Whats the deal with Aspen ?

[Brandon.O]

Alright folks.......give me your opinions, how many of you guys feed on aspen, do you think its safe ?

I know breeders who have thousands of snakes sometimes keep them on aspen and since it would take around 10 years to take every snake out individually to feed on newspaper they probabaly feed on it as well......Lately ive been laying down newspaper over the aspen and then feeding but recently i was almost bitten beacuse the snakes are catching on.....i really think they know that when i pick them up and set them on top of the paper that its time for feeding.......i really just wanna open up the tubs and throw the rat in......most people say its safe to feed on aspen, im a little paranoid,

what do you guys think ??? Has anything ever gone wrong for you ??

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[tbowman]

I dont think to many people around here prefer it, I dont use aspen, There are alot of people that do and a lot that don't. Although If I used aspen I would not feed on it.

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[Ranger]

I feed on aspen without incident. I use the bigger chips, not the shredded, so it's harder to ingest a piece. I also feed dry rats so there's less sticking.

Who makes sure the Boas in the wild are fed in smooth, sterile environments? We shouldn't take foolish risks with our animals, but these critters have been around for a long time without the kind of mothering we want to put on them.

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[tbowman]

I didn't even know there was bigger chips lol I have only seen the shredded kind.

I also feed dry rats.

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[-KB-]

I keep Kobi on aspen, but I don't feed her on it. I drape a big blanket in a clothes basket and feed her in there. Spoiled brat, its my good chennelle (sp) blanket too. Only the best for my baby

I am sure its OK to do, but its not a risk that I am willing to take.

[tbowman]

I use paper towels as substrate

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[Smits]

I used shredded aspen and there hasn't been any problems with feeding

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[Rust316]

Originally Posted by ssjsmits

I used shredded aspen and there hasn't been any problems with feeding

Same here!

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[WVW]

i use douglas fur bark for substrate and wouldnt feed on it cause it could be easily ingested, so I feed her in a seperate tank with just newspaper. also by placing her in that other tank, she has learned that when she goes in there, ins clobberin time. but thats the only time, so just opening her tank to take her out she's perfectly tame. I was talking to a girl that breeds bp morphs, and she gets bit so much cause she only really opens the tanks to feed, so when that lid pops, BOOM! they gotcha, cause they assume its a rat comin.

	Morph A morph is a color or pattern variation that is proven to be genetic. Common morphs include albino, anerythristic, gentically striped, Hypomelanistic, and many others. Morphs also include combinations of simple traits such as "Sunglow" which is Albino and Hypomelanistic. These traits may be recessive traits, co-dominant traits, dominant traits, or created through selective breeding (ie Pastel).

[TheBoaGuy]

I feed my boas on aspen with out a problem. Think about it for a second if they can digest solid rat bone. A couple pieces of aspen are no big thing. However my python i keep and feed on newspaper because he gets the aspen stuck in his mouth all the time forcing me to remove it.

[munge]

lately, i've been using a type of rainforest bedding that looks like what you'd find out in a tropical forest but is various crushed up things, dirt, etc. a bit of dirt doesn't hurt and actually may help, so i always feed directly on it with as dry a rodent as i can provide.

i've had a few hundred animals and never had a problem with impaction.

it's like being struck by lightening...it happens and isn't really RARE, but it all comes down to common sense, no real need to be EXTREMELY SAFE, just halfway smart.

a lot of folks use aspen around here but i've never been a fan of it because of the price

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[Tux]

The bigger guys I feed on aspen the BPs are on aspen as well but as soon as i dangle a mouse infront of them they take it and not once have I seen them ingest any of the substrate. People need to experiment for themselves instead of taking other peoples word that it is such a risk, each snake is different. If you notice a problem then find a solution otherwise feed like normal.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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[Hartsock]

I had been feeding in a seperate tub to avoid ingestation, however, when you start to get so many snakes and a bunch who decide they like to constrict for about an hour before they will start to eat, that makes feeding day a whole day thing. so about a month ago, I started to feed a couple in the cage and so far, haven't had a problem. Only thing is to make sure the mouse/rat is dry so aspen doesn't stick to it. Also, I have some on shredded and some on larger chips, once I use up all the shredded, I will be sticking with the large. And great thing with that is I can pick up a huge bale of it from the tractor supply store for about 9 bucks that will give me plenty to use and last a long time. I do treat it with Repel though before putting in cages in order to prevent and kill any mites, but since I started doing that I haven't had a mite problem where when I was using papertowels, I could win against the mites!

	Mites Mites, close relatives of fleas and ticks

[Whammytap]

I use aspen and feed in a separate container. The reason for this is less because I'm afraid of Steven eating some bedding and more to keep feeding aggression down. I lower him into a tub that already contains a pre-killed rat. That way, he doesn't come to expect food when I open his cage and take him out, just when I put him in the feeding tub.

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[KyleZ]

I use cypress mulch, and just because I'm paranoid about my snake's health, I put down a posterboard like 'card' and lay out the rat on that. I have read though, that impactions are much more likely to be caused by dehydration and improper temps than ingesting a non-toxic piece of substrate.

However, I still do whatever I can to ensure she swallows only rat...As for cage aggression, I've never had any issues with that with any of my snakes, provided they are accustomed to me reaching into the cage frequently for handling, water change, etc. My snake has an evil feeding response also, and seems to know exactly when a rat is on the way, even if it's double bagged in plastic, and is ready for action. All other times though, she's nice and calm.

$0.02

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[Eric H]

I always feed in the cage, not a firm believer in the whole aggressiveness from feeding in the cage theory. I keep my boa on Eco Earth, and it should'nt be too dangerous for impaction. My BP is kept on astro turf though.

	Ball Python The Ball Python (Python regius), also known as the Royal Python, is a ground dwelling snake native to the savannahs and rain forests in western Africa, predominatly the countries of Ghana, Togo, and Benin.

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[LooseAFur]

Originally Posted by Kobi Baby

I keep Kobi on aspen, but I don't feed her on it. I drape a big blanket in a clothes basket and feed her in there. Spoiled brat, its my good chennelle (sp) blanket too. Only the best for my baby

I am sure its OK to do, but its not a risk that I am willing to take.

what a lucky snake....to get wrapped up in your blanket must be nice

[LooseAFur]

Okay back to the subjest...i use Douglas Fir Bark for substrate, i take my Guyana out to feed her but in my experience which has now amounts to 8 years with a 2.5 year hyadus for the Marines without snakes, i have never had an injestion with Douglas Fir bark. I have never used aspen mostly because it doesnt look natural and isnt very close to what they have in the wild.

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