My new addition

[Reptile King]

Here she is approximately one month ago. In the picture her substrate is paper towels but now she is on reptile carpet. Should I switch to aspen? Because she was hatched in mid April of 2009 I have not handled her much and have been feeding her inside her enclosure so she can get comfortable in her new environment. Thus far she has eaten well on a weekly basis. Please give me some advice on what needs to change if anything.

[Creeptastic]

I wouldnt use the carpet personally. Seems very tough to clean. I use paper towels..very easy to clean when there is a mess. What else are you using in her tank? Very cute, also!!

[eMonk]

Stick with paper towels dude.

I was also thinking about switching to aspen but nothing but mites appear both here & on google!

[Reptile King]

Under her cave (underneath the enclusure) is the zoo-med under the tank heater. On the right side is a water dish. That particular dish is no longer in the enclosure as I replaced it with a larger one. On top there is a 40 watt household light bulb. Other than that she is in a 10 gallon aquarium.

[Reptile King]

Stick with paper towels dude.

I was also thinking about switching to aspen but nothing but mites appear both here & on google!

I clean her tank once a week and replace the carpet with another piece. I take the carpet and wash it in the washing machine and allow it to air dry. By the following week I use it again. This is not a good idea?

[eMonk]

I clean her tank once a week and replace the carpet with another piece. I take the carpet and wash it in the washing machine and allow it to air dry. By the following week I use it again. This is not a good idea?

I've been reading lots of bad things about carpet as of late. Enough to keep me away from it.

[JimmyBalls]

I use marine carpet in 2 of my BP enclosures and use unprinted newspaper for the others and I like both of them for seperate reasons. I can't see how the marine carpet would be an issue unless it was deteriorating or somehow ingested which by that point I would have replaced it. I prefer the marine carpet to the reptile one because it can be thoroughly cleaned and rinsed off much better, which is probably due to the way it's made with larger spacing between weaving.

[Kesslers Kreatures]

If I might make a few suggestions,

1. If you want a simple and easy way to clean the tank, I would use newspaper, I use it and it is the easiest so far.

2. Get another hide, an identical one. The hides are important in an open tank like that so the snake does not have to chose between the hot an cool sides to stay safe. It can feel safe on either side while regulating its temps.

3.You dont need a household light above if the UTH is doing its job, the light is just going to suck the humidity right out. If you must use a light to maintain temps then thats a different story but its not a must if temps are where they should be.

Just my observations... Great Looking snake!

[DeepSouthSerpents]

Cute baby

I use newspaper because it is virtually free and abundant. I use paper towels if I suspect I have mites because the little black dots show up really well against the white. Using them constantly can get a little expensive though, depending on how often you clean.

I've had some of that carpet briefly and it stunk, there's just certain areas that smell or get stains no matter how many times you wash it.

And yea, having a heat lamp is overkill if you have a UTH. It will drain the humidity and can possibly cause her to have incomplete sheds.

Whatever substrate you use, make sure you pile more over the heated side to prevent burns. And always keep your temperature checked; I find the digital ones with the probes work well. Good luck

[Reptile King]

She is housed in a 10 gallon aquarium. She has a hide and a water bowl. There is not much room for anything else. I suppose I could get an identical hide and a smaller water bowl but then she would have to get outside her tank to change her mind.......okay that was a poor attempt at humor.

If I use aspen or reptile bark would that be safe for her to eat if she accidentally injests some with a mouse?

Going to pet store today.