Astroturf vs. repti-carpet

So I'm getting tired of having to pick substrate off the sticky feet of rats as my girl is feeding. I'm thinking of going with the outdoor carpeting for the floor of the tank and I'd like your opinions on what works best.

I've heard that you can pick up astroturf type stuff at the hardware stores. I checked, it's pretty cheap and you get a ton of it. I've also seen "repti-carpet" at the pet store, it's not so cheap and you don't get very much of it.

I notice a big difference in the textures of the carpeting. Which do you think is better? Will the stuff from Home Depot harm my snake? Is the repti-carpet really worth the extra money?

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Originally Posted by TheNunciate

So I'm getting tired of having to pick substrate off the sticky feet of rats as my girl is feeding. I'm thinking of going with the outdoor carpeting for the floor of the tank and I'd like your opinions on what works best.

I've heard that you can pick up astroturf type stuff at the hardware stores. I checked, it's pretty cheap and you get a ton of it. I've also seen "repti-carpet" at the pet store, it's not so cheap and you don't get very much of it.

I notice a big difference in the textures of the carpeting. Which do you think is better? Will the stuff from Home Depot harm my snake? Is the repti-carpet really worth the extra money?

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Well im not sure about repti-carpet, but i know that astro turf can become a mess.. My granparents used to have it in their backyard and the little green plastic pieces used to rip or fall off, and get everywhere.. If that happened in your reptiles enclosure i dnt think it would be good for her to ingest..

That was something I was also concerned about. I think that would only happen with heavy foot traffic. The snake doesn't really put a lot of wear and tear on the flooring. I think it would only be a problem at the edges and I have a few ideas about how to keep that under control.

I'm more concerned about the composition of the astroturf being toxic as opposed to the repticarpet being specially crafted for reptiles.

To tell you the truth, neither.
I harbors bacteria and the nails can get stuck in the little loops of string and cut off circulation.
Your best bet is sticking with aspen, news paper, paper towels, or something along those lines.

Well, snakes don't have claws, so I'm not so concerned about that.

As far as bacteria goes, it would get washed and changed out frequently. Hence the need for multiple pieces.

I'm going to switch from the bark (tried the aspen before, it sucked). She just keeps getting it stuck to her food. She always tries to take it butt first and gets the hind end all mucky and then drags it around and messes it all up. I just am not sure what I want to switch to.

if i were you i would go with the repticarpet, i know it costs more but its also machine washable where the astro turf isn't. makes clean up that much easier.

Thank you, that's what I was looking for.

The astroturf was less expensive but it also seems so, well, cheap. There are other types of outdoor carpeting that are less shaggy, more in line with the repticarpet. But I think I'll probably just go for the pricey stuff.

Honestly, I would say neither as well. Repticarpet, no matter how much you clean it, will still stink. Many people find that after a month or two, even with cleaning the carpet, the snakes cage still smells foul.

I would not use repticarpet. Use something that is cheap and that you can throw away when it is soiled. Paper towels I think are the best option for you given your dislike for aspen.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Honestly, I would say neither as well. Repticarpet, no matter how much you clean it, will still stink. Many people find that after a month or two, even with cleaning the carpet, the snakes cage still smells foul.

I would not use repticarpet. Use something that is cheap and that you can throw away when it is soiled. Paper towels I think are the best option for you given your dislike for aspen.

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A stinky cage is the last thing I want to deal with. Ewww.....

Thanks for your input folks. I'm going to have to think about this a bit more I guess.