Floor covering question

[Mommy2many]

Question: Can I use kitty litter for the substrate in my snakes house? If ingested, will it harm them? I need to find a cheaper floor covering. I have been using the repti bark but was wondering if there was something better/cheaper. What's recommended?

[Snakers]

i house some of my snakesof newspaper not as natural but does the job

[Snakers]

plus its easier to clean

[Mommy2many]

I have thought about that but am reluctant due to smell. As it is, I seem to be very sensetive to the "stinky" aspect of my darlings. I was looking for something that may stand up to the water dish being dragged from one end of the enclosure to the other.:cool::eek::D

[Snakers]

yeah thats one bad thing about it

[Mommy2many]

Yeah.......;)

[Snakers]

well hope some1 has more knowledge than me atm sorry if i didn't help

[Mommy2many]

Good suggestion, just looking for something a little better (smell wise). I just talked to my husband about paper tonight, actually. Thanks all the same.;)

[jitami]

LeAnn, I've heard kitty litter isn't great, but don't remember why. A lot of people use carefresh or it's generic counterpart that you can find at walmart. I've also heard orchid bark or cypress mulch from a garden center. Some people throw it in the freezer first just in case there may be creepy crawlies in it. I think a fair number of people use aspen as well. No pine or cedar, though. Oh, and some use that compressed stuff, either corn or paper/wood product. That may be found in the kitty litter section? Just make sure there are no 'magic crystals' or anything like that... just compressed natural material.

[guidofatherof5]

I am testing out some of the compressed wood product. 35Lbs for $15 at the local pet shop.
I was a Menards(Lumber/home center). In their wood stove area I saw large bags of wood pellets for $2.99 a bag. I need to check to see what woods are used. I'll check it out and post on it in a couple of days. Hope it's the right wood. If so, I'll save a lot of money.

[Mommy2many]

That would be awesome, Steve. Let me know if the wood pellets are safe. Tami, thanks for the suggestions. Around here, our Walmarts do not seem to carry much of the Aspen and Carefresh stuff that you guys seem to be able to pick up for cheap. My Petco has the reptibark which I have been using but the smaller bag was still $7.00 or $8.00 or more. That would only cover my tanks now for 1 cleaning. My snakies all love to burrow and I was considering peat moss but that may be a bit too messy I'm thinking. I'm trying to cut the cost and keep the snakies all comfy.:D

[mtolypetsupply]

My concerns lie with ingestion while feeding. If you can get your guys to tub feed, then you can use all sorts of stuff as their bedding. How about Yesterday's News? That's a kitty litter product that is made of recycled newspaper. However, just like all the compressed products, once you add moisture, it will expand. Not good if they eat in their enclosures.

And fall is coming fast. What about a layer of newspaper, then some baked leaves for the "snakie-fun" aspect of it???

:)

[GarterGeek]

Peat moss (spaghum moss) mixed with sand works well. It looks natural and is VERY cheap. :)

[Stefan-A]

Peat moss (spaghum moss) mixed with sand works well. It looks natural and is VERY cheap. :)
Out of curiosity, what's the sand for?

[jitami]

Here's a link to the generic carefresh they carry at Walmart:
Walmart.com: Crittercare: Light Brown/Natural For Small Animals Bedding, 14 l: Bedding & Nesting (Small Animals) (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10321154)

It's over with the hamster stuff in all the stores I've been to. It's not as expensive as repti-bark, but not incredibly cheap either... about $5 for a decent sized bag. Did you know you can wash repti-bark? That may help, but if you spot clean like I do some would still need to be replaced over time. I, too, am looking forward to Steve's findings regarding the wood pellets :) I'm actually thinking of switching to cypress mulch or something along those lines. The snakes love the carefresh and it works very well, but I'm ready for a change.

[wolfpacksved]

i'm an old fashioned newspaper guy. garter droppings are gonna smell, just the way it is.

[guidofatherof5]

Just found out the wood pellets at Menards contain Pine. Bummer! but the company that makes the pet shop stuff is a short drive away and will wholesale it to me. Driving over on Sat. to pick a few(5+) bags up. The other plus to this stuff is it smells great(natural wood smell):)

[Mommy2many]

Steve,

What is the name of the stuff you are buying?

[GarterGeek]

Out of curiosity, what's the sand for?

It gives it a nicer consistancy. It's not really necessary. Is there a problem with using it? :o

[guidofatherof5]

Steve,

What is the name of the stuff you are buying?


http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/bedding.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/bedding1.jpg
http://www.thamnophis.com/thamphotos/data//500/medium/bedding2.jpg

[Mommy2many]

Thanks! I have never seen it before.

[Stefan-A]

It gives it a nicer consistancy. It's not really necessary. Is there a problem with using it? :o
Not at all, it just seemed unnecessary. :)

[Thunder.x.Tiger]

Here's a link Zoo Med Repti Bark - Bark - Substrate - PetSmart (http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2752663)
It is bark from fir trees that is easy to burrow and is cheap too. I got a 10 quart bag for 8 dollars at PetSmart.

Hope this helps!