FAQ:Best substrate for pythons

[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]

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.

 

[PimmsPythons]

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

8) 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]

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]

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.

 

[JandC_Reptiles]

I offer to shake your hand Slim6y, I think shade cloth would be alright for some people.
Without members trying something new & un-heard of we would never get results or evolve to newer & better ideas about husbandry. Imagine if everybody followed the owner of the 1st snake in captivities advice & all used soil & leaves. Or if we caught wild rodents to feed our beloved ones.

IMO urine will soak through newspaper just as easily as it would shade cloth. So the problem of having moisture in a timber enclosure still remains, it just means cleaning enclosures have to be done regularly (as is the case with any substrate)

 

[codeth]

would that not still provide a substrate for mould (rot) to grow on anyway?
.

yes if left in there like that , as soon as i spot dirty newspaper i change it. normaly bout every 2 days. but i just had a thought , put a few sheets of newpaper under the shade cloth then it just wouldnt be sitting under it, it would be soaked up ready for disposal. jmo

 

[shamous1]

Use paper. If you can afford more expensive substrate and have the time to clean it then buy it. I use all sorts and find all easy to manage......but I have plenty of help.

 

[bug_collector]

i got a whole lotta that fake grass astroturf stuff from pool and rubber shops

 

[slim6y]

I offer to shake your hand Slim6y, I think shade cloth would be alright for some people.
Without members trying something new & un-heard of we would never get results or evolve to newer & better ideas about husbandry. Imagine if everybody followed the owner of the 1st snake in captivities advice & all used soil & leaves. Or if we caught wild rodents to feed our beloved ones.

IMO urine will soak through newspaper just as easily as it would shade cloth. So the problem of having moisture in a timber enclosure still remains, it just means cleaning enclosures have to be done regularly (as is the case with any substrate)

handshake accepted and experiment of using shade cloth seems just fine for my purposes that's for sure.

I find I am cleaning the shade cloth around 1 - 2 times per week depending on activity. This is a simple wipe down with a cloth... Full cleaning occurs much less regularly.

Another good thing of the shadecloth is its insulating properties, keeping your snake cooler in summer and warmer in winter...

Well, good luck for those who wish to rin off to Bunnings or Mitre 10 for a metre or two of shade cloth for their herps! keen to hear of your experiences.

 

[rumfreak]

have not had any problems with the astro turf and it looks great

 

[pixie]

dont buy the cheapo fake grass as each time you hose it little bits of fake grass come off and go everywhere, i had it for a while but switched to newspaper...

 

[jkrakka]

wow theres some great ideas from very one in here

 

[Dan123]

hey all
i have 3tanks ones currantally not in use and ive tryed out alll the different substrates with snakes and a few blues i used to have and heres what i found
bark- horrible when the blues got to it it smelt worse than my mouse room
astroturf- was ok but i had to keep disinfecting it which took a goof half hour
stones/aquarium gravel- was ok but hard to clean and cant use as snakes especially juvies can consume it
paper- was brilliant easy to clean and very simple just diddent look as good
AUSPET and BREEDERS CHOICE- this is the way to go cheap,easy to clean, looks good and its totaly safe there both kitty liters made of compressed cardboard i think and they are fantastic when they get waste on them water/poo/lizzard food they just break down and you remove them with a shovel and replace takes less than a minute

 

[The-Guy]

I use some kind of bark stuff, no idea what its called, but to clean up u just remove the poo and substate around it coz its pretty cheap, it looks alright and come in a large packet, if u dont dry food proply it sticks to it but ive had no probs with that.