag their food in and can scratch their cloaika ( the thing that hangs down when they poop) as the fake grass is made of shreded plastic and can be quit sharp

yeah fish gravel and fake grass..but then again any substrate can get stuck to food and obstruct and make a few things uncomfortable..

I got a free sample of this new substrate from strictly reptiles that looks like rat/mouse food...apparently works like breeders choice pellets but much better because its not as dusty and doesnt go all mucky when it gets wet. shall let you know how that goes with my lizard.

[TrueBlue]

butchers or news paper. without a dought.

[jkrakka]

from the sound of thing you all seem to like either marine carpet or news papper so me thinks i shall go with the marine carpet. i got my licence yesterday so as soon as iv got my enclosure and all the bits and peices ill be getting me first snake how exciting

[MannyM]

Anyone know where you can get marine carpet? Would bunnings sell it?

I'm using Newspaper personally, and it's fantastic. Very easy to keep the enclosure clean. Would like to get a roll of butchers paper or the like, as newspaper ink smudges too easily.

[slimebo]

i use outdoor carpet with newspaper under it.buy it from any carpet store and usally they have an offcuts bin that you can go through.some of the new stain free indoor carpets are good to and normally easy to get ofcuts

[slim6y]

Here's my idea...
I use shade cloth (but this was because I couldn't find that fake grass).

The advantages I have noted with shade cloth:

1) It is easy to clean. Just remove, run under water, replace.

2) It appeared to aid in shedding - the rough surface just helps.

3) You can easily see poo etc

4) It provides ample hides

5) It's damned cheap at only a few $ per metre and you don't need much!

6) It doesn't hold moisture and allows it to run through so your snake doesn't have to sit in a pool of its own urine.

7) It's shade cloth, so it provides, as the name suggests, shade.3

it's reusable and long term - saves on landfill

9) My snake seems to love it...

I really can't think of anything bad about it.... Oh... one thing... they (snakes) hide efficiently under it... often you have to remove everything to find them... But when you do they're so happy to see you!

[codeth]

Originally Posted by slim6y

Here's my idea...
I use shade cloth (but this was because I couldn't find that fake grass).

The advantages I have noted with shade cloth:



6) It doesn't hold moisture and allows it to run through so your snake doesn't have to sit in a pool of its own urine.

!

yeah but where does it run too? alot of enclosures are made out of wood , and with a moisture build up underneath something like that can rott it. thats the advantage of any sort of paper or carpet it soaks it up so when the snake crosses through his water bowl or does a **** it get soaked up and doesnt run everywhere

[slim6y]

Originally Posted by codeth

yeah but where does it run too? alot of enclosures are made out of wood , and with a moisture build up underneath something like that can rott it. thats the advantage of any sort of paper or carpet it soaks it up so when the snake crosses through his water bowl or does a **** it get soaked up and doesnt run everywhere

hey Codeth... you're probably right... i have a glass tank, so it sits at the botton of the tank and is easily cleaned up.

I would have thought tho... regardless of paper soaking up urine, that it would still be sitting on the wood... would that not still provide a substrate for mould (rot) to grow on anyway?

Well, that aside, I guess it depends on tank type to substrate type to... but glass or plastic with shade cloth is a good mixture (IMO).

Thanks for the question tho.