06/04/2025
Probably the most common question we get about keeping Retics is about the bedding we use. Gonna go ahead a make a quick public post about it to save myself from the weekly pm convos about it.
We have been using Premium Hardwood woodstove fuel pellets from Tractor Supply for the last several years in all of our caging/ racks. The only exception being our couple short tails where we use a more humidity friendly bedding. Keep in mind if you decide to try the pellets that TS sells a animal pellet but they are sourced from Pine wood which can be a issue for certain species. We only use the product labeled "premium hardwood" for woodstove heating.
Issues you'll run into. Humidity... if you live in a low humidity situation these pellets are not for you. The pellets break down on contact with any liquids so you cannot mist the caging down to add humidity. We control our ambient humidities to 65-75% in colder months with a whole room humidifier. In warmer months NC is blessed with really high humidity and we typically get really good sheds without supplemental humidity. Weight. Pellets are really heavy and are a lot of physical activity to move around. We buy several 1000lbs at a time and getting rid of soiled pellets is a task to say the least. Dust. If you let the pellets break down completely and don't spot clean very regularly they get dusty. Feeding. Wet feeders aren't great. Pellets will stick to wet feeders and get swallowed. I thaw feeders to room temp under fans so that they are dry when fed off.
The positives. Pellets break down on contact with any liquid so it's extremely easy to see exactly what bedding is soiled and what bedding isn't. Pretty much all other bedding I've used allows urine to spread unseen past where is noticeable. Inevitably spot cleaning coco / mulches isn't effective and requires a full bedding change to avoid ammonia smells. They are by far the best bedding for small control that I've used. Swallowing. If a few pellets do get into the mouth or are swallowed they break up into easily passable pieces. I've never had a issue from pellets in years of keeping dozens / hundreds of snakes on them.
