The first thing to consider when deciding what to put into your ball’s enclosure is what type of substrate to use. Substrate is what you use to cover the bottom of the cage. The easiest and most readily available substrate is newspaper. Newspaper without print can usually be purchased from your local newspaper at a very inexpensive price. Newspaper ink poses no threat to your ball python but some find it more aesthetically pleasing without print. If appearance is what your after then there are a number of suitable alternatives to newspaper. The first such alternative is wood chips. AVOID CEDAR WOOD CHIPS AT ALL COSTS! Cedar wood chips contain chemicals and fumes, which are highly toxic and can prove fatal to your ball python. It is widely viewed that cedar chips are unsuitable for housing animals of any kind. The jury is still out on whether or not pine chips are harmful. There is no consensus on it’s effects so it is probably best to avoid pine as well since other types of wood chips are readily available. The wood chips should be large and not shredded to avoid having your ball ingest them. Finely shredded chips can also cause respiratory infections in ball pythons. Astroturf is another suitable substrate. It is a good idea to keep at least two pieces available so that a clean piece may be placed in the enclosure while the other is cleaned. Astroturf has been known to retain odors so proper cleaning is essential. Finally, indoor/outdoor carpeting is well suited for a substrate. Like Astroturf, it is a good idea to keep more than one piece available for cleaning purposes. Avoid substrates like sand or gravel which can is extremely rough and can irritate your ball’s tender underbelly.