Substrate/bedding?

[Kendall_fraser]

What does everyone use for substrate?
Where do you buy it? (very limited supply stores here, looking for good places online)

I thought I had this solved but then Yoshi decided it was a good idea to eat his Aspen shavings, it's only tiny ones, once in a while. Assuming this isn't healthy for him, I have to switch it as soon as I can.

[Bird_Brain]

Where are you located?

[Kendall_fraser]

Sorry I guess that information might help.
Nova Scotia...or East Coast of Canada.

[MissMaaM]

I used aspen for the first year and a half of my Indo's life. But then after issues arose with his shedding, I eventually found that I needed a more humidity friendly substrate. I'm currently using a mis between nature's bedding and coco husk. However, I can tell he's getting some coco husk in his mouth, so I might be switching it up again next change.

[WanderingChai]

I just use good ol' shaved aspen from PetsMart.

[Kendall_fraser]

Yeah it's not that he is getting a few peices when he eats. This is him deciding it looks like food and eating it on it's own.

The only bedding I can find in local stores is zoo med's jungle floor which is made from chipped fir tree bark. I feel like I read never to use fir tree anything. Is this true? or would this stuff be safe?

[James Wilson]

There are many different opinions on the subject of substrate. I have personally tried many of them myself, and I have found that artificial-turf has proven to be the most effective substrate for me.

[xxmonitorlizardxx]

cypress mulch

[Spindown]

i use aspen but i do want to change, although not because they are eating it. thats strange. I just hate it getting stuck in eyelids and mouths x-x

[James Wilson]

i use aspen but i do want to change, although not because they are eating it. thats strange. I just hate it getting stuck in eyelids and mouths x-x

As I mentioned I am a user of astro turf, but I used to occasionally use aspen bedding years ago. I used the kind that was more sliver like rather than wood shaving like. It was nice, but I whittnessed a couple cases of long sharp pieces getting in skinks nostrils, and I had a buddy that had a really nasty case where it worked its way into one of his skinks eyes. As a result of these things, I stopped using it, and went back to my artificial turf.

However, I recently decided to give aspen another try (this time in the form of aspen shavings) in a special circumstances situation, with my gravid female so she could have some “nesting" materials, and so that the babies could have a place to hide if they were born when I was not home. It turned out I was home, so no worries there. That being said, the mother ended up eating lots of the shavings. I did not notice until I removed the shavings when I was switching her back to her regular turf. While digging through all of the shavings I noticed her feces had aspen shavings inbedded in them. A couple days ago she made a really big poop that was filled with large pieces of aspen. Today she made another nice poop after a nice treat of jackfruit, and there are still some aspen shavings in there (see photo). I will never use Aspen shavings or bedding with bts again. as far as I am concerned, it is snake bedding, and I have donated my large sack of aspen to a local reptile rescue so they can use it with their snakes.