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Best Substrate For Ball Pythons – Top 3!

They all can’t be cuddly, well I’m sure someone can make a case for them, but still.  When keeping snakes the top priorities are keeping your animals healthy and comfortable.  With the proper enclosure and amenities your snakes will be content and happy and that’s why we’ve decided to come up with the best substrate for ball pythons.

Ball Python NeedsBest Substrate for Ball Python

Ball pythons are typically easy to care for.  Keep the humidity in the right range and keep their substrate clean and you’ve pretty much got a happy snake.

The ball python is far and away the most popular pet python in the world today. Ball’s are typically shy, but make great captive snakes because they’re smaller in size, friendly, and are easy to care for. Coming in a remarkably wide range of colors and patterns, balls are continually gaining more and more fans throughout the herpetoculturist world.

Native to central and western Africa the ball python thrives in warm, tropical areas. In certain parts of Africa they known as the royal python and revered by some.

Substrate Considerations

Typically, substrate options are fairly straightforward but addressing the needs of your particular snake can make finding the best substrate for ball pythons a bit more complex.  What you’ll want is to find something that economical, is safe for your pet, and reduces odor inside of the cage.

There are a few different options that meet these needs well and that can provide a great substrate for your python.

Cleaning

Best Substrate for Ball Python

hehaden

The main thing that you’ll want to make sure of is hygiene inside of your enclosure.  Ball pythons can be prone to infections and disease if a proper cleaning schedule isn’t followed.

Do a visual inspection of the enclosure and remove any waste as soon as possible and do a complete tear down of the cage every 30 days, removing all of the accessories and substrate and disinfecting with a 5% bleach solution.

After disinfecting, rinse well with fresh water and allow to dry completely before replacing substrate and cage accessories.

Ball Python Substrate

Newspapers and paper towels are the cheapest and easiest substrates for ball pythons with regards to cleaning and disinfecting. While using your home newspaper is perfectly suitable there are single sheet papers that inexpensive and very effective with out all the print.

You Can See Them Here

Other choices for the best substrate for ball pythons include cypress mulch and orchid bark.  These are great for controlling humidity and odor, keep in mind that too much or too little moisture can have really negative consequences for you python.

Never use any substrate containing cedar, it contains an oil that can be deadly to snakes! Other substrates to avoid are sand, shavings and peat bedding.

Best Substrate For Ball Pythons – Newsprintbest substrate for ball pythons

This newsprint paper is a great buy for those who are looking for a really economical and easy way to clean their python’s enclosure.  The only downside to newsprint is that it’s not very appealing visually.  For a more engaging substrate scroll down!

This is a 20# box of papers, 325 individual sheets that measure 36″ x 24″ and goes for $29.99 on Amazon.  These are a great way to keep your enclosure clean without having to source newspapers when you need them.  They lay flat, so storage is easy too!

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Corrugated Cardboard

Another nice option similar to newsprint is corrugated cardboard. These come in sheets and are easy to trim to match the Best Substrate For Ball Pythonsexact footprint of your enclosure.  They’re highly absorbent, inexpensive and provide a good surface for your python.

These come in a 100 count pack and are easy to use and discard when you’re done.

Check Out More Details Here

 

Best Substrate For Ball Pythons – Cyprus Mulch

best substrate for ball pythons

Zoo Med Forest Flor is a great substrate for ball pythons.  It’s visually stimulating, controls moisture, and is 100% natural.  Available in 3 different sizes of 4, 8, and 24 quarts you’ll be able to find the right size to cover your enclosure well.

Zoo Med Highlights

  • 100% natural cypress mulch
  • All natural product
  • Recommended terrarium substrate for many species of snakes, lizards, land turtles, tortoises, frogs, toads, salamanders, tarantulas

Click Here to Buy

Best Substrate For Ball Pythons – Orchid Bark

best substrate for ball pythonsIf newsprint and Cyprus mulch aren’t to your liking then orchid potting bark is a great alternative.  With a “chunkier” texture than Cyprus, orchid bark maintains a good level of humidity and gives a really nice look to your enclosure.

SuperMoss Orchid Potting Bark Highlights

  • Organic and Sustainable Douglas Fir Bark
  • 100% natural and organic
  • Highly absorbent
  • Not heat treated or baked

Click Here To See More

Best Substrate for Ball Pythons

Well there you go, a few great options when you’re looking to add a new substrate to your pythons enclosure.  These will make you and your snakes lives a lot nicer by adding good flooring for your ball and making cleaning easier for you.

Our winner of the Best Substrate for Ball Pythons shootout was the Cyprus mulch from Zoo Med.  It helped to control the humidity inside of the tank, gave a nice visual appeal and is built specifically for reptiles like your ball python.

Do you keep a python?  What is your favorite substrate to use?


The Best Substrate for Ball Pythons

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