Death to Aspen!!!

[adamanteus]

A few good points about slate:

It looks good.
Used with a good thermostat, it retains and radiates heat perfectly.
It wipes clean in a second.
It is totally non-permiable.
It cannot harbour mites, ticks or bacteria.
It can't be swallowed or contaminate food in any way.
It cannot be dragged into the water bowl.

I'm no expert on many aspects of this hobby, but I've been keeping reptiles of many types for over forty years. In that time I've tried more substrates than I care to remember, slate works consistantly. Try it, you'll like it!

[Stefan-A]

A few good points about slate:

It looks good.
Used with a good thermostat, it retains and radiates heat perfectly.
It wipes clean in a second.
It is totally non-permiable.
It cannot harbour mites, ticks or bacteria.
It can't be swallowed or contaminate food in any way.
It cannot be dragged into the water bowl.

I'm no expert on many aspects of this hobby, but I've been keeping reptiles of many types for over forty years. In that time I've tried more substrates than I care to remember, slate works consistantly. Try it, you'll like it!

Too heavy, too expensive. Do you have any alternative materials?

[anji1971]

I haven't had any problems so far with aspen, but I also feed in a separate tub, at least for Deejay. Stitch is still more comfortable feeding in his own little house, but I put his food on a plastic lid, and watch him like a hawk while he's eating to make sure he doesn't swallow any aspen.
They don't usually just ingest the substrate during their regular activities, do they?? That's something I kind of wondered about; if burrowing around, they would end up swallowing some? Then I would definitely look to another alternative.

[adamanteus]

Too heavy, too expensive. Do you have any alternative materials?

Roofing slate is heavy.... but not too heavy, as it it cut very thin. A well constructed timber viv can easily support the weight. Broken slate is usually free.... one of my favourite prices!