OK, so... I have to feed my boys in their enclosure because they're just too panicky to pick up and move elsewhere to eat. But, they like to take food and run around with it for a little while before swallowing. So I've been looking for a substrate that's nicer/more natural than paper towels but isn't small enough to stick to the food and be swallowed (e.g. aspen or dirt) and that won't be confusingly food-like and appetizing if it gets fish slime or pinky guts on it (e.g. those newspaper pellets). I saw these in a local garden shop, and it got me thinking...

They're essentially terra cotta beads. In gardening they're supposed to hold water and release it evenly to the plant, so I hope they'll be good for the humidity, too. This is what they look like close up:

They range in size from just under 1/4" to a bit over 1/2". They were pretty dusty straight out of the bag so I rinsed them off well (kitchen colander and hose in the back yard). I pre-placed the plant and water dishes, then scooped in the pebbles:

I really liked the idea of live plants in the enclosure, but didn't want the hard-to-clean permanence of a real planted terrarium. So I decided to go semi-natural with potted plants. And some moss for inside the "pool house":

Added the pool house, hide log, and rough shedding rock, et voila! Stage I complete. (Stage II: Better basking area - stay tuned!)

Eco-friendly, too... I can spot clean by taking out individual pellets and either washing them off and reusing them, or chucking them into the garden if they're just too dirty. After a good rinse the pellets were pretty minimally dusty, but I do have a little bit of a concern that the clay might be drying to the snakes' skin. They spend most of their time in the plants and logs, so at least they're not just constantly in contact with the pebbles. I'll keep a close eye on the next couple sheds though.

One last pic... Spot is already out exploring at this point. Little brother seems to think he might just stay in the snake bag after all, despite the fight he put up getting in there.