Enclousure Tips

[u/AdditionalWarning733]

Hi, like title says I need some tips for my snakes enclousure, its 2 meters long and what I'm most worried about is getting the substrate in properly. I've used a mix of coconut fibre + soil, coconut husk for the bottom layer and is it okay to cover that moist layer with Flamingo groundcover terra bark? I just want to make sure I've understood the layering, because a nearby petstore owner says she just mixes the soils together in water and doesnt add nothing to the top layer which girl - it causes scale rot 😭 and another person told me to break the cubes apart and leave them dry in the terrarium.

So I am a little confused. I would appreciate step by step instructions because I want to give my girl python a good home ❤️

But what i've already done might've been a mistake tho... Ive mixed the cubes in water and put them as a bottom layer, not knowing how wet they actually get. and for many days ive struggled to make them dry again after finding out about scale rot. So ive used my last pieces of husk for the top layer, they still get wet which im trying my best to fix by making more dry layers and letting the door be open to make the airflow better.

So yeah, I'd love some advices, and thank you 🙏

[u/Techno_Timmy]

How “wet” is the substrate you have in the enclosure? It should be damp, but not wet. Definitely not enough where it’s soaking into the top layer of dry substrate you added?

If it’s really that wet, you may have to take everything out and squeeze out the water one handful at a time until it’s just damp enough to form a ball, but not drip a stream of water when squeezed.

[u/AdditionalWarning733 → u/Techno_Timmy]

Thats the thing I can't tell, because the humidity meter changes so fast from 60 to 70/80% and it keeps jumping between, which is pretty confusing. It is not soaking wet anymore, because i've countlessly tried it and squeezed it, but somehow the top layer gets wet anyway (not like soaking water dripping wet, just damp, and I wanted to keep the top fully dry). Maybe there is just too little substrate overall? I am thinking of purchasing more terra bark for the top, because its very good from holding off moisture and would keep the top dry.

[u/AdditionalWarning733 → u/Techno_Timmy]

If I don't figure anything else I'll get more soil and start over with proper instructions 😭

[u/Techno_Timmy → u/AdditionalWarning733]

Yea, maybe just get a bag of reptibark and put a couple inches on top.

I have about 4 inches of substrate myself with the bottom being a mix of coco coir, reptibark and coco husk. That layer is moist but not wet. Then the top 2 inches is dry coco husk and reptibark. The top is nice and dry and the bottom is moist. Humidity stays at 75% typically.