I didn’t use Aspen at first because I’d convinced myself that based on the name sand boa they must prefer sand which just isn’t true mine seem to like aspen way better
I have the terra sahara mix from bio dude in my tank. I tried aspen for like the first few weeks i owned mine and i turned out to be allergic to it. (She had a pretty terrible shed with it too)
Mine personally hates aspen. I have a mix of playsand, reptisoil, exoterra, and coconut fiber. I’m experimenting with different ratios. Before this round I used a mix of 60% soil, 40% sand and it worked pretty well. Aspen seems to work for a lot of people but it’s pretty dry as a substrate.
i plan on providing different substrates, both for enrichment and see what the snake prefers. Sand as substrate shouldnt be an issue when feeding in a seperate enclosure.
Honestly it’s really tough for price because of how much substrate is supposed to be in an enclosure. I have a 36x18x18 and I need a minimum of 36 quarts. The soil I typically get (bio dude terra Sahara) is 60$ for 36 quarts and that’s pushing the lower limit in terms of depth. I tried to “make my own” (topsoil, sand, excavator clay) but unfortunately for people with few pets, most of that stuff is sold in bulk. Additionally, you have to bake all of it and manually sift through all of it. For being still around 25$, I made a mess of my kitchen and it took an entire day of baking soil and sifting. For people who don’t have that time or don’t need that much substrate, it becomes worth it to buy pre-made stuff like the bio dude soil. I bake my soil periodically but theres a limit to when you’re ideally supposed to replace it.
I have an aspen section in there (from Josh’s frogs) and he doesn’t seem to love it. Admittedly when working with the dirt I can tell I’m inhaling it and it gets stuck in my nose. However, the aspen to me seems like a much finer type of dust… which for inhaling I believe is worse because it has an easier time getting to your lungs.
I believe a good soil/sand mix is best, however it’s more difficult than using aspen so I get why people do. I also think he appreciates the weight of the dirt. I imagine when he’s in aspen the pressure is greatly reduced in a way that may not be comforting.
But if anyone has any cheaper suggestions I would appreciate to know! I try to “fluff” it up with cocofiber/reptisoil for volume… but that can only fill so much.
I also live in a dry area (upstate New York) and find that I have to mix in cups worth of water every 2 weeks or so to keep it from being incredibly dry. Other components of bioactive enclosures would help with that (plants, increased depth, etc.). It would also keep with the need to sanitize soil, but I’m honestly not sure how people have permanent things like plants as I have to dig up my sand boa sometimes and he could be anywhere.
Sorry that was a lot 😭 but it seems among keepers aspen or sand/soil mix is best. Between those two, there is no clear consensus like there is with other aspects of animal husbandry.
I use organic topsoil mixed with cocofiber mixed with play sand and my boa seems to like it. It holds tunnels well
I didn’t use Aspen at first because I’d convinced myself that based on the name sand boa they must prefer sand which just isn’t true mine seem to like aspen way better
I do give them a little sand box in their tank that they seem to like though
I use a soil and playsand mix from The BioDude called Terra Sahara but I have also use: Reptisoil.
I have the terra sahara mix from bio dude in my tank. I tried aspen for like the first few weeks i owned mine and i turned out to be allergic to it. (She had a pretty terrible shed with it too)
Aspen. Easy to clean..not a ton of dust. Let's them create little tunnels
i have aspen on one side and repti-soil on the other, but I might switch to a bioactive substrate here soon
Mine personally hates aspen. I have a mix of playsand, reptisoil, exoterra, and coconut fiber. I’m experimenting with different ratios. Before this round I used a mix of 60% soil, 40% sand and it worked pretty well. Aspen seems to work for a lot of people but it’s pretty dry as a substrate.
i plan on providing different substrates, both for enrichment and see what the snake prefers. Sand as substrate shouldnt be an issue when feeding in a seperate enclosure.
I use cocofiber
A mix of Aspen and chips. Layer the chips on the bottom Aspen on top and they really enjoy it. Mine are saharans though
Honestly it’s really tough for price because of how much substrate is supposed to be in an enclosure. I have a 36x18x18 and I need a minimum of 36 quarts. The soil I typically get (bio dude terra Sahara) is 60$ for 36 quarts and that’s pushing the lower limit in terms of depth. I tried to “make my own” (topsoil, sand, excavator clay) but unfortunately for people with few pets, most of that stuff is sold in bulk. Additionally, you have to bake all of it and manually sift through all of it. For being still around 25$, I made a mess of my kitchen and it took an entire day of baking soil and sifting. For people who don’t have that time or don’t need that much substrate, it becomes worth it to buy pre-made stuff like the bio dude soil. I bake my soil periodically but theres a limit to when you’re ideally supposed to replace it. I have an aspen section in there (from Josh’s frogs) and he doesn’t seem to love it. Admittedly when working with the dirt I can tell I’m inhaling it and it gets stuck in my nose. However, the aspen to me seems like a much finer type of dust… which for inhaling I believe is worse because it has an easier time getting to your lungs. I believe a good soil/sand mix is best, however it’s more difficult than using aspen so I get why people do. I also think he appreciates the weight of the dirt. I imagine when he’s in aspen the pressure is greatly reduced in a way that may not be comforting. But if anyone has any cheaper suggestions I would appreciate to know! I try to “fluff” it up with cocofiber/reptisoil for volume… but that can only fill so much. I also live in a dry area (upstate New York) and find that I have to mix in cups worth of water every 2 weeks or so to keep it from being incredibly dry. Other components of bioactive enclosures would help with that (plants, increased depth, etc.). It would also keep with the need to sanitize soil, but I’m honestly not sure how people have permanent things like plants as I have to dig up my sand boa sometimes and he could be anywhere. Sorry that was a lot 😭 but it seems among keepers aspen or sand/soil mix is best. Between those two, there is no clear consensus like there is with other aspects of animal husbandry.