• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Petco Aspen Bedding?

TryntK

TryntK

New member
Joined
Sep 18, 2009
Messages
42
Reaction score
2
Points
0
Location
Saint Joseph, missouri
So, I went to Petco and I was in need of some aspen bedding. When I went there, I found reptile aspen bedding that was over priced so, I looked into the rodent section; i found a huge bag of straight aspen bedding but on the back, it was labeled for: All rodents, Dogs, cats, and horses but it didn't say anything about reptiles. The cut was shavings and not the usually cut I am used to. It says that's its free of aromatic oils.

The shavings were Petco's brand. Anyone deal with this stuff?
 
I use something similar with no problems at all. I think it is the same stuff as you are talking about but a different brand, a big bale is like $10 or so. As long as it says aspen it should be okay.
 
Yeah, that's what caught my eye; the entire bag of aspen was 12 dollars and it was huge. I don't ever want to go cheap on my animals but if I can save some money, when it's safe, then I am all for it.

Thanks for responding, Flatlander.
 
Back when I used to get Aspen for my critters I started off with the overpriced stuff in the herps section... then like you... moved to the rodent section. There is another alternative and you'll be shocked at the price. If you have a TSC (tractor supply company) go there. Ours down here in AR sales big bags of aspen bedding for like $9 bucks.... its super huge and 100% aspen... safe for herps.
 
Southern Wolf said:
Back when I used to get Aspen for my critters I started off with the overpriced stuff in the herps section... then like you... moved to the rodent section. There is another alternative and you'll be shocked at the price. If you have a TSC (tractor supply company) go there. Ours down here in AR sales big bags of aspen bedding for like $9 bucks.... its super huge and 100% aspen... safe for herps.
Click to expand...

We get ours from Tractor Supply Company too. I didn't know they were nationwide.
 
mill's fleet farm sell's the same cut of aspen as horse bedding and its 5.95 for a big bag that weights 43 lbs This bag is great it lasts me two weeks with all stuff I have it's enough to fill 3-4 horse stalls which is somthing like 300sq foot area or about 30-35 boaphiles it's grrrreat and super cheap
 
Petsmart same deal High priced reptile aspen because it has a snake on the Bag for piece of mind along with 3/4 less than when you walk 3 Isles over to the rodant Isle and get 2 cubic feet for around 8-9 bucks
 
 
Mr.Atrox said:
Home depot or lowes, super cheap, you can also get nice bags of rock for aquarium gravel at around 4 bucks for 50 lbs. Just rinse it very very well. Here are some links:


http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=cypress+mulch&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?keyword=cypress+mulch&langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053


http://www.lowes.com/pl_Bagged+Rock_4294857240_4294937087_?storeId=10151&UserSearch=gravel&newSearch=true&Ns=p_product_quantity_sold|0&N=0&catalogId=10051&langId=-1
Click to expand...

Both links to mulch are either blends, or they contain dyes, and should not be used. And watch what kind of rock you use in an aquarium. Landscape rocks are often mixes and contain rocks with minerals that are water soluble and can have effects on the water pH, harming fish, interfere with the nitrogen cycle, and make filtration ineffective.
 
There are some unsafe rocks out there but the colorado river rock that is used in landscaping is the same stuff that petco uses etc. etc. Its just a larger grade. Thanks for the catch on the dyed and blended mulch, They do have undyed and un blended mulch, just read the bag before you buy. A 25lb pound of gravel at petco will cost you 25 bucks, a 50lb gag at lowes or home depot will cost you less than 4. When you are dealing with several tanks, it makes it cost prohibitive to go with anything else.
 
I work at Petco and recommend the Petco aspen for snakes (it's even what we use in the store). I believe the only difference in the rodent aspen and reptile aspen is the cut.. The reptile aspen is definitely more fine and maybe a little more gentle on the snake... but the regular aspen in the small animals section is just as good for them.

On a side note... has anyone used carefresh with their snakes? I've seen them shipped with it sometimes, but the carefresh bags so it's for snakes as well...
 
Does anyone feed on the finer cut aspen? I feed all my snakes in the enclosure and have been thinking about switching from newspaper.
 
Focal X said:
Does anyone feed on the finer cut aspen? I feed all my snakes in the enclosure and have been thinking about switching from newspaper.
Click to expand...

i do, and have no problems.

tub.jpg
 
The last bag of Petco aspen I purchased is different. The cut is a little smaller, the smell has completely changed and the bag says its made from reclaimed housing industry material. :shrug01: The jury is out on this one....

Jim MacDonald aka pythonjim:dgrin:
 
All aspen is aromatic oil free. It's pine and cedar that has the harmful oils.

I use newspaper for all my established snakes, and I tend to use aspen for the new snakes.
 
Just an update, when this thread started I was thinking of switching to aspen. I've tried both types since then, finer cut aspen from another store and the larger cut shavings from petco.

The finer cut stuff is great. It's a little harder to clean up off the floor but tends to stay in the enclosure more. After the snakes have been on it for a few nights, it becomes compact and flat. This is great when finding feces and urates but offers no additional "cover" for the snake. It seems to hold humidity better.

The larger cut shavings tends to stay alot fluffier. My breeding females tend to build larger and more covered "nests" when they lay. It holds humidity fairly well, however, it breathes better than the finer cut and as a result loses humidity just a tad faster. Another disadvantage, it's harder to locate waste and since it's looser, it gets dragged out of the cage easier.
 
Back
Top