Wood, paper and straw substrates are a popular choice for a disposable substrate and provide great insulation for your pet.
Reptile substrates can be made from sand, clay, wood, corn cob, straw, paper, and many other products. Determining the right substrate for your pet reptile is difficult if you are new to having a pet reptile. To help you find the right substrate we are going to be discussing wood, paper, and straw substrates.
Most wood substrate will be aspen, pine, or cedar. These three woods work differently for different animals. For example cedar chips are much larger. They tend to be less soft, and may not stop the smells a reptile terrarium can have. Cedar is not great for odour control, but for some reptiles that are used to large wooded forests the cedar can be a lot like their natural habitat. In this situation you will want to change out the cedar wood chips at least once a week. You can also add a bit more into the cage throughout the week to help tamp down the smells that can waft out. The wood chips for any of the substrates are easy to move around.
The Pine wood reptile substrates are best for burrowing animals. Reptiles that like to burrow but may not like sand can find a home in the pine bedding. Typically the pine bedding is going to be a mixture of fir, spruce, and pine to help cut down on the smells. All the wood substrates are natural, dust free, and biodegradable. The creation of the pine substrate allows for a natural habitat. Still, one must freshen the cages every week and change the bedding out once a month when you have reptiles. Some reptiles may require more frequent changes.
Aspen bedding is a lot like the pine bedding. It can make your pet reptile more comfortable. Straw substrates can be made from grasses or wood. These substrates are not the small pieces of wood you normally see, but long pieces of straw. They make for a comfortable bed for your pet reptile. Some animals can even build little nests or “beds” for themselves with the straw substrates. It is easy to move, can be wetted down for creating the right flooring by the animal, and holds off the smell. Like the wood substrates changing about once a month works well.
The last type of substrate is the paper bedding. Paper bedding or substrate is often made from recycled newspapers or other paper products. The material is extremely soft. It can be moved around the cage, burrowed in, and relatively sanitary. Paper products do not last as long as any other substrate. It naturally biodegrades which means when it gets a little wet it can mould or just be destroyed. Paper substrates are only good for desert animals with low humidity. You would not want to use paper substrates with rainmakers or misters. This would definitely shorten the life of your substrate. Turtles are best to give paper substrate to, as well as some snakes. Ask a professional for the best substrate for your pet reptile to make sure before you purchase anything.
