BLUE TONGUE SKINKS

Is shredded or shaved aspen better? What's the difference, and which one should I use? I think the pet store close to me only sells this kind (hopefully there is a picture below. i'm not sure if i'm doing it right.) Does any one know if the Zoo med aspen snake bedding is shaved or shredded? Thanks!

I hear shaved is better, eaiser for spot cleaning and better for the blueys , less likely to ingest it. And I believe that is the shredded stuff, they have that in the big box pet store near me as well.

Just what I've heard, i do not know from experience.

Jeremy

Shredded looks like tiny slivers, shaved looks like square flakes. Slivers are pointy, and tend to get jammed into the crevaces of the skink (mouth, between scales, vent). I used shredded once, I really disliked it, so I stick with shaved. Don't use reptile-specific aspen, look in the small animal section. There should be big bags of aspen (avoid pine or unlabeled bags) for fairly cheap prices.

Fatal_S wrote:Shredded looks like tiny slivers, shaved looks like square flakes. Slivers are pointy, and tend to get jammed into the crevaces of the skink (mouth, between scales, vent). I used shredded once, I really disliked it, so I stick with shaved. Don't use reptile-specific aspen, look in the small animal section. There should be big bags of aspen (avoid pine or unlabeled bags) for fairly cheap prices.

Thank you so much! I would never have thought to look in the small animal section. I'll make sure to get the shaved aspen when I buy the substrate.

OK so they don't sell shaved aspen in the store closest to me ( as far as I know) but I looked it up, and there is a different pet store within a decent distance that sells shaved aspen. SUCCESS!

So the shaved aspen used for small critters is safe for a BTS?

I use the critter aspen, you get a lot more for a fraction of the cost.

Yeah, don't use that stuff you have posted a pic of. I used that for a corn snake and I couldn't feed it. The thawed mice would become aspen balls. Definitely use the larger shaved pieces.

Anyone have experience with the Kaytee Aspen Shavings? http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002DK8Q6/ref ... B008OVTNU0

The reviews seem to point to bigger pieces and not as "soft" as the finer shavings.