# what’s the best substrate for ball pythons



## andy80 (5 d ago)

i’m asking this qs as everyone has mix review on this, i use aspen but a lot of people say it’s not as good as other stuff just asking as i want to change!!


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## Jojo420 (2 mo ago)

Aspen doesn't hold the humidity at the correct level for ball pythons. I personally use Exo Terra rain forest, with Komodo tropical terrain compact brick (soaked) mixed through it.This holds moisture really well, and helps keep the humidity high enough ✌🐍


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

andy80 said:


> i’m asking this qs as everyone has mix review on this, i use aspen but a lot of people say it’s not as good as other stuff just asking as i want to change!!


Aspen is horrific 

Best I’ve used is Orchid bark / Reptibark 


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## Zincubus (Sep 6, 2010)

andy80 said:


> i’m asking this qs as everyone has mix review on this, i use aspen but a lot of people say it’s not as good as other stuff just asking as i want to change!!


Unless your snake is dark colour then it will look amazing on orchid /reptile bark

Plus the bark holds humidity really well 


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## andy80 (5 d ago)

Jojo420 said:


> Aspen doesn't hold the humidity at the correct level for ball pythons. I personally use Exo Terra rain forest, with Komodo tropical terrain compact brick (soaked) mixed through it.This holds moisture really well, and helps keep the humidity high enough ✌🐍


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## andy80 (5 d ago)

thanks for that info i have been looking at similar to that and mixing the 2 together i will give this a go and see how i go with it…. thanks


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## Jojo420 (2 mo ago)

Hope it works well for you 😊 You could also use some damp sphagmum moss to help with keeping the humidity up, and placing a bowl of water near the warm end can help too


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## TheHouseofReptilez (Sep 26, 2021)

50 / 50 mix of Coco Coir and Orchid Bark works a treat for my two Royals.


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## RICHARDCRANIUM9 (2 d ago)

andy80 said:


> i’m asking this qs as everyone has mix review on this, i use aspen but a lot of people say it’s not as good as other stuff just asking as i want to change!!


Personally i choose to use orchid bark it hold the humidity really well. it is especially good for getting those high humidities around shedding time also added some sphagnum moss in the cool side hide is a really good way to give your snake a nice place to start their shed.


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## LiasisUK (Sep 30, 2019)

Aspen is a poor substrate, as is beech chip. Neither hold humidity very well at all, and aspen will mould if it gets too wet. Lignocel is the best sort of 'sawdust-like non-natural' substrate as it does hold humidity a bit better. 

HOWEVER the best substrate for royals is coir, reptichip/cocohusk, orchid bark or a mixture of a selection of those 3.


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## Elly66 (Feb 27, 2021)

I use aubiose ( hemp) and a small amount of orchid bark. I also have a large, moist moss box and find my Royal heads there during the shedding period. Plenty of branches, a large slab on bricks (basking spot), some stones and a large ceramic dog bowl of water at hot end, plus a smaller one at cool end. If humidity drops below 50% I give the wood, slabs etc a spray. 
I did have issues getting good humidity in my Royal's large, new viv, but with some tweaking solved the problem.
Hemp is great, it's dust free, absorbs smells and moisture and is safe. It's also incredibly eco friendly and I can buy huge bags of aubiose cheaply from a local farm supplies shop. I use it with my Corn and Royal, plus our chickens and my daughters gerbils.


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## Malc (Oct 27, 2009)

andy80 said:


> i’m asking this qs as everyone has mix review on this, i use aspen but a lot of people say it’s not as good as other stuff just asking as i want to change!!


Have a read of this thread - it discusses various products used as substrate for snakes with peoples personal experiences - saves repeating it all again


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## Spades (3 mo ago)

It really depends on the humidity in your room (and also what you want the viv to look like), but most need a moisture-retaining substrate. I use a blend of majority coconut coir with some playsand as I find it loosens it up and prevents it compacting as badly. I used to top it with husk, but since having a bit of a disaster with herphusk I've switched to topping it with lots of leaf litter, but may start re-adding orchid bark instead. I also liked forest floor, but it's not compacted and getting enough to fill the viv is difficult. Add to that we've got limited freezer space, sterilizing it in case of snake mites is a pain.


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