Few Questions

[P. Novak]

I'm rehousing my ball python, and I'm getting tired of newspaper print for cosmetic reasons. I was thinking of going with Cypress mulch or Aspen bedding for his new cage. Which would you prefer? Also, I'm going to be getting 2 more ball pythons and was wondering if they'd all fit fine in a 4x2x16" cage? All snakes are the same size.

I am also now breeding rats, jumo rats, for my growing collection of herps and am currently using Aspen bedding. Is there anything better out there? Just curious.

Thanks,
Paul

 

[arachnocat]

I use Carefresh for all my snakes. I like it a lot better than aspen. There's no dust, and it soaks up waste really well making the tank super easy to clean.
Also, it comes in colors now (used to just be gray).
I use white for most of my tanks. It looks really nice.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

i use sani-chips, or aspen shavings if I run out of the sani-chips.

Are you planning on housing all three snakes together in one enclosure? They don't actually enjoy company, much rather prefer to be alone. If you have multiple snakes in the same enclosure, and one gets sick, they will all get sick. And if one regurges or something, you won't know which did it. Its better to keep them separate.

 

[ZooRex]

Man I've said this so much its been tatooed in my brain lol:
I definatly have to but my vote in for Cyprus Mulch. It's cheap ($4 for 3 cubic feet) apsorbant, wont mold, smells nice, and LOOKS NATURAL. I keep my BPs on eithor 100% Cyprus or a mixture of Cyprus and Peat. Such a substrate is alowed to dry out and then is misted/made wet once a week, such a cycle has worked well for several years.

I've always kept mine seprate, but I've heard bps can cohabitate nicely. Give it a try and see how it goes. Your enclosure sounds big enough.

For my mammals I used aspen over newspaper. It can get expensive at pet stores, maybe you should check out some feed stores or stable suppliers. ~ Rex

 

[Mushroom Spore]

I love aspen myself, and will never go back to anything else.

Also, I'm going to be getting 2 more ball pythons and was wondering if they'd all fit fine in a 4x2x16" cage? All snakes are the same size.

Please don't. At best, the snakes will derive absolutely no benefit from "company." At worst, health problems due to stress can arise, these are extremely easily stressed animals as it is.

 

[P. Novak]

Thanks for the reassurement guys. One more thing though, when breeding ball pythons, can you leave the female and male together?

 

[ballpython2]

Thanks for the reassurement guys. One more thing though, when breeding ball pythons, can you leave the female and male together?

As long as they are both the proper size for breeding you can yes.

You'll know when the male has done his deed because somewhere in the tank you'll find plug ooze its this nasty lookin greenish stuff that came off the snake while inserting i think.

 

[Meaningless End]

personaly i use cypress multch.. it is cheeper and in my opinion much more atractive then aspen and it also hold hummidity much better.. for your culubrids i think aspen is fine. but for pythons and boas i try to keep my hummidity up a bit more so cypress multch is the way for me.

coconut husk is the best by far but is way more expensive and for me not worth the money