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Winder blocked pit
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by arachdude7 on September 17, 2005
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I use ESU desert blend lizard litter as a substrate for my Colorado desert winder. Well this morning I noticed that a particle/grain has gotten lodge into one of his pits.
My question is this something that will remedy itself on the next shed or should I attempt to remove (stressing myself and my little crote) it myself. He has seemed to be a little more "pissy" lately. Have any of you others ran into this problem with your crotes?... and if not maybe this is a cautionary "heads-up".
Thanks
Michael
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by roadkruzer on September 17, 2005
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I had a similar problem once when I use to use lizard bedding (ground up walnut shells). Once the bedding became lodged in the pit of one of my eastern diamindbacks. As soon as the snake shed, the bedding also became unlodged. The inside of the pits shed along with the rest of the snake which takes care of problems like this. I have since stopped using that material as substrate and now use news paper or cypress mulch. Make sure you are not feeding your snakes on that bedding. It can easily become lodged in the snake. I once heard of a pigmy with bedding impaction. Stomach gases built up and were not able to be expelled until the pigmy litterally exploded.
Jason
SnakesAreUs.com
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by Cro on September 17, 2005
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Just because you can buy these funky ``reptile substrates`` at you local pet store, does not mean that are good for your animals.
Keep your snakes on News Paper or Gravell made from marble chipps, or Large Aquarium Gravell.
Stuff like the Cypress mulch harbors mites and traps moisture.
I am amazed at how many folks use this junk from the pet shops. It is a bad husbandry mistake.
JohnZ
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by Chance on September 17, 2005
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I would hardly call cypress mulch "crap." I'm not sure if that's really what you were trying to do or not, but you did point out some potentially bad things about using it. Yeah, if you have a mite problem, then cypress or anything else but newspaper/paper towels would be bad because it would give the little arachnids something to breed in. However, cypress has long been used very successfully with a plethora of reptillian species. Generally it is used in conjunction with humid-loving animals, since as you pointed out, it does tend to trap moisture. However, it can be dried and used for others. Cypress naturally deters bacterial growth, provides a nice burrowing substrate for those animals that like to, and can be adapted to many different microhabitats. I personally love the stuff for my argus monitors and have used it for snake species ranging from Naja to Hydrodynastes. I've never had a complaint for it. Another good one I've used for animals requiring a higher humidity is that ground coconut husk...bed a beast or something like that.
For the actual snake in question, I agree with the other posters. If it doesn't begin to be a problem, leave it alone and let it either fall out or shed it off. If you notice the area becoming inflamed, the snake's behavior changing erradically, etc., it might be time to address the issue. Good luck.
-Chance
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by Chance on September 17, 2005
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Whew, you can tell it's late. I of course meant to say I wouldn't call cypress mulch "junk," not "crap." Sorry.
-Chance
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by roadkruzer on September 18, 2005
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Cypress mulch has always worked well for me with absolutely no problems. Newspaper, I have to agree does seem to be best. With cypress and any other substrate, you have to insure that ingestion doesn't occur. As long as cages are cleaned and routinely medicated properly, mites and other problems never present themselves. I am constantly taking in new snakes every month. Due to this, I have to be really careful of parasite transfer. With very careful use of permetherine, my snakes stay parasite free and healthy.But, as soon as my permetherine and mulch start killing off my snakes, I'll stop using it and tell you how smart you are.
Jason
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by Cro on September 18, 2005
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Perhaps I should have explained more carefully. I worked for many years in the pet shop business before working at Natural History Museums and Zoos.
It seemed that every couple of months, our pet shop wholesaler would have some new, ghee-wiz cage substrate for reptiles and amphibians. A lot of these products proved to be dangerous to the animals, and eventtually, were forced off the market.
I can remember when Cedar Mulch was the great new substrate for reptiles, with the cedar oils supposed to repel mites. Well, the cedar oils did repel mites, but also killed or caused neurological damage to juvenile reptiles. So much for Cedar as a cage substrate.
Next was Aspen mulch, which contained no dangerous oils, but did not absorbe moisture very well, and did not control odor. It was prone to have mold grow on the surface of it once it got wet. So much for Aspen as a cage substrate.
As far as Cypress, well it does look good, and is very rot resistant, and has a pleasent smell. It could be a good substrate for a naturalistic enclosure if you change it often enough. If you do not, it will harbor lots of nooks and crannys where things like mites can live. And the snake crap and urine will filter down through it, especially if you mist the cage. So you have to be more attentive when using a substrate like this to replace it fairly often, if you want to keep your animals healthy.
I have seen mold (as evidenced by hundreds of tiny black dots and fuzzy threads) grow on Cypress mulch in a cage that was heavily misted for Rhino Vipers.
So, if you are going to use this stuff, just be carefull, and keep an eye on it, and change it often.
As far as something called ``ESU desert blend lizard litter``, well, that sounds a lot like one of the ghee-wiz products that pet shops sell to make a lot of profit, and it could be a product that has not been tested very well, and might not be very wise to use with your animals.
You cant go wrong with news paper or paper towells, although they look really bad, and gravell is an excellent display substrate. I would probably use Cypress Mulch in some instances for astetic purposes in display cages, but I would replace the whole batch several times a year, just to avoid it becoming a fecal sponge in the bottom of the cage.
Hope this helps explain my criticism a little better.
JohnZ
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by emtnurse on September 18, 2005
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I have always used aspen bedding for all of my reptiles except for gaboon vipers. Aspen is my bedding of choice, and NEVER had a problem using it. Bryan
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by roadkruzer on September 19, 2005
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Very well put John. Yes, cypress mulch does have to be cleaned frequently. I would also be interested to learn more about the gravel and marble chips you use. I am always open to new and better ideas. Especially if it makes my life easier.
Jason
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RE: Winder blocked pit
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by arachdude7 on September 19, 2005
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Well, maybe I should explain why I chose this Ground walnut shell substrate (ESU desert blend).... my western hognose loves to dig, and after trying sand (may block the nostrils), and gravel (concern about ingestion)and aspen (concern about ingestion), I decided to try the walnut shells because they were small enough to pass through without the concern for blocking up my babies. I have used it for more than a year and this is the first time I have encountered a problem with it. It is attractive and easy to clean, and my desert herps seem to like it. I will continue to use it for my desert herps but not my desert pitvipers because of the pit-clogging problem. I have had no problems using it with my hognose nor horned viper. I agree with the the cypress causing mold to grow in humid environments. I have to change the substrate frequently (once every 10-14 days) in my rhino vipers cage do to mold, but cypress... is still the best things that I have found as a substrate as I prefer to use a more naturalistic set up.
Anybody out there found an attractive/safe substrate for desert type herps?
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