What bedding do you use?

[holly156]

Let’s hear what everyone’s preferences are for their ball python bedding?? I’ve heard a lot of conflict on this and it has me in the air of what I should use…

[randall_turner_jr]

Back when i kept ball pythons i used aspen or cypress mulch. If i ran low I’d use paper towels and newspaper. Cypress mulch was definitely the best bedding of the lot. If i get back into them again I’ll use coco husk or cypress mulch like I do for my boas.

[nswilkerson1]

I’ve used reptichip for quite a while now, and it works well for me and my racks.

[lokibp]

I just use a mix of zoo med reptibark/forest floor or equivalent for my bps

[athleticshoelace]

Reptichip. Coco chip substrate can hold a little humidity, with a nice adjustable range of how much, but is as easy to tidy up as aspen, IMO.

Eventually I want to establish a bioactive, but for now, I’ll be sticking to coco husk chunks, with a little sustainable-sourced sphagnum moss mixed in when I want it to hold more humidity.

I do know a lot of things have been used successfully but you have to make sure they’re getting humidity either ambiently like with coco chip, or if you do use aspen people who do that seem to offer a humid hide at all times to be sure the snake can reach humidity and also soak in a bowl if it needs to. It looks like that works. Heck, a lot of people keep very healthy snakes on clean newsprint paper. So long as their needs are met, most stuff is okay- you just don’t want to use something that van give them respiratory issues/death like pine that is NOT Kiln Dried properly or like cedar anything, or anything very dusty, so on…

[nmarcellus]

Aspen/sani-chips.

[chesterhf]

A mix of prococo coconut chips, sphagnum moss and eco-earth coconut husk. It hold humidity really well, is absorbant and easy to spot clean, and the sphagnum moss provides some nice enrichment for them to make nests/bury into

[bigt2022]

ZooMed coco husk,easy to clean and holds humidity

[lumpy]

ReptiChip, I love it.

[dsed]

I use cocoblox by freedom breeder. Best coconut substrate ive used so far in my opinion. Coconut really helps with oders, keeps great moisture and low chances of mildew.

[ascended]

All my 14 adults have adapted to paper.
However, For my hatchlings (first ones ever are out) I will start with paper towel, then try other substrates if they dont feed. Then later get them back onto paper.
I used to uses other substrates and spot clean, but now prefer paper and a fresh clean tub,
I give hides for security though.
I am thinking of trying maternal incubation but then I would need a substrate that holds some humidity.

Its just my preference at this pint in time, that might change.

[d_y_python]

We currently use Reptichip. We tried several others and really non stuck out as better then another. Reptichip was just in stock at the time so we stuck to it. We did use paper towels and I really like it. The only problem was when shedding, they seem to pull it into their water dish and it would soak it up. Great for humidity, bad for nothing to drink. Cleanup I would say was much easier and better with paper towels. I would love to go back to paper towels if I could find a way to stop them from getting it into their water. Also with paper towels, they seem to like hiding under it, even if they had hides.

[akmorphs]

I used to do Reptichip, but I’ve now switched to Cocoblox for life. I’m allergic to coconut and every time I used reptichip I’d break out with small hives due to the dust. I don’t have that issue with Cocoblox.

[nikkip]

Reptichip for my ball pythons, Aspen for Colubrid, baby towels for hatchlings

[angela_78]

Most of my balls and the dwarf retic are on paper, the remaining few balls prefer Reptichip, and my coastal carpet gal likes cypress. Variety is the spice of life in my house, lol.

[banereptiles]

I’ve used paper towels for adults and hatchlings for over 8 years now. I live in Colorado we’re pretty dry, but I just mist snakes that are going into shed and they always shed perfect. I don’t use hides unless it helps the hatchling eat, so no humid hides either. Also keep retics on unprinted newspaper, and mist as well. I used to use cypress mulch but switched because I did get 2 adults that got some stuck substrate in there mouth, I removed easy no harm done, but don’t like that. Downside though is if you have a decent amount the constant weekly or more total clean outs are time consuming, but easy to see if there is any problem like mites or weird stools, ect. If I switched to anything it would be coco blocks not cypress.

[akmorphs]

I have removed coco substrate from my facility all together, and now only use repti-zorb liners.

[lumpy]

Is the there any added benefit that you see? Just wondering.

[graysnake]

I keep everything on paper. Just as Bane said, I will mist when they are in shed. I will add a hide for babies if they aren’t taking food right off. Sometimes if I get a subadult or an adult that just goes off feed for a length of time, without a good reason, I will give them a hide too just to change it up. Seems to help often but not always.

[kabre]

Coco coir for humidity with a layer of reptichip overtop to keep the snake from having to be on moist coir all the time. Works a treat to keep humidity stable and it smells lovely.