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Reptile carpet?

D

DumzyDaFish

Uhhhm, Pineapples.
Is reptile carpet ok to use for corns? Aspen is hard to clean, gets into the water bowl, sticks to clothes, etc... Just gets annoying sometimes, i always thought that reptile carpet would be fine, but other people think otherwise. Anyways, would reptile carpet be a bad idea? If so, what are some other options?
 
It's okay, but it has drawbacks. You need two sets, so you can wash and dry one. You can't get it clean by spot cleaning. I used to use it when I had like two snakes...I'd take out one, machine wash it, then set it in the sun to dry and kill bacteria.

Snakes can mostly still burrow under it, making them hard to remove from the viv.

When I used it, I would also use large dry leaves for cover. The snake pretty much has to be out, or under. It can't tunnel around and peek out, as it can with aspen.

Sani chips are another option.

I wouldn't try CareFresh except for a tiny hatchling, for a limited time.
 
Sani-chip sometimes gets everywhere, but it's a lot easier to clean up than shredded aspen since the little chips don't quite cling to fibrous surfaces the way shredded splinters do. I just keep a mini hand vac nearby and use tall water bowls to avoid too much substrate getting in it.
 
If you are looking for an aspen substitute - I use papertowels, and it works out very well. I do 6-7 layers and put a loose sheet over for my snake to "burrow" under. I can cut out a section and replace that to do a version of "spot cleaning."

I've used repti carpet before under other types of substrates, and it was okay, but it was challenging to clean. So much so that I often just replaced it with a new sheet (of course this was infrequent since mine wasn't getting spoiled as it was under other substrate).
 
Yea.. Thanks guys, i think ill just stick with aspen. I would like to get sani chips, but noone around me sells em. Maybe ill order some on amazon or something.
 
I tried using it, but I found it a pain to have to keep cleaning because you can't spot clean it. Always taking it out and replacing whilst the dirty bits were washed and dried. Plus if you have a lot of decorations in the viv, you have to move them around every time you take it out and replace.
 
I currently use it and have been for over a year now, and I've not experienced Any of the Drawbacks mentioned by the above comments. It's easy to clean, I've been using the same 2 pieces for over a year, no need to keep buying aspen anymore. You will need 2 pieces of it cut to fit your cage.
 
I lay the piece in the bathtub and cover with warm water and a little bleach. Let it soak for about 10 minutes and then gently scrub it with a scrub brush. Then rinse it off and hang from a coat hanger outside and let it drip dry. They generally drip dry in about half a day or less if it's warm out.
 
I have been using reptile carpet for my corn snake instead of Aspen. I found the latter to be messy and frankly I was concerned about the potential for food impaction. My corn has plenty of places to hide and stay warm. The look of the tank is so much nicer with out the shavings getting everywhere. Im curious if there is any genuine consensus about carpet vs aspen substrate. Or is it simply individual preference?
 
most folks use Aspen, because that's what all the chain stores use, and what people "Push" on everyone else.

I have yet to find a wild snake hiding under a field of shredded aspen anywhere, but I suppose it's possible.

I used old newspapers for 20 years before Aspen was even available, and it was fine too.

The truth is, you can use almost anything, the snake does not care. "But he looks so cute Burrowing in Aspen...." is not really a reason to use it.

Aspen is fine. But so are paper towels, newspapers, reptile carpet, and I can recall some folks even using "AstroTurf." Remember that stuff? It was also popular about 40 years ago.
 
You probably won't find reptile carpet in the wild either. Since these are not wild but domesticated serpents, as Karl mentioned, just about anything should work.

I use the reptile carpet on the warm side, covered by aspen. The shavings get all over the carpet and it very difficult to clean. My cool side is just aspen.

Personally, I like the way it looks in the tank and I prefer a good looking tank.
 
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