# Put me out of my misery : Substrate



## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

hi guys i know this topic will wage on until the dawn of time lol or it has been ..

substrate i personally use chip shop paper for my current snakes they feed well shed well poo well ..no problem at all however i would prefer if all the vivs looked like my skink tank (i.e more natural)

sooo...

what are my alternatives? i know that pine is a no no ..
which leaves me with orchard bark ..now im petrified of getting mites my snakes touch wood are mite free i would prefer to go down this route but i need some reassurance

obv with paper its easier to spot clean so how often do you guys clean out when your not using paper?


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## Nala11 (Sep 15, 2011)

What snakes do you have?


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

oh yeah sorry there got carried away lol

i have a 09 spider royal
and a 07 corn island boa


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## Nala11 (Sep 15, 2011)

How about something like Repti Bark, it'll help to hold the humidity your snakes need and look a lot more naturally. 
As for cleaning, spot clean when needed and a full change of the substrate every 2 months.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

i always find it hard to spot clean for when they wee as you know it does stink and your snakes smells of it because they have been lying in it lol

reptibark free of mites??

i used to use this for my skink its beech wood but becuase it wasnt brown/dark made spot cleaning much easier would this be ok?

PL Terracotta Red Beech Chip, 20 Litre


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## Nala11 (Sep 15, 2011)

Yeah that should be fine for them.
If you are worried about mites just stick the substrate in the oven on a baking tray (remove packaging first) at 200'c for 30mins, the heat will kill any bugs living in the substrate, allow it to cool then pop it in once it is room temperature.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

do you pop your substrate in oven? and i presume you only cook it the once then put it in a big tub or can mites come back again meaning you have to cook everytime you want to put fresh stuff in


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## ex0tics (Jun 9, 2009)

I microwave or bake mine, I use orchid bark and haven't yet had a mite problem.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

ex0tics said:


> I microwave or bake mine, I use orchid bark and haven't yet had a mite problem.


do you bake it in one go? then put it back in a tub?
beech would is alright too use also isnt it?


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## lizzy84 (Jul 31, 2011)

I use aspen for my royals and boa, i always microwave it in a bowl for about 2.5 mins, this kills any eggs or mites that might be there, even if it claims to be mite free, i don't want to take the risk, i use about two full jugs full in a mixing bowl, so about 2/3 litres at a time. However if you feed your snakes inside the vivarium it may be best to use shredded cypress or fir bark as Pine and aspen shavings can become lodged in the mouth while eating, causing respiratory and other problems. So that's another factor to think about when choosing.
hope this helps, liz


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

would it be ok to do that process to all of the wood then store it in a big clean tub also did you say cook in microwave for 25 mins or 2.5 mins lol 

yeah ill be using beech woodchips and i always feed the snakes out of there vivs aswell

ill be using the red or blue woodchips making it easy to spot poop lol


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## Nala11 (Sep 15, 2011)

I am pretty sure that would be 2 minutes 30 seconds - the substrate should be steaming hot when you bring it out, if it isn't stick it in for another minute.
Yes it is fine to cook at once and store in an airtight container.


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## lizzy84 (Jul 31, 2011)

Yep 2 and half mins lol. And yeah as above it would need to be seriously air tight, mites would find any hole and it wouldn't take long for the whole thing to be infested. Good luck, off to feed three snakes now, fun times!


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

lizzy84 said:


> Yep 2 and half mins lol. And yeah as above it would need to be seriously air tight, mites would find any hole and it wouldn't take long for the whole thing to be infested. Good luck, off to feed three snakes now, fun times!


So if that's the case wouldn't the mites find a way into the viv ..that's not air tight ?
And you saying just cook what you need ?


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## lizzy84 (Jul 31, 2011)

Indeed, they could find a way in if you had them in your house. So if you ever did get mites I would suggest spraying around the room with callingtons. But fortunately the mites are host specific, so are not just random ones that would be in the area anyway, they would have to be brought in from a place that most likely deals with reptiles- reptile shops, friends who have snakes etc. So if they are going to come in on your clothes from the shop or off a friend and then onto the snake then there isnt much you can do to avoid that. It would be just bad luck. So all you can really do to prevent it yourself is microwave the substrate (and I would do it just when I need it, but thats a preference), quarantine a new snake and keep the vivarium clean. 
I got mites from not quarantining a snake long enough, so my own fault, usually is the owners unless its the bad luck scenario. Anyways il stop yapping now :-D


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

and all that doesent put you off buying wood chips /bark etc?? and not moving them onto paper??


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## lizzy84 (Jul 31, 2011)

Well its to each his own I reckon. If you get them through bad luck it will be easier to spot them on paper, but if you know what your looking for it doesn't make much difference other than looking nice and being more natural for the snake. The one time paper is definitely needed is when you do have mites. So its your own preference :-D good luck


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

oh no im not having a nip at you by any means...i actually want to change from chip shop paper to a more natural look..i was just wanting people experiences when using wood/bark etc


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

orchard bark it is im thinking


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

My hoggie is on aspen and she loves it and it's easy for spot cleaning too as the aspen sticks to all the poo making it go into clumps, I'll put my corn and MBK onto aspen too at some point :lol2:


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

i would honestly use aspen if it looked a bit more natural my vivs are all black so orchard bark suits me a bit better ill be nuking it in the microwave aswell as freezing it to be sure to not get mites


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## AilsaM (May 18, 2011)

scott stewart said:


> i would honestly use aspen if it looked a bit more natural my vivs are all black so orchard bark suits me a bit better ill be nuking it in the microwave aswell as freezing it to be sure to not get mites


With my aspen I spray a few sheets of kitchen roll with callingtons and then put them in the bag, just in case there are any mites in there.


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

i may have to get some just incase  better to be safe than sorry


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## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

Mites can be in any bag of any substrate, on decor you buy or taken home form the shop on your clothes.
I think you're being a little be over cautious and pointing blame at orchid bark in particular isn't really fair.
Personally I use reptibark cos I find it's not as dirty as orchid bark but it's pretty much the same stuff. 
I keep one corn on beech chips.
I do not bake or microwave anything and have never done in over 10 years. I had never even seen a mite until recently and this was in someone elses collection.

You can get rubber substrate if you're that worried, this is washable and reusable and cannot harbour mites. RubbStrate - Re-useable Reptile Substrate


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## scott stewart (Jan 10, 2011)

Hannah81 said:


> Mites can be in any bag of any substrate, on decor you buy or taken home form the shop on your clothes.
> I think you're being a little be over cautious and pointing blame at orchid bark in particular isn't really fair.
> Personally I use reptibark cos I find it's not as dirty as orchid bark but it's pretty much the same stuff.
> I keep one corn on beech chips.
> ...



rubbstrate you say does this come in big bags?? what color?


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