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Plants soil?

popcorn

popcorn

Popcorn w/ extra "BUTTER"
i really don't like the aspen as a bedding cause it don't look good...tried sand before..but heard that it s not good for the scales..cause it might get stuck in there.so i wonder can i use Plants soil for a bedding as "eco-earth" ?? i want to put some live plants in there too, is it possible? is the soil gonna be harmful to my corn? thank you very much
 
With plants growing in soil it would have to be moist, so i would worry about there being scale rot, and just scale rot in general if you were use plant soil.
 
atown16 said:
With plants growing in soil it would have to be moist, so i would worry about there being scale rot, and just scale rot in general if you were use plant soil.
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what about if i let it dry before i use it? can i still use plants soil from lowes? i m not gonna put live plants in there..how s that? thanks
 
atown16 said:
With plants growing in soil it would have to be moist, so i would worry about there being scale rot, and just scale rot in general if you were use plant soil.
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cause i have a huge bag at home and i never used it
 
I wouldn't use soil personally.. It can harbour bacteria and fungi. It can allow insects to live. And it can get stuck between the scales, like sand... Just my opinion.
MIKE
 
snakewispera snr said:
I wouldn't use soil personally.. It can harbour bacteria and fungi. It can allow insects to live. And it can get stuck between the scales, like sand... Just my opinion.
MIKE
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so...you would still suggest me to use eco-earth? i am just trying to make the tank more natural than just aspen~ thank you mike
 
I'm not sure what eco-earth is sorry.(Dumb limey...LOL). Some of the other American members might know though.. (they will I'm sure).
Aspen is cool though, you can put lots of fake logs in with a couple of hides and a few fake plants and that looks sort of natural.
MIKE
 
doesn't potting soil have fertilizers in it to help the plants grow? I wouldn't use it, just because I would worry that it might have some sort of chemical in it.
 
i use Eco-Earth and i love it...it hold the temps right and it makes it look natural. My Ro boy loves it burrows all the time and i never had a problem with it. also good to spot clean too.

but i wouldn't us plant soil it allows bugs to live in it and thats not good for your snaky.
 
I personally would avoid using soil. Due to many of the issues that have been explained. Yes, you may have a natural looking cage but you still need to clean it.
Sorry natural looking cages are not the best cages to keep corn snakes in. If they were, you would hear more breeders and keepers here using it. I either use Aspen or just Newspaper. Its easier for clean up and care for the animals.

Using items like eco earth and soil would just make it also hard to remove parasites and may even help promote them as well. (Just imagine having a Mite outbreak in a cage like that.) How often are you going to clean your snake's cage if its filled with Dirt? Are you going to empty it once a week and replace it with new soil? I highly doubt it because I know I wouldn't.

Again, the best would be to use newspaper or aspen and wipe out the cage weekly. I like using bleach water solution to spray the inside of my cages and wipe with a paper towel. I always replace the aspen or newspaper when I feed the snake as well. I never spot clean.

Just remember in the wild, you pet will have Acres of land to travel and move around. He doesn't need to have some one clean up after him. Here, he probably has a 10 gallon cage or a 20 gallon cage depending on your snake's age.

I am just giving you the best and easiest way for you to clean your pet's cage.
There are just to many negatives in my book to have a natural looking cage. And having a large collection of snakes, I have realized, the aspen bedding is the best, next to newspaper.
 
You could try cypress mulch. It is normally used with reptiles that require high humidity. If you leave it dry it would probably be ok for a corn and would give you that earthy look.

I think in the long run you will find that aspen or news paper is much easier to keep clean and is probably a healthier environment for your snake.
 
You'd probably need to go all the way with a fully bioactive substrate setup if you were going to do anything with dirt at all. At least that way it should be good bacteria that you're harboring.
It's a fascinating read, but a bit too much for me just starting off:
The Art of Keeping Snakes

If you Search for bioactive here on the forum you'll come up with a bit of information, although most of it refers back to that book.
 
Newspaper?? Everyone talks about newspaper, is the ink ok for the corn???? Mine seem to get some of their water out when going for a swim. Wouldn't the ink get all over them?? Been using paper towels for little guys and aspen for big girl and thinking about switching her over to towels. I know with the towels that I am way better at regular cleanings as I can see the mess much easier.
So no problems with news print????
 
freetv-5 said:
Newspaper?? Everyone talks about newspaper, is the ink ok for the corn???? Mine seem to get some of their water out when going for a swim. Wouldn't the ink get all over them?? Been using paper towels for little guys and aspen for big girl and thinking about switching her over to towels. I know with the towels that I am way better at regular cleanings as I can see the mess much easier.
So no problems with news print????
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The ink from news paper is vegetable based.
 
Hello everyone

Been working for a place in British Columbia for a while that does distribution for fish (fresh and salt) as well as reptiles. Over the last month I have seen alot of really cool snakes come in. I am looking to get a Motley Amel. Banded Corn Snake, boss said I could have one with an Exo-Terra terranium (second largest one) in exchange for my PS2 for his kids.

I was hoping to get something clerified though. I see anot of people talking about newspaper, aspen and paper towels. I was wondering if it would be ok to use a run of the mill towel, like one that you use to whipe yourself down with after a nice hot shower. I would get a few just so I can easily whip them down and then thow into the washer and dryer every week.

The snake would be a hatchling and I understand that once I put him into his new home to let him be for the first week (other then feeding) and even then let him fully digest his food before handling.

Thanks a heap everyone. SO glad I found this place cause so many questions have been answered.
 
Tweegster said:
Hello everyone

Been working for a place in British Columbia for a while that does distribution for fish (fresh and salt) as well as reptiles. Over the last month I have seen alot of really cool snakes come in. I am looking to get a Motley Amel. Banded Corn Snake, boss said I could have one with an Exo-Terra terranium (second largest one) in exchange for my PS2 for his kids.

I was hoping to get something clerified though. I see anot of people talking about newspaper, aspen and paper towels. I was wondering if it would be ok to use a run of the mill towel, like one that you use to whipe yourself down with after a nice hot shower. I would get a few just so I can easily whip them down and then thow into the washer and dryer every week.

The snake would be a hatchling and I understand that once I put him into his new home to let him be for the first week (other then feeding) and even then let him fully digest his food before handling.

Thanks a heap everyone. SO glad I found this place cause so many questions have been answered.
Click to expand...

I would be afraid to use terrycloth for a snake. The reason being, it could get caught up in the cloth, such as with the strings.
Reason why we use paper towels or newspaper, its cheap and you can throw it out or use it as compost. The same goes for aspen.
Now for your hatchling. I like those exoterra cages but not for corns. I prefer to use them on lizards. Its just my personal preference.
For everything that is under 150 grams for a snake, I use Fauna cages. Or those critter cages that you can pick up dirt cheap. They are small, cramped cages just like how a corn snake likes them, shoebox size. Now heating can be a pain on those cages due to the fact I don't heat those cages but the ambient room temp in my herp room is between 78-82 degrees.
 
I agree with most on this one. My w/c garter gets news paper and Simon, my corn gets Repti-Bark.It's a nice dark brown, looks more natural then aspen, I think.
 
I would be afraid to use terrycloth for a snake. The reason being, it could get caught up in the cloth, such as with the strings.
Reason why we use paper towels or newspaper, its cheap and you can throw it out or use it as compost. The same goes for aspen.
Now for your hatchling. I like those exoterra cages but not for corns. I prefer to use them on lizards. Its just my personal preference.
For everything that is under 150 grams for a snake, I use Fauna cages. Or those critter cages that you can pick up dirt cheap. They are small, cramped cages just like how a corn snake likes them, shoebox size. Now heating can be a pain on those cages due to the fact I don't heat those cages but the ambient room temp in my herp room is between 78-82 degrees.
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Ok I see your point regarding a towels, last thing I would want to do is to see the little guy get hurt. I was wondering though, why dont you like the exo terra cages? The reason I picked the exo Terra (other then the fact I got it for free) is that I like how I can open it from the front instead of reaching down. Even though I can remove the mesh lid easily to get at everything from the top. I thought it would be less stress full on the little guy when moving around the cage at his level instead of from above. Its also got alot of room in it for when the he gets larger to move around.

I currently have 2 hidding areas (those small rock like items) one on the warm side and one on the cool side. this way he can choose where he is most comfertable at any given time to hide out from the Fuzz (me) lol.

There is another type of substrat I remember seeing at a pet store awhile ago called Carefresh Hypo-Allergenic Pet bedding made from reclaimed wood pulp waste. No Pine or Cedar. Natural, biodegradable fiber. Superior odor control. Super Absorbent. Not Recycled Paper. Environmentally Friendly. Tested. Sanitized and Safe. Can last up to 3 times longer than traditional bedding

Has anyone tried that carefresh stuff with their snakes?


Thanks again, sorry for asking so much, there is alot to take in when you take care of another life.
 
Just an FYI tweegster you'll probally get more hits on your questions if you make your own topic ;)

The exo terra cages are mostly vertical, corns need floor space, while they will climb they are not considered an aboreal species and floor space is certainly the most important aspect of a corns cage.

As for Carefresh, aside from the fact that it's way more expensive compared to a sack o aspen it does last long. However, it dried out my king snake and he started having very shoddy sheds. Some other people do use it though and might have had better luck with it.

Also, kudos to you for having the wonderful outlook you do about doing research first.
 
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