Carpet For Substrate?

[Zoe]

Okay, I've been looking all over for astro-turf, and I can't find anything that's affordable... sooo I was wondering if carpet is okay to use? Or will it chaffe the snakes' stomachs?

Thanks
Zoe

[snakedude_03]

not a bad idea.. but wont it be hard to clean? i dunno..

[Jeff_Favelle]

Depends on the snake species. They are all different, and thus have different min. requirements that need to be met.

[Tom P]

I use indoor/outdoor carpet for all my snakes,( ball pythons, kings, corns) and they seem to do alright. It is cheap to buy it in bulk form Home Depot. I have been using it for about a year now. And if the peice is small enough you can just throw it in the washing machine to clean it, or just buy new stuff, that is what i do.

Tom P

[sSNAKESs.com]

Paper towel is THE BEST substrate.. its cheap, you toss it out when its soiled and it absorbs like crazy. Carpet is a huge pain, you have to clean it when its been soiled and replace it and looks no bettert hen paper towel. I use 4 layers of paper towell in all my cages and i would NEVER switch back.

[sSNAKESs.com]

plus the snakes will burrow under it and between layers making them feel secure

[Zoe]

Yeah, I use paper towel right now too, but I find it a pain. It gets wet and wet paper towel stinks, and it gets ripped up and stuff. I think carpet'd be easier because you just have 2 pieces per tank and just chuck one in the washing machine when it gets dirty. My snakes don't burrow under the paper towel right now... they just use their hides.
I just wanted to know if towel will hurt them?

[sara]

Hi.
You could try the brown paper bag stuff that some restaurants use as table table cloths, it comes in big rolls and you can just cut it to match the enclosure's floor measurements. It's an excellent substrate but some brands aren't very absorbent so test it before you buy it.

(The black knight is finally coming so i'll e-mail you when it gets here)

sara

[Zoe]

Woohoo, i'm finally gunna be able to get rid of these darn mites!

Thanks!
Zoe

[jason h]

well i use indoor outdoor in my small tanks and find it works ok, i too got it at home depot,but i think regular carpet would hold smells too much and mold when its wet,imo.

[Linds]

I agree with Jason. Indoor carpeting wasn't designed to withstand soiling or humidity, and it doesn't wash up very easily either. It would be very hard - if not impossible - to disinfect, and would get messed up very quickly. Regular bath towels could be an alternative for you to think of. Many people use them for their larger animals with great success, you can just toss it in the washer when its dirty and voila! I'm like Jeff, I swear by papertowels. I use them for most of my snakes, with environments ranging from arid to humid. I soak them completely for my brb's and I have never had a problem with the papertowels being torn (my largest brb is 4', not a wee lil thing). I like Scott towels because they are so thick (if you have a Costco/Price Club nearby they sell them at a smokin $14 I believe for a 12-roll pack!)...

indoor/outdoor and use anti-bacterial dish soap with a stiff brush and have no problems