The Best Substrate

[drache]

I've gotten to like the carefresh, because they can burrow
on the other hand I've ripped apart entire enclosures because I thought I'd lost a snake
and I don't care much for the acidy smell, when it's fresh, but I think it inhibits bacteria
and it's the one think that's easy to get out of sliding rails

[Whitf]

I'm a bit new at all this, but I have a mix:

About 75% of the tank is dry carefresh.

I have a small, shallow try in the tank that has coconut shavings, moistened (just slightly damp like earth, not soaking wet).

He really, really likes the damp earth part, but also spends plenty of time in the dry stuff.

Any thoughts or objections to this system? I'd really appreciate it.

[drache]

I've been gradually switching all of my animals that are not obviously into burrowing away from carefresh, because I have too many and it's gotten too pricey
for now I've settled on cage carpet for most of them and find I don't mind taking out everything near as much as I thought I did
I just have spares and switch them out to wash
seems good so far

[dekaybrown]

We use Aspen shavings, coconut "Eco earth", reptile bark, corn cob granules, stringy moss and cage carpet. (not all at the same time, nor in the same cage)

Never buy carefresh, too expensive.

It depends on the animal, the cage and the overall look I am after.

Since I feed nearly all my animals by hand, ingesting substrate is not a problem.

Well, the Anoles I use coconut exclusively, the crickets can dig in it, and I tried aspen once, the Anoles kept getting mouthfuls of it when they ate, so I stick with the coconut.

[jitami]

Just bought a bag of carefresh. I have it in the babies' tank all set up just waiting for babies and it actually looks better than I thought it would. I only used a small portion of the bag, so it's really not cost prohibitive for my two tanks. If it's as easy to clean as everyone says I'll probably stick with it.

[Loren]

I use paper towels for young snakes, Fine grade orchid bark (similar to repti-bark, but from Orchard Supply) or aspen shavings/shredded aspen for adults, other than a couple desert snakes on sand. Mostly use the aspen in racks/tubs. I like the Orchid bark for the aquariums.

[GartersRock]

I use paper towels for all snakes.

[dekaybrown]

Originally Posted by GartersRock

I use paper towels for all snakes.

I somehow imagined something else

Designer prints?????

[drache]

if you use the recycled, unbleached paper towels, it looks a lot less clinical (they're brown)
of course, if you're using it to get a good look at feces and stuff like that, the white kind is better

[GartersRock]

I was mostly kidding. lol! But I do use them sometimes. And for certain snakes that JUST make the biggest messes EVERY day! Like that reduced pattern steel grey wandering of mine. I had to switch her to permanent paper towel duty, because she makes a mess of anything else...