Cage Carpet vs Repti Bark

[DBacker65]

Arnie's 20 gallon tank currently has repti bark for substrate. I do not plan on feeding him in there, but I was wondering what people's thoughts were on cage carpet vs repti bark? I think the bark looks more natural than green carpet, but the carpet would be easier to clean. Does anyone think our snakes have a preference or does anyone feel one is better than the other and if so why?

Thanks :roll:

[The_Godfather]

I use astro turf, real similiar. I like how easy it is to clean, pretty good looking, and safe to feed on.

[gen]

I use carpet. Ditto on what Godfather said.

[KraZeKelly]

Go to Home Depot and look at all the "colors" of outdoor carpet they have,you`ll have to buy it in 20' length X the width of your tank/cage/tub.
There will be enough material to do up several pieces which makes it super easy to swap out when soiled. Use a gas stove burner or some sort of "flame" to melt the edges.The panels will last longer and you wont have any plastic fuzzy`s running around.

Look for the light brown/tan stuff,yeah BP color 8)
Anyway....... for what most charge for one panel at a pet Store($10`ish) you can have 4,5,6 !!

FYI
AstroTurf* is a Registered Product so dont call around and asking for it under that name. None of the retail chains carry it.BUT all of them have Outdoor Carpet :wink:

[iceman25]

I'm gonna be switching over to news paper pretty soon. Easy to use and it actually helps keep temps up. (try wrapping news paper around ur self and going to sleep. You will be warm as toast).

[Tigergenesis]

I use and love ESU's Lizard Liner - green felt like carpet. I think it looks great and easy to clean (just have a clean piece on hand). I think the color green looks great against my BPs colors.

[JLC]

That's an awesome setup you have there, Tiger! What size tank is that? And how do you mount those pieces of wood?

[Tigergenesis]

Thanks! It's a 50 gallon breeder w/ sliding screen top. I used aquarium sealant to mount the higher branch, and the branches are from the bird section of the pet store. The diaganol branch is not mounted - It's just wedged in the corner and supported by the water dish.

[jotay]

I love Reptibark. Easy to scoop out when he messes. and a little water on it in a corner and big time humididty, doesn't mold, looks and is natural.
To me the carpet thing seems more work. Take pc out, put new pc in, wash pc, let pc dry. With the bark i just scoop out bad. wipe, spray a little Virosan on area and forget about it.
But it's a prefernce thing because both will do the job just fine and both look good.

[Smulkin]

We use Forest Bark in some of our setups and even though the pieces are a LITTLE bit smaller than the repti bark they are still large enough that our snakes would have a hard time accidentally ingesting a piece while feeding. In the bigger enclosures I use the outdoor carpet mentioned above - was able to get a 6x6' piece for around $15. At tlat price you can clean/reuse it a few times then just chuck it for new. In our quarantine setup newspaper for sheer simplicity and maintenance (esp with mites).