Puff adder substrate

[Darius Basson]

Hi

Can you use normal sand as a substrate for puff adders?

[Graeme]

No, it absorbs urate and becomes very dirty, very quickly. The snakes end up ingesting this contaminated but seemingly clean substrate due to their bucket mouths during feeding, and you end up with problems later. Newspaper is the healthiest option.

[bradmiller]

Graeme - what about a bio-active substrate?
Darius what is the reason you wanting to use normal sand?

[RJG]

News paper is the cleanest, cheapest and most practical but it looks unnatural and it makes moving around a little difficult for the snakes because there is no friction. I personally use eucalyptus mulch and feed them in tubs just in case of accidental ingestion. It works well for me and the snakes and it looks better than newspaper. There are also people who hate the idea of E-mulch and those who love it ,so it is up to you. E-mulch is also not very expensive.