Paper Towels vs. Aspen

[5snakes]

Paper towels, news paper. I use indoor/ outdoor carpet. or this new stuff called reptile carpet. I am very nervous of mites. If you supply a hide or two, I have found that they SEEM to be as happy. Just my thought.

[Tyler_Royality]

IMO Aspen is the way to go, ive used it for years. Paper towels I use on Neos. but once they start eating regularly they get switched to aspen. I wont use multch because the bugs drive me nuts, and ive also had issues with bacteria/fungal infections when ive used sphagnum moss in the past too, so any subtrate that isnt "cured" I dont feel comfortable using.

Aspen, newspaper, paper towels work great tho! I just prefer aspen over them

[WingedWolfPsion]

I'm using newspaper at the moment, because no one local stocks sani-chips.

I use paper towel with hatchlings sometimes.

A WARNING ABOUT PAPER TOWEL:
Because paper towel is relatively soft and flexible, there is an increased risk of ingestion (over newspaper) when the snake is feeding. If the snake manages to get the paper towel wrapped up with its prey, it may wind up with paper towel in its mouth as it's eating the mouse/rat. If this happens, the snake will keep swallowing. I have had to retrieve paper towel from a snake's mouth at least twice--once, a hatchling had the sheet 1/2 down the hatch.

If you use paper towel, always check up on the snakes after handing over food. You don't want them to succeed in swallowing a paper towel, it could easily cause an intestinal blockage.

Paper towel is also extremely absorbent, thus can make cleaning easier. It's pretty sanitary. But you have to be aware. Wood chips also pose some risk, watch those as well.

Newspaper is usually pretty safe, but I wouldn't put it past a determined constrictor to try to swallow that as well, if it happened to get stuck to a rat. Supervise feedings with this in mind, and make sure the snake only swallows its prey.

[JNballs]

hi,
i only use paper for hatchlings, otherwise i hate the look of paper towles, newspapers,... in the rack. I use something aspen like.
if using paper, and the snake makes a mess, you have to make the whole tub new, the paper is soaked with the mess, if you be to wild, the water spills out, you have to make it new,....
in my opinion aspen bedding is much much better. you only have to take out a piece of it with the mess,...
and i think for little keepers/breeders, the costs of bedding shouldn't be an argument.

[Oxylepy]

Unprinted newspaper. Cheap and effective.

I found that aspen and cypress had the issue of leaving bits of wood on my floor, which would get on my socks, in my shoes, and would end up hurting a lot.

[blackcrystal22]

I use both, depending on the time of year and my laziness.

[RR - Mackenzie]

I use both, depending on the time of year and my laziness.

I used paper towels today because I was too lazy to go get aspen

But I seem to like it.

[cinderbird]

paper towels for geckos, babies and new arrivals.

newspaper (blank or printed) for adult established animals.

[RR - Mackenzie]

Also...

If you vote...

Please reply with why you like that choice of substrate.

Thanks,
Mac

[snakesRkewl]

Paper towels for all snakes all sizes.

If I only had one or two probably aspen.