HELP! WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!

Originally Posted by Sierra0101

Thank you for the options, I didn't think of cypress. I'll probably give that a shot.

Like Dan mentioned Pine is may not be the best option for snakes because of all the possible health issues it could potentially cause & that aspen & cypress are better options but be careful & keep your eyes open. I recommend when baking/spraying your pine substrate to take a close, deep look at it. I heard some companies actually do have some pine mixed in as well & some even use go a fair as using wording like "cypress blend".

That last post got me confused...You're saying that cypress contains pine? I don't understand sorry.

I use coco husk and love it.

Originally Posted by Sierra0101

That last post got me confused...You're saying that cypress contains pine? I don't understand sorry.

It all depends on where you get it from. I would be very careful using Cyprus mulch sold for landscaping.

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

It all depends on where you get it from. I would be very careful using Cyprus mulch sold for landscaping.

Agreed. Reading labels is always a must... Additives etc need to be known.

Coconut is great and for smaller collections is a perfect option. I'd have to buy it in such bulk and ship it for all my animals, that it is more of a pain then not.

Unless somewhere sells it in bulk locally. I'd totally buy that over anything if I had a local option.

Sierra, he was just saying that be aware of the product you are buying. Some manufacturers will add other kinds of shavings into a product for landscape purposes etc.

I was getting mine at 56 liters for three dollars but they stopped carrying it.

I tried coconut husk for my young cobras. I absolutely hated it. Guess I just don't like granular substrates. Suppose that I should have added the caveat that there's always the chance at having other woods mixed in the mulch. Perhaps I've just been lucky, but I rarely noticed anything other than cypress in the bags I bought. As long as you're not buying a "blend", I'd think that what little pine you may run into wouldn't be nearly enough to be very worried about. At least, that was my experience.

Ohhh I understand now. I will definitely look at labels and such before buying anything.

Originally Posted by KORBIN5895

It all depends on where you get it from. I would be very careful using Cyprus mulch sold for landscaping.

Sorry I didn't see your response earlier but it looks like Kevin & a few others pretty much covered the explanation for me. I wasn't trying to scare you but just wanted to mention it so you were aware of as much as possible before deciding. I understand even if there is only a small amount of pine mixed in that it probably will not make a difference to the snake but being cursed with bad luck it's rare I gamble even with good odds.

I once seen someone with a box in an gravid females enclosure on the warmer end. The box had a bottom & sides but no top & was filled about 3/4 high with a mulch substrate, while the rest of the enclosure used some kind of paper I think. I think the theory behind it was it was that the paper was cheap, easy to swap, & wouldn't hide any mite type critters. The box held the warmth longer especially on the belly if your using a heat panel. I believe the "mulch box" that also was easier to clean then a whole enclosure, kept shavings separate from F/T food & water dishes as well as making a half decent hide box/private birthing spot. I haven't sat down & thought about this in to much depth yet but I think this might be a path similar to what I will do in the future for certain plans.

Sierra, I dont think I mentioned it earlier but I'm also sorry for your loss.

Thank you. It's been pretty hard on me. I'm sure most of the people in the reptile world feel this way also, but my animals are like my children. They all have names, and receive the best care I can provide. I love them all more than you could imagine.

I sat down on the day he passed, and for almost 7 hours I typed out the story of the worthwhile hell I went through for this snake. It took me 7 months to live it, 7 hours to write it, and 15 minutes to read it. If any of you would like to read it, please feel free to PM me and I'll gladly send you the link to do so.