substrate

[nekura]

If you think you can get a paper cut across the smooth surface of your fingernail...? Just saying that snakes are highly unlikely to get a papercut. Their scales and shed skin is made of the same material as our hair and fingernails (keratin) It's tough, and water tight.

Nothing wrong with using shredded paper but I do usually consider that a temporary substrate when nothing better is available. Newspaper without much color, avoiding the glossy ad pages, etc., is not really bad for them in the short term. It would be better than say, using potting soil or sand.

I would suggest that you tell us more specifically, where you are and what substrates listed on the care sheets that are available. Do you even have a walmart around? What pet stores are around and what do they carry for substrate?

It's all up to the keeper to search the various stores that carry good substrates, evaluate their budget, snake's needs, etc. and come up with the best choice available. Same goes for food.

For me, walmart aspen is the cheapest, but also the best thing I can get at that price. At any price, it's great for the snakes and their comfort. Your cheapest, and best for the snakes substrate might be different. Personally, I'd use shredded newspaper with a flat newspaper lining before I would use garden cyprus mulch. Just my opinion. Others have used it. The wood itself isn't a problem. Other properties of it might be. (moisture content, contamination with other woods, size and sharpness of the particles, bacteria and mold content of "garden grade" etc)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, there's nothing wrong with using cyprus. Just depends on how it's prepared, shredded, contaminated, etc. Garden mulch grade, I would not recommend for snakes.

"reptibark" is douglas fir tree bark. I would use that. However, I can get landscaping/garden bark made of the same tree and I would not use that. Too much dust, splinters, mold, spores, etc. in it.

At the moment I'm just using paper towel which works, but I'd like something nicer looking without over paying at a pet specialty store. And knowing me, yes, I could somehow end up cutting my nail with a piece of paper, lol. What about their eyes and so forth?

We do have have a wal-mart but I haven't looked at what they offered yet as for as garden muches go. I don't recall seeing any reptilebark stuff around. My mom is currently using dyed mulch for her gardens which I know I can't use. If I did use cypress or whatever I'd go ahead and freeze it to get rid of any nasties. Does wal-mart have aspen bark mulch, or are you talking about a reptile specific aspen substrate? We also have carefresh at walmart, but from my experience with rats that stuff's price really builds up.

The closest pet store is petsmart which is an hour away from my house, but pretty much I'd love to use some sort of garden mulch that's been frozen to kill any bad stuff. I mean, I caught these snakes in the mulch in my mom's garden. There's where they were living so I'd want to give them something familiar without eating my pocket.

[kibakiba]

Its pet bedding that he's talking about, if they have a pet section, it's likely there and very cheap.

[drache]

one of the things I love about cage carpet is that it's endlessly reusable
once you have your couple of pieces per tank (to trade out when soiled), you're set for years - no more trips to Walmart or Petco or wherever for that purpose
I no longer feel any guilt about not giving them anything to burrow in
I really like not having to shovel stuff out of the enclosure
I also like that it prevents me from being lazy, because the odour control is not fantastic
I don't mind that I need to take out everything - it takes less time than shoveling
there's no dust, and next to no danger of ingestion/impaction
it gives me incentive to give them plenty of hides, because otherwise they go underneath the cage carpet, requiring extra work at clean-up time

[nekura]

Its pet bedding that he's talking about, if they have a pet section, it's likely there and very cheap.

Fairly sure our wal-mart doesn't have it. They just cater to fish, cats, dogs, and rodents. Could probably just grab some from petsmart since my college is in that town anyway.

So none of you would recommend any sort of garden mulch that was frozen, boiled, whatever?

I like the carpet idea. Might go with that.

[kibakiba]

Rodentbedding could very well be the aspen. It doesn't have to be made just for snakes.

[ConcinusMan]

They just cater to fish, cats, dogs, and rodents. Could probably just grab some from petsmart since my college is in that town anyway.

Go there and look thoroughly. I almost didn't see it. Aspen is rodent/small animal bedding. About $3 a bag. Petsmart/Petco charges about $13 for a bag much smaller. Like around half as much bedding.

[nekura]

I ended up getting the carpet instead. I didn't read your message until today, ah well so far I'm pleased with it.

And interesting observation is that when I only had paper towels they would hide in their hidey hole all day and never come out but the instant I put them in the tank with the carpet they cruised everywhere and now won't leave the basking branches. The paper towel scared them?

[RedSidedSPR]

I don't like using nothing but carpet... I have carpet as a liner under the bedding, but at first I had half bedding half substrate with feeder fish in mind, but gave that up. It worked though. They like bedding.

[ConcinusMan]

Yeah, and I gave up using the liner under the bedding. More hassle than it's worth, once the snakes discover they can get under it.

[RedSidedSPR]

They can't get under a carpet fitted for the cage. It wasn't originally for a liner, but once filled the whole cage with bedding, I figured I'd leave it under there.