Gen, i am no expert but i have to tell you that the reptile-rug & reptile-carpets (i think that they are made by zoo meds) are a high quality, VERY easy to clean substrate. They are comfortable, non-abrasive, you can easily monitor their bathroom habits & they look more decorative than newspaper or papertowel would. Just me givin ya my 2 cents as i am sure that newspaper works quite nicely. But for my money, the reptile rug & carpet are gunna be life-long substrates for Hissy!