Is Aspen bedding a good substrate?

[infernalis]

I don't see a problem, but others may.

[Spankenstyne]

It does suck. It gets moldy quickly, it doesn't absorb anything, it doesn't hold humidity, it doesn't soften up when it's ingested and it sticks to everything except feces. And it's dusty. Much more so than peat.

It's worked fine for me as one of my main choices of substrate for more than 20 years. I've had hundreds of snakes and lizards live, eat, poop, & have babies on it without a single problem, and *knock on wood* I've never had a case of impaction to this day. I also switched to the chip more often in recent years.

It's a matter of using what works for the cage conditions.

Aspen is a good choice for a dry substrate, you don't want to use it for humid cages.
For this particular application with the huge water area involved you would probably find it to be a pain to maintain and not ideal.
Yep it can get moldy if it's left wet and ventilation is limited. I find it quite absorbent, which is probably why it gets moldy, it's holding moisture . It quickly dries up feces, again by absorbing the moisture, and is easily spot cleaned. I don't find it particularly dusty, but who knows different brands and sources could certainly be different.

I will say that Peat is a fantastic substrate for humid enclosures, but equally terrible for dry ones. If left to dry out it becomes incredibly dusty, a couple of breeders I know have lost animals to nasal cavity blockages from letting the peat get completely dry. One was a Chondro and the other a Blood Python so there might be some sort of physical contribution there as well. Others have anecdotally made claims too but these two cases I know of and trust the results.
I've never had a problem with Peat though, and use it for my Rainbow Boa enclosures and many of my humid hides for other snakes and have for years, but I never let it get completely dry. When it gets dry it's horribly dusty and seems to coat everything with a fine layer of dust.

Mathieu it sounds like you've made your decision and imo it's a good one, there are a lot of options that will work and everyone has their favourites.

[ConcinusMan]

Well I just arrived from the pet-shop and they only have the zoo-med Repti Bark at 15$, first I find it expensive (as every thing they sell there) and it is write on the bag 100% fir bark, I always think that confiner bark (and conifer in general) was not good for reptiles...

So I might order something else via internet, it will be least expensive...

I plan to mix this coco husk and this coco coir Do you think it will make good substrate?

Thanks all

Fir is safe. It's pine and cedar you want to avoid. Don't use garden center bark as it has splinters and often has pine or cedar in it. Always use 100% fir bark. Coco coir is what eco earth is made of and it's safe to swallow and can be found much cheaper in a garden center than a pet store. You could mix with coco husk but don't let them swallow it! I just prefer to use fir bark instead.

[Spankenstyne]

Just to also add (because I didn't type enoug already lol)...
A little caution with absorbent substrates that are good at holding moisture. If they dry out and are ingested (go in dry) you run the risk of them absorbing body moisture and expanding while in there. Enough of it and you can see how that could create problems.

If using something like Peat or Sphagnum you'll need some dry places as Stefan mentioned with the leaf litter suggestion & Jeremy mentioned elsewhere to avoid scale rot situations.

[Barak666]

Thanks all for the information. As I said, I will try coconut coir and husk. Even if it might be wetter near the aquarium I find driftwood to cover most of the place into the enclosure and what is left as ground will be eventually planted, so they will be able to stay dry if needed. I was thinking of placing some flat rock under the basking spot, is it a good idea?

I will probably receive my coconut coir and husk order at the end of the week or at beginning of next one, I will let you see once I change the substrate and fix the driftwood (hopefully very easy to find here) in place

[ConcinusMan]

Planted? bad idea imho for many number of reasons.

[Spankenstyne]

Thanks all for the information. As I said, I will try coconut coir and husk. Even if it might be wetter near the aquarium I find driftwood to cover most of the place into the enclosure and what is left as ground will be eventually planted, so they will be able to stay dry if needed. I was thinking of placing some flat rock under the basking spot, is it a good idea?

I will probably receive my coconut coir and husk order at the end of the week or at beginning of next one, I will let you see once I change the substrate and fix the driftwood (hopefully very easy to find here) in place

I put tile or flat rock as some of my basking spots. There are lots of ways to be creative.
You can get the coconut coir much cheaper and in larger bundles at Home Depot branded as "Beats Peat" and at Canadian Tire under another name (I forget the name atm) but it's all the same stuff. Sometimes referred to as "plantation soil".

[Stefan-A]

Planted? bad idea imho for many number of reasons.

Up for another argument? Start naming some reasons.

[infernalis]

He has a cunning plan.......

[Stefan-A]

He has a cunning plan.......

It is as cunning as a fox what used to be Professor of Cunning at Oxford University but has moved on, and is now working for the UN at the High Commission of International Cunning Planning.