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Aspen v. "turf" stuff...

Evol_girl

Evol_girl

New member
So we've been using Aspen shavings since we got Elvie, and she loves it, loves to burrow, etc., especially when she was new and basically hid from us 24/7.

She's getting older now and I've noticed she doesn't burrow as much and really only hangs out in her hides over the aspen.

I've also noticed a strange 'sweet' kind of smell from the aspen and it just really bugs me, so I'm thinking of switching the substrate to something less stinky :)

I got some of the astro turf looking stuff, but I'm wondering if I should get anything other to put in there - like some frog moss for a few places of texture or ?!? I'm big on the tank 'looking' cool as well as her enjoying it, so I'm leaning towards the moss since it will give it more depth, but is it ok for her? Is it a good / bad idea to put some mossy places in there?

Are there any other suggestions, other than the turf stuff, for substrates that may not have as strong of a sweet bark smell to them?
 
I developed an allergy to aspen (and pine, cedar, fir) shavings. At the moment I have my critters on shredded paper. It's too dusty for my liking. Moss has a tendency to hold in moisture, so I would be wary of that. Others can give a more definite yes or no. I think only the moisture is a major concern though.

I am on a search for alternatives myself. I'm personally leaning towards custom sealed clay floors with built in tunnels (and ways to get them out). Similar to bearded dragon setups. I haven't thought much into it yet though.
 
To clarify - I would LOVE to stick with the Aspen, I like the ease of it & the way it looks, and Elvie does seem to like it. My only real issue is the smell. I have a house FULL of animals and I'm a little anal when it comes to cleanliness. :) The aspen just has a smell... Not even a "bad" smell per se, but when you walk into my daughters room (where Elvie is) you can SMELL it, almost like a sweet kind of musty odor. Is the Repti-Bark less smelly? or the coco-bark? I think its made from coconuts and Elvie LOVES her coconut hide...
 
What if you try a different brand of aspen? Reptibark seems really dusty to me. I would never use it with a snake.

I used reptile carpet for a while. It sucks to clean. You have to take it out, replace it with your spare, wash and dry it. The snake will most likely still burrow in it, so then you have to take out all the snakes stuff to find the snake.
 
I've found using turf to be a big pain. Cypress mulch might be a nice alternative, I have a big snake on it and I haven't noticed any smell like I have with the aspen. You're right, it's not a strong smell, but it is a little annoying.
 
Personally I use paper towels, one of the reasons being no smell. Although it sounds like you want it to look nice and paper towels wont achieve that, it looks rather plain, but I'm a plain kinda guy so it suits me. But I would suggest paper towels opposed to newspaper, I dont like newspaper to touch my hands let alone my reptile. The ink bothers me even though I know its safe, and it should be shredded and what not, so I would even go with just paper towels until you find an alternative, and its SUPER EASY to clean and really cheap so you can't go wrong.
 
I use astroturf right now, but I'm switching to aspen soon. Corn snakes like to burrow. I think I might leave the astroturf under the aspen though, to make sure my snake doesn't burrow under and burn herself on the glass. Either that or if I can find a solution to keep the glass cooler while keeping the inside temp the same, that's my second option.
 
I use news paper with compressed paper pellets over top similar to yesterdays news but not dusty and the pellets are larger. It was recommended to me by a local snake breeder (not a corn breeder tho).

Also he directed me to here

it tells you how to make you own paper littler safer, and cheaper as well which I might start doing after my bag of pellets runs out.

I like to empty out the cage weekly during feeding to make sure everything is clean anyways but this is good for spot cleaning as well.
 
I have been using aspen for a year now with my snake and my beautiful wife can smell anything from a mile away !
My wife had not said anything about the smell from " the snake pit " room . The aspen brand I use is Kaytee , I don't know if certain brands makes any difference for smell .
 
Maybe I'll try a different brand before trying a totally new product since it seems Aspen really is a fan favorite :)

Gotta love us with sensitive noses, huh?!?
 
try sani chips from LLLreptile.com, it's aspen that has been treated at high heat and high temps so it's sterile and doesn't have much of a smell. a really big bag of it is $20 with a 10 dollar shipping charge so worth it though.
 
I've used aspen since the beginning. For all my species of snakes. It's great with spot-cleaning, the brand I use has no smell. It's inexpensive when you buy it in huge compressed bales. It offers a heat gradient depending on how thick you put it. Absorbs moisture etc from poops.
 
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