vermiculite as a substrate?

[sea-community]

at the moment i dont have any more aspen shavings, but i was wondering if vermiculite would work? the only reason i ask is because i have a lot and it seems like it would be a money saver and plus it can hold heat better if not i can always go buy some at my local feed. as of right now i am using a heat lamp that keeps the temp from 80-85.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

I wouldn't use it as a substrate for most herps. What species is this for?

 

[sea-community]

A corn snake.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

If Vermiculite isn't kept moist it can get way too dusty which can lead to respiratory infections in snakes and lizards. I would stick with Aspen Shavings, they work great for snakes.

 

[Troycool]

Well, acceptable substrates include reptile bark, butcher paper, paper towels and Astroturf.

Reptile bark can be purchased in pet stores, and is attractive and natural-looking. Butcher paper can be acquired in many places such as home depot or art supply stores. This substrate, while not particularly attractive, allows one to keep the cage very clean by continuously replacing the soiled paper. Paper towels have the same advantages and disadvantages of butcher paper. Astroturf can be used, but it does tend to rot easily if wetted, so it is best to have several pieces cut to fit the cage so you can rotate dirty and clean pieces.​

 

[PaulJ69]

Aspen FTW!

 

[Vicious_Fish]

Well, acceptable substrates include reptile bark, butcher paper, paper towels and Astroturf.

Reptile bark can be purchased in pet stores, and is attractive and natural-looking. Butcher paper can be acquired in many places such as home depot or art supply stores. This substrate, while not particularly attractive, allows one to keep the cage very clean by continuously replacing the soiled paper. Paper towels have the same advantages and disadvantages of butcher paper. Astroturf can be used, but it does tend to rot easily if wetted, so it is best to have several pieces cut to fit the cage so you can rotate dirty and clean pieces.​

Please cite text if you are going to copy and paste it. Thank you.

http://www.kingsnake.com/rockymountain/RMHPages/RMHnewpage11.htm

 

[tricksterpup]

Ok, I am gonna knock it into your head one more time.
You really need to start reading books and go to Cornsnakes.com
But this book should give you a good start. You really really need to do your research and read these books.
Go to Corn utopia.com and order this book from the Author she knows her stuff. Its a very good book, if you do not want to buy it from her, go to Amazon and order it. But if you want to breed corns as you stated before you NEED this book.

 

[tricksterpup]

by the way, the 3 best beddings are Newspaper, Paper towel or Aspen.

 

[sea-community]

by the way, the 3 best beddings are Newspaper, Paper towel or Aspen.

well i know that, but i was thinking maybe vermiculite would be more of a substantial substrate for some reason. but i just got bag loads of aspen so im good for a few months. and also when i get a bit more money im pretty sure my lfs has that same book or at least they have a book generalized on corn snakes. also im not exactly sure about breeding, since im already planning on doing that with with my geckos, i think it would be a little too much for me to have that going on with t2 different species. im still going to be thinking about it in the years to come. anyways thank you for your concern, and i have been doing a lot of research "online" but im sure captive breeders like in that book have plenty more information that is far more useful than what i find on the internet.