Brumation conditions: Dry, humid or wet?

[Stefan-A]

This is exactly the problem I was talking about long ago when I saw people were brumating their snakes on wet aspen. Then Stefan basically told me it doesn't seem to happen to everyone else. Well, what do you say now?

That wasn't aspen and this wasn't wet. Come to think of it, this was set up pretty much according to your stated preferences.

[ConcinusMan]

...this wasn't wet.

Perhaps not at present but aspen only does that when it gets wet and if that's the side the water dish was on then it obviously got wet at some point.

Come to think of it, this was set up pretty much according to your stated preferences.

Yes, and I said this was preferred by me over brumating in a container where all the substrate is all wet. Still prefer this. The whole point being they aren't forced to sit on wet substrate. They still have the choice to sit in a water dish and inevetably that side gets wet. Sometimes the snakes will prefer to burrow into the wet substrate especially northwesterns so I let them. But I monitor this setup and make sure most of it is dry, and replace the wet stuff if it molds and it always does.

[Stefan-A]

if it molds and it always does

Which is what I've been saying for years. Aspen is garbage.

[ConcinusMan]

Which is what I've been saying for years. Aspen is garbage.

It's fine as a dry substrate. I don't have any problems with it under normal everyday use as long as it doesn't stay wet for days. In the normal housing enclosures with a basking lamp I get it wet sometimes to increase humidity or the snakes will occasionally get it wet but as long as it dries out in a timely manner (and it does in their regular housing w/heating) it doesn't mold. If you're wanting a wet area or wet brumation substrate then yes obviously there's better choices.