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Posted by Bobbie | Posted in cure | Posted on 12-01-2010

Tags: aquatic, med, natural, turtle, zoo, zoo med, zoo med 501, zoo med terrarium, zoo med tortoise house, zoo med turtle tub

Zoo Med

3 Ideal Substrates for Snakes

Most people who were not familiar with keeping snakes would probably think that sand bedding would be best to use with a snake. This is not the case and it can actually harm your snake, this is because the sand can get under your snakes scales, particularly their belly scales but can even get under the scales that cover their eyes causing discomfort. Also if your snake accidentally eats the sand it can cause impaction as it is something that they are not able to digest, you would also need to fully clean your tank every time your snake goes to the toilet due to the way that the sand absorbs waste and so it can actually prove to be a time consuming, not very practical bedding which experienced snake handlers would rarely recommend, but what would the ideal snake substrate?

1) Aspen Bedding – This bedding is much more likely to be recommended by an expert snake keeper. This is because of a number of reasons which include the fact that your snake will be able to digest a small amount if they accidentally eat it, that it is easy to maintain your tank when using Aspen bedding as it helps to bind the waste and makes it easy to spot and scoop waste out. However, it is still recommended that a full bedding change is done once per month to ensure that the tank is kept clean and healthy.

This is also a great bedding to encourage natural burrowing from snakes such as corn snakes and king snakes and as it is usually non-toxic so you can have the peace of mind that it is safe for them to do so. Parasites can also be detected easier too due to the light colouring of the Aspen bedding, making this an ideal snake bedding option.

2) Bark Chips – This is also a popular choice of snake bedding, especially the larger pine bark chips are known for being bedding which is low in dust and which is good for absorbing humidity. This type of bedding shouldn't go mouldy when used in a well ventilated cage and has a pleasant natural odour which can mask any bad odours in your tank.

The only problem that you may find is that although this bedding does bind waste meaning that you can easily scoop out any waste, you may have some difficulty finding it due to the similar colouring.

3) Repti-Fresh Bedding – this is quite a new product on the market which aims to be able to provide your snake with a comfortable bedding which will encourage digging and burrowing, as well as being a perfect odour eliminator. This bedding is suitable for sand boas and can even be mixed with a little repti-sand to help create the perfect environment for your snake.

This bedding is made by Zoo Med and can be found in stock at a number of leading retailers under the title of Repti Fresh substrate.

About the Author

Andrea Gregson is a reptile advisor for Swell Reptiles a leading online retailer of reptile equipment such as reptile bedding and reptile housing.

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