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Aspen or Coconut Bark?

shaberry

shaberry

New member
Hey guys, I was just wondering if coconut bark would be alright to use as substrate rather than Aspen. I've heard that Aspen is the most recommended substrate to use. However, I've read that Coconut Bark is just as good. My only issues with coconut bark is that I think that it would be difficult to spot out the feces and urine. Not to mention, I think I've heard somewhere that coconut bark is a little "dusty"? The main reason why I want to use coconut bark is that it looks more aesthetically appealing than Aspen, and it would go better with the theme (amazon ruins-ish) that I'm trying to put together for Arshess' habitat. So, I wanted to know what your opinions are regarding these substrates.
 
I used coconut bark with my green anole, but the directions on the package said it had to soak in water before being used and had to be kept moist? Maybe you found a dry form? All I know is that wet flooring doesn't sound good for an all of the time kind of thing for a snake. Am I wrong?
 
Are you getting the coconut in a bag, or in a brick?
I've used the coconut that comes in a bag before, and it actually works fairly well, but it will "stain" your snakes if it gets wet. Other than that, it works fine. Although aspen is better for smaller snakes, because it's much easier to burrow in. I'd normally recommend coconut for ball pythons, or as a humid hide substrate, because it holds humidity so much better.
 
Hrm. Well, I didn't really read the instructions on the package. So, I'm not quite sure if I'm supposed to soak it and keep it moist.

However, I did read a review on the product saying that the customer had to soak the substrate and let it dry before putting it into the tank. Apparently, it was because the bark was very dusty.
 
It "stains" the snake when it gets wet? o_O That doesn't sound too appealing. How does it "stain"?

Oh, and I was planning on getting it in the bag. The product that I'm looking at getting is T-Rex Coconut Bark Reptile Substrate.
 
i used to use the coconut bark, but like you said, its harder to spot clean, and just harder clean in general for that matter. i haven't really noticed that it was "staining my snakes". but im not saying that it doesn't, i just haven't seen it. i switched over to aspen, and newspaper, just because its a lot easier to clean.
 
i didn't rinse mine off either, i just made sure that all the dust at the bottom wasn't dumped into the tank. i put a screen filter on the end of my vacuum and stuck it in the bag and got a lot of the dust out that way too.
 
shaberry said:
It "stains" the snake when it gets wet? o_O That doesn't sound too appealing. How does it "stain"?

Oh, and I was planning on getting it in the bag. The product that I'm looking at getting is T-Rex Coconut Bark Reptile Substrate.
Click to expand...

If it's too wet, your snakes will start to turn a brownish tinge. It's very noticeable in white snakes, but it's gone when they shed.
 
I have a corn, a king and a plains garter.... all of which use coconut substrate...been using it for over 2 years now...it does hold humidity well and so long as you do not saturate the substrate so that it has excess or standing water it will dry up quickly and does not seem to cause wetness problems...in fact if you mist to lightly only the very top will become moist and the rest will remain dry..if it is laid thick enough the snakes can easily burrow in it...the only thing we are careful about is being sure to not feed "moist" items in the cage with the substrate(ie: a damp pinkie) as much substrate can stick to it and then you have the possibility of it being ingested and maybe causing a blockage....we have never had a problem with ingestion..when the snakes are small we feed in a separate feed box and once the garter got larger and always struck for the food at the top of the viv then we no longer worried about it with her. :idea:
 
Thanks for the advise guys. I'm still kinda torn on the topic, but I think I'll try out the coconut bark for a month and see how I like it.
 
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