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Cotton Mouth Substrate.
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by JohnDoe on August 23, 2007
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Ok, I know theres alot of cottonmouth info on here already but i havnt seen this one yet. OK, i have a 3ft cottonmouth and a 2 1/2 foot gaboon viper. I used that Eco Earth substrate that comes in a brick and expands in a water which i though might be a good substrate seeing how they are from swamps and jungles. Anyhow, when i feed them a mouse they end up swollowing a bunch of it and getting it stuck in their mouth. To get to the point... I was wondering if anyone had any other sugestions as to what to use as a substrate other than Eco earth, Aspen shavings, and newspaper. I heard of people using some kind of kitty litter that looked like little soft balls, though i figured kitty litter had some sort of chemicals in it to get rid of oders. Well anyway, if anyone has kept the snakes before on other stuff or if its not a big deal for the snake to swallow some...have in its mouth...any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks very much.
Kyle
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RE: Cotton Mouth Substrate.
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by LarryDFishel on August 23, 2007
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I use brown paper (builder's paper) that comes in a big roll from the local hardware store. It looks a lot better than newspaper and doesn't end up being swallowed.
If you want to use natural substrate, I would suggest getting a separate container to feed in. Usually, swallowing a few pieces is not a problem, but I don't like to take the chance...
http://madprogrammer.com/snakes/handling/
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RE: Cotton Mouth Substrate.
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by Chris_Harper on August 23, 2007
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Anytime you use wood shavings of any "acceptable" kind, there is the risk that the snake will ingest it. Typical substrates used in this community are cypress mulch, aspen, a mix of aspen and cypress, newspaper, and sometimes even peat moss.
One alternative is the pull them out and feed them in a seperate rubbermaid container with a clean bottom. It depends on your setup, how convenient that would be, the temperament of the snake and how tolerant they are of being handled, the size of the snake, and whether or not they prefer live prey or pre-killed. On occasion, I have used this technique before. I used to have a snake that constantly wanted to backward drag the prey item around the cage while it ate. This resulted in the prey item becoming covered with mulch, aka "splinters".
CH
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RE: Cotton Mouth Substrate.
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by bigjon122584 on August 24, 2007
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I prefer paper towels because they soak up liquids better than newspaper however I am not concerned with appearance. I have a friend that uses dry beans. It seems to work really well for him they look good and you can get them in any color. Because they are dry they soak up liquids well and because there are no sharp edges if the snake does swallow them they will just pass them. They are also relatively inexpensive.
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RE: Cotton Mouth Substrate.
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by GREGLONGHURST on August 24, 2007
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The dry beans remind me of a substrate I saw used for young gopher, red-foot & yellow-foot tortoises years ago.
Rabbit food! It absorbed moisture, looked decent, & was completely edible.
Not sure how it would work for snakes, but it would certainly be different.
~~Greg~~
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RE: Cotton Mouth Substrate.
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by Cro on August 24, 2007
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Kyle, you stated "I used that Eco Earth substrate that comes in a brick and expands in a water which i though might be a good substrate seeing how they are from swamps and jungles."
This makes me think that you are using the Eco Earth Substrate somewhat wet. Do you use the material right after it has absorbed the water, or do you dry it out before you use it ? A wet substrate is bad for snakes, as this encourages mold and fungus. This can cause conditions like belly rot. Just because a snake like a Cottonmouth is often found near, or in water, does not mean that it will stay healthy on a always damp substrate.
Eco Earth is compressed Coconut fiber, and is good for some animals that do require a substrate that holds moisture like dart frogs, and other amphibians. However, it would be a poor choice for snakes unless you dry it out again after it has expanded and loosened up to a usable consistancy.
Hope this helps.
Best Regards JohnZ
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RE: Cotton Mouth Substrate.
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by JohnDoe on August 24, 2007
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Well thanks everyone for the sugestions you gave me. I kinda like the bean idea. And yes when i use the eco earth stuff i let it completely dry out first in the sun or dry it out in the oven before i use it for my snakes. Thanks again.
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