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Bedding

Cypress is fine!

I use cypress mulch for my boa. It's good stuff. Keeps humidity well. The only problem with it may be that the pieces are large and sometimes pointy. It's perfecty safe for snakes.
 
There are some larger pieces in it sometimes, but for the most part it is fairly uniform. It resembles forest floor more than any other bedding and has a nice aromatic quality. It does hold moisture quite well too. It is cheap and readily available. It looks nicer than the light colored aspen in my opinion too. Just thought I'd share it as an additional alternative since that's what I'll be using exclusively from now on. Especially once I have a large amount of cages to clean on a regular basis.

Peter
 
Well as much as I want the snakes to be happy and feel safe, but with that all on the bottom of the cage I will never see them!!!
 
True, if all I did is look at them in the cage then I'd have to agree. They love to burrow in the stuff. That's why I take mine out and hold them when I want to see them. :p

Peter
 
I use Calci Sand

But I don't recommend it for everyone. I have raised my two corns on calci sand for a year now next month. I fed them pinkies on in for their first 5 months. They are healthy and look great. They have grown from 12" to 36" now and no problems. I feed them in separate containers now that they eat F/T mice.
I don't like the way the poop sets on top of the sand. It doesn't absorb into the sand. I get the poops out right away. I constantly check their cage during expected poop times and when they poop I cover it with aspen shavings to aborb it. After about 30 minutes I scoop it out and all contaminated sand. This is why I don't recommend it. You have to be on top of the poops right away or the wetness sinks in and causes the cage to stink and you have to remove a lot more sand.

I like the color but it is expensive. I got a good deal on it at PetCo one time but when my supply is gone I am switching to aspen.
 
I also use aspen shavings, but after reading about the cypress mulch I may switch. The aspen gets expensive when you have several snakes.

Welcome to the forum!
Terri
 
And I don't recommend Calci-Sand to anyone. It's just a bad choice. Risks of impaction, getting in nostrils, getting in vent area, drying, etc.
 
mulch and sand

i've used the cypress mulch and didn't add that to my previous comments so will now. i used the cypress for about 2 months and really liked the way it looked and held moisture well. the only problems i had with it were that it is not easy to spot clean (harder to find the waste than in aspen), and it did not absorb fluids as well as aspen. i liked the cypress alot but switched to aspen because it was easier for me to keep clean. if you like the cypress i don't think there are any concerns that should keep you from using it....
sand....... i have not used myself but have seen the effects on some snakes where others have used it. it CAN BE (not will be) very harmful to your snake's health. you normally won't know you are going to have a problem until you already do.
some substrates (pine, sand, corn cob, coconut bark and even cedar) that have serious side-effects associated with their use can in many cases be used long-term with no ill effects. this is a gamble. i prefer to play the game with the odds more firmly on my side. good luck to all, :) ---jim
 
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