Reptile carpets...

[nebby3103]

Hello. I've been using a bed-a-beast-type substrate for some time now without any problems. In fact, I love everything about the stuff except that it takes a day and a half before it's ready to put in the enclosure and that it takes an hour to clean/vacuum out the old stuff. So, I've been thinking about switching to one of the carpet-like liners. A couple of examples:

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product...roducts_id=723
http://www.reptilesupply.com/product...oducts_id=1684

I know there are others out there. So, what does everyone think of these things? I'm still too stubborn to use newspaper...

[minotaur]

OOO, I just switched, as in just switched i mean yesterday. So far I love them, they hold humidity like crazy, they transfer heat from the UTH perfectly and they look really clean and neat. I bought two of them and plan to rotate every two weeks to keep the cage looking great. My BP seems to like them too

[minotaur]

Here is a picture of my setup if you want to see the carpet in action:



They seem really easy to keep clean, just wash em in cold water with a little disinfectant. It is also a nice assurance that my BP cannot burrow down to the glass and burn himself.

[8b8ll]

I swore I wouldn't use newspaper either. But I am finally going to for my Short-Tail. I use aspen for my ball and used to use carpet for my beardie. I found it easy to have a few pieces on hand so that you can just switch them out while you clean the one you just took from his cage. Only bad thing is they suck after they come out of the wash. I'd much rather use newspaper.

[rabernet]

I'd be worried about the carpet harboring bacteria and mold, but it does look nice.

I made the switch from aspen to newspaper and haven't looked back. The best thing about newspaper is that when it's clean, it's clean!

[nebby3103]

I'd be worried about the carpet harboring bacteria and mold, but it does look nice.

I thought about that. Mold is the LAST thing I want anywhere near me (or my pets). Anyway have any experience with this? What about you folks who have been using liners for really long time?

I know it's not a huge investment, but I have plenty of time to decide and what's 5 minutes every few days to ask a question... Thanks for the comments so far!

[Sausage]

I've heard about water and filth getting trapped beneath the liners. I use aspen and am about to switch to cypress.

[nebby3103]

Food for thought. Thanks.

One more question: what about cypress mulch? I use a glass tank with a screen top. Would cypress work better to hold humidity vs. the coconut fiber I use now?

[jglass38]

If you are going to use the carpet, get a couple extra ones. That way when it gets fouled, you can throw a new one in there and soak the dirty one in a bleach/water solution to sterilize it.

[4theSNAKElady]

Working in a pet store, I have tried them all.....bed-a-beast,cypress mulch,aspen,carefresh,repti bark, even the cage carpet. But , time and time again, I prefer newspaper.....and you can't beat the price If you just have ONE pet BP, then maybe something a little more aesthetically pleasing than newspaper is preference. But when i switched to a rack, newspaper is and will be my only choice!!! So easy too...