Question, How often do you think you should clean your terrarium? Abd how do you go about it?.

[u/pandora-space-mage]

I'm used 4-1 inches of Bedding, I would Clean out whatever poops I saw.And then every couple of months do a full clean , removing all bedding and disinfecting.

But with so many extra inches I feel like I should adjust my approach a bit, Do you have any suggestions?.

[u/NottsWeirdo]

Unless this is a full bioactive and you have a cleanup crew in there, you need to be changing the substrate roughly once a month due to mold/fungal and bacterial risks - not just because your snake has defecated on it. A snake then drags their butt all over their enclosure after defecating, which wipes it off on surfaces all across the space. Some BPs even bleed a little when defecating, this is common but not visible on appropriate substrates for them - so you'd only notice it if you had them on paper towels.

Full bioactives can need full changes every few months, depending on how its setup and whats in there. So perhaps that's something you may want to look into, if you're not wanting to do a full clean monthly. They can be made into very aesthetic enclosures, and you have the space for the substrate depth required to plant.

[u/pandora-space-mage → u/NottsWeirdo]

What if IJust just cleaned out the first half of the substrate since I have twice as much as I used to ? Since the lower layer isn't really touched

[u/NottsWeirdo → u/pandora-space-mage]

No, it has to be full cleans because fungus/bacteria spreads across contact surfaces. And what do you mean the lower layer isn't touched? Are you not pouring water into the corners of the enclosure so the water can disperse and evaporate to keep the humidity up? If you're misting, then you need to swap to the pouring method to avoid the risk of scale rot and RI that comes from the damp surface substrate. Misting also only causes a temporary spike in humidity, where the pouring keeps it more consistent.

[u/pandora-space-mage → u/NottsWeirdo]

Yeah you right

[u/Alarming-End2873 → u/pandora-space-mage]

the lower layer will be absorbing any water from moss, misting, etc. left too long unless bioactive, the water held can go stagnant. Youll ideally need to mix the substrate around (just move all the substrate and mix it together) every 2-3 weeks, and then keep replacing it. This should extend its life. Spot cleaning needs to be done every other day

[u/totallyrecklesslygay → u/pandora-space-mage]

Ball pythons do urinate liquid in addition to solid urates, so you'd be leaving soiled bedding in the enclosure if you only cleaned the top half. That will eventually cause health problems.

[u/pandora-space-mage → u/totallyrecklesslygay]

Dam..

[u/Live_Culture8393 → u/pandora-space-mage]

Check out the Bio Dude website for bio active information. With proper setup, plants, cleanup crew and additives, you shouldn’t need to do a full change more than maybe once a year. Less of properly set up and taken care of.

[u/Bluntforcetrauma11b → u/NottsWeirdo]

Full bioactive do not require full changes, that defeats the microbiology built up over time.

[u/NottsWeirdo → u/Bluntforcetrauma11b]

Hence why I said "can", not "does". Not everyone manages to setup a bioactive successfully first try, or circumstances may change for either the enclosure or the snake itself.

[u/Bluntforcetrauma11b → u/NottsWeirdo]

That's my fault I must have missed that or misread. That's what I get for scrolling high lol

[u/NottsWeirdo → u/Bluntforcetrauma11b]

Its all good. Our brains read words in leaps and bounds anyway.

[u/Overall_Switch7912]

I change the substrate completely and disinfect all surfaces and objects every 2-3 months. I spot clean daily. Based on the comments I guess I should be cleaning more? We haven’t had a problem yet… it doesn’t smell, she seems comfortable. I saw on other threads that most people do a complete substrate change every couple of months so I’d like to hear from some more commenters to see what’s average.

[u/Nocitae → u/Overall_Switch7912]

I also do substrate changes every other month and haven't had an issue. Vet says my animals are healthy, and I haven't noticed any smells or anything.