What do you prefer - Aspen or Kenaf?

[Pelamis]

What / which one do you prefer of the above two so that snakes can hide in? Will it be ok to mix some sphagnum moss into it for some colour?

[DmD]

What do you want it for? A hide box?

[JPWittstock]

For a high humidity area, neither are first prize.
Aspen will cost you an arm and leg if you are using it for a sizeable collection in SA.
Kenaf is much cheaper but not always available and moulds quickly when wet.

JP

[eyed_lizard]

Ok, regarding this and other topics, what is considered a good substrate then, listing starting with a rating of 1 being the worse and 10 the best.

I think this will clarify allot of things.
As I have used newspaper, brownpaper, repti-sand, cobcorn, river sand (coarse and fine), sphagnum moss, coco husk, bark chips (big and small), a mixture of these, potting soil without pesticide, grass, and maze meal (coarse) and nothing.

And still I have not found something that is nice and according to some, not appropriate.

Maybe we can clear this topic up once and for all, as I have some animals on some of these substrates.
what do you guys think?

[CarlaSmit87]

My 1st choice is astroturf, it looks good and it's easy to clean.
Newspaper is the fastest to clean but does'nt look that good in a display enclousure

[eyed_lizard]

Thanks Carla I forgot about astroturf.
I assume you rate this as a 10.
Can you give us 5 reasons why?

[Wolf777]

There is not a single "perfect" substrate in my opinion, different species will do better on different substrates. The way I see it is if you take all the positives and all the negatives, compare them and take the necessary precautions (feeding in another container if kept on bark chips etc.) and if there aren't any health risks to your snakes then use it. I don't think snakes care in most cases on what substrate they are kept.

[CarlaSmit87]

Okay lets go with:
1-Looks good
2-Easy to clean
3-No small pieces which can stick to rats when feeding
4-Hygenic (when cleaned properly with disinfectant)

But I agree with wolf, no substrate is 100%.
Best would be to choose the one that works for your setup best. Where 1 substrate works great for 1 person, for the next it won't because we all have different setups and our animals have different needs.

[jinxx]

I agree with the comment about no substrate being 100%

I have tried numerous substrates newspaper, sand, spagnum moss, tiles, aspen, astro turf and bark chips to name a few. I have a rather small collection so cleaning does not take as long as most of the bigger breeders might need. For them the newspaper or what ever works best. For me I dont mind removing substrate to clean out cages fully etc... I also NEVER EVER feed my snakes in their cages, they all get removed into seperate feeding containers, to avoid any accidental swallowing of substrate as well as confusing my hand in the cage as feeding time. I prefere the more astetic look of our cages. As they are all in areas openly seen by family and friends who visit. We like to take pride in the effort and enjoyment we get out of our reptiles. So for us the bark chips work the best all round from my corns to my burms. Our other reptiles are on calci sand, corn cob or dessert sand according to their "natural habitat". In the end it all boils down to what works best for you and your snake.
Remember what works for one person might not always work for you. I find cage size, temp etc... can seriously make a difference in what works. Especially if you needing to retain heat, extra humidity etc.. the bigger the cage the harder it is to retain heat so tiles work nicley as they conduct the heat evenly. Then just lay substrate over that. This also avoids and accidents of snakes burning on the heating pads (mine use to love curling under the heating mat and the substrate. I have now used tiles ontop of all the heating pads it works like a dream. So yes like I say its all a matter of preference.

[Pelamis]

DmD, yes I want to only use it in the snakes' hide boxes to make them feel more secure and to give them the opportunity to burrow down into "something". I do not want to use it as a complete bottom substrate (like JP Wittstock) said Aspen will cost me an arm and a leg.

Thanks for everyone's inputs and comments. I do appreciate it!!

[Pythonodipsas]

I think Aspen is better in some ways as it's more compact and less likely for a grain to get into a snakes mouth. But as JP said, it can be expensive in a big collection.

I keep a few vipers on Kenaf and so far so good. Sometimes the 'loose' grains stick to the inside of the mouth of a striking snake.....but they seem to dislodge it easily enough. A commercial snake breeder that uses Kenaf has had snakes scoop mouthfuls when feeding, without a problem. Apparently snakes can ingest Kenaf and digest it no problem. I have also heard claims that people have lost snakes on Kenaf, but never spoken with someone with that experience.

On the plus side, Kenaf aesthetically pleasing. And It's easy to clean as it forms clumps when urinated or pooed on.

[Serpy]

Where can I get Kenaf up here?

First saw it when I was visiting ClintonT down in durbs

[JPWittstock]

I have many large pythons and boas and have watched them eat mouthfuls of kenaf with their prey items, it does not seem to pose any problems. Below is a few uses from the kenaf website:

The KENAF’s ‘core’ application potential is vast. It is a light weight, pale, straw-coloured granule when milled and perfect virtually anywhere a lightweight, non-petroleum-reliant fibrous material is required.

KENAF ‘core’ can absorb up to 4 times its specific weight, compared to the 2.5 times of woodchips and shavings.
It is used to absorb, drain and neutralise liquids, sewerage and chemical and/or oil spills.
Other applications include paper, particle board for the building industry, animal bedding, packing material, polyolefin extender and engineered plastic lumber.
Processed into fine powder, it’s ideal for use in the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic and paint industries.

JP

[Bushviper]

and when it gets wet kenaf grows the freakiest mushrooms.

The dust makes me cough badly which is the only drawback to working with it. I have it in for many of the cobras, mambas, shieldnose and corals. I dont like it with the boas, burmese and retics because they mess water more regularly.

[Serpy]

BV, where do we get it up here?