So I started out with repticarpet in my tanks, loved it. loved it loved it. But then I got racks with tubs and repticarpet was only not the right size but too expensive to get for every tub and cut to size. So I went with aspen bedding and hate it. For those of you who have previously asked questions about what substrate to use, here is my 2 cents (from personal experience):

Newspaper (and cheap papertowels):
PROS-cheap!, easy to clean up, looks clean and pleasing to the eye.
CONS-doesn't stay put in the tubs, slides around with the snake, not very absorbant.

Paper Towels (the GOOD kind!):
PROS-super absorbant, super easy to clean up, very pleasing to the eye.
CONS-doesn't stay put in the tubs, slides around with the snake, expensive!

Aspen bedding:
PROS-easy to spot clean waste, looks nice and pleasing to the eye, inexpensive.
CONS-gets all over the room regardless of how careful you are, doesn't hold humidity very well, most larger snakes push the bedding off to the sides and lay on the bare tub.

But here's the REAL reason I don't like aspen anymore....I just got a snake that had mites....and I freaked out and kept reading how eggs can live in the wood shavings for months and then 2 other of my snakes (also in quarantine) got the mites (I am assuming from the other one) and I just totally freaked out and I don't know if the mites came FROM the bedding (because I never had mites prior and I've had these snakes for a few weeks with no issues) or what but I am just over it. So now I am battling mites, and heaven knows where they came from or where the eggs are. I couldn't see the mites in the shavings, and I was afraid it was all contaminated. So all the aspen has been thrown out.

SO.....everyone now is either on paper towels or unprinted newspaper. The questions I have for all of you who use papertowels and/or newspaper is, what is the trick to get it to STAY PUT??

I came home today and a couple of my snakes have the paper all pushed to one side. It also doesn't seem very absorbant (in comparison to paper towels) so I'm afraid when they pee it will be everywhere, and all over the snakes. I really don't want to have to clean tubs AND bathe snakes every single time they go.

Any advise? I went out to our local newspaper and got a roll of the left over unprinted, cut it to size for the tubs. Do you maybe use multiple sheets of it??

I appreciate the advise. I am starting to greatly miss my repticarpet and if they made it large enough to fit my tubs I would probably just splurge and buy a bunch. Or else I may have to go with expensive paper towels, although for the larger breeder females I don't think the paper towels will stay put either. Help! I want to make it work!