Hey guys, looking into getting a substrate for my colubrids. Usually I’ve always kept larger tropical species like boas and pythons, so I haven’t really looked at Aspen. However, now that I’m getting into colubrids, I’d like to try my hand at using Aspen. The species I’d be using them for are variable kings, Pituophis, California kings, corn snakes, Honduran Milksnakes, and rat snakes. For my false water cobra and beauty snakes, I’ll be using coco chip.
For those who use Aspen, what are your pros and cons? And are there pros to using the Aspen chips vs. shavings? I’d be spot cleaning and then doing full changes when needed. Using Chlorhexadine when spot cleaning as well and then F10 when doing full substrate changes.
I keep my corns on cypress and coco husk mix for aesthetics but aspen is fine for them. I keep my bulls on aspen because its easy for cleaning, lower cost, and they can burrow in it easily. As long as the species doesn’t have a higher humidity requirement you can keep them on aspen. If you are worried about humidity you can provide a humid hide.
Pros: Easy clean, cheap if you’re in the US and have a place that sells the horse bedding version.
Cons: Can be dusty, tends to mold if it gets too damp.
As for chips versus shavings, for colubrids I prefer shavings as the chips don’t hold tunnels when they burrow, and I like my animals to be able to have that enrichment. Shavings also tend to be a bit more absorbent, so feces/urates are easier to spot & clean when fresh and don’t seem to spread as far at times.
Thanks for the reply! Do you think Honduran Milksnakes would be fine on them by any chance? I know they’re a more tropical species, but I think I’ve heard of people keeping them in Aspen with no issues?
Appreciate the reply! And thanks for the tips, I’ll be on the lookout for horse bedding. I know that on Chewy I can get about 453 L for $48 so if I can find horse bedding for a cheaper price that would be great! What stores do you usually check for it at, tractor supply? And is there any brands I should avoid in your experience when it comes to buying horse bedding?
I use Aspen for my sand boa, and for her, I really like it. It’s lightweight, easy to clean, and inexpensive, and it’s great for burrowing snakes, since their tunnels keep their shape and don’t collapse in on themselves.
I know some people have had issues with it molding, but I’ve never had that problem. I live in a pretty dry climate, and obviously the sand boa likes it on the drier side, so I don’t mist her. But I’ve never had issues with it molding under the water dish or anything like that. I would say that so long as the ambient humidity is less than 60%, molding shouldn’t be an issue. If you live in a more humid climate, then molding could be more of an issue.
Honestly, the only thing I don’t like about it is purely aesthetic. If I were to put together a really naturalistic enclosure, I’d avoid Aspen, just because it looks like animal bedding rather than natural ground, but if that doesn’t bother you, I think it’s great for most low-humidity species.
Definitely works for the mentioned species (most new world colubrids, actually). Avoid all horse bedding made of pine, which is the majority of brands. What you’re looking for is Premium Horse Bedding made by the American Excelsior Company (they make the small animal bedding, too!). Tractor Supply and FleetFarm both carry it. 45lbs of aspen fiber for under $10. The only difference between this stuff and the reptile/small animal stuff is the particle size. This is a bit dustier, but I’ve had no issues with that aside minor annoyance.
Hey @nisarg! I have an assortment of colubrids and I use Aspen shavings for all of them. I have never had a problem with mold or dust, However I don’t have as many animals as you probably do so I can get by with the aspen shavings from Petsmart……
Tried calling, they don’t carry it over on the east coast apparently. I’ll have to ask my parents to pick up a bag when they come over from IL I guess haha.
Appreciate the recommendation for Altwood! Unfortunately there aren’t any in my state. And I called two TS and they said they can’t order it for me nor do they carry them unfortunately either.
For the American Excelsior Company • Premium Aspen Fiber Horse Bedding, 7 cu. ft., it was unable to ship. But the brand you just linked is available, I didn’t look for that one. How large are the pieces and is that the one you use/is it safe for snakes?
