Towel for bedding?

[melcvt00]

I needed to clean Malfoy's tank today. He shed/pooped/peed while I was on vacation, and those things were all taken out by my pet sitter (who is afraid of snakes, so kudos to her!), and I finally had the chance to do a complete cleaning.

Since it was last-minute, I used a towel for bedding. I don't have a thermostat for my UTH yet, and I was worried about the glass being too cool, so didn't want to use just newspaper.

I'm just curious if anyone has done towels long-term, and what pros/cons would be, other than being able to throw the towel in the laundry when it needs cleaned.

[Ba11er]

I wouldn't do it. That towel even if you clean it from time to time is going to get incredibly dirty and gross. You would be wasting a lot of water to make sure it is cleaned; unless you don't mind your other clothes being washed in poop water. Paper towels and newspaper is cheap and easily replaceable and a much better option. Over time that towel will pick up lots of bacteria being in a humid environment, its not worth it.

[piedlover79]

A towel in a tank is going to get a stink on it in a hurry.

[Neal]

So many reasons why you don't want to use one, so I wouldn't.

[Reinz]

I agree, ditch the towel.

I would also also turn off the UTH until you can get a thermostat. It's just not worth the risk of seriously burning your snake. Use a space heater in the meantime, but not too close to the tank, otherwise you can have a convection oven your hands. Ideally you want a thermostat on the heater, but we've already been down that trail.

[bcr229]

I use old towels and baby blankets as hides for my larger snakes that like to burrow, like my Dumerils boas. I remove them from the enclosure for feeding. These snakes do like their "blankies" and tossing them into the washing machine isn't a big deal as long as you knock any solid waste off of it first.

[melcvt00]

I agree, ditch the towel.

I would also also turn off the UTH until you can get a thermostat. It's just not worth the risk of seriously burning your snake. Use a space heater in the meantime, but not too close to the tank, otherwise you can have a convection oven your hands. Ideally you want a thermostat on the heater, but we've already been down that trail.

I don't even have the UTH out of the packaging yet because I don't have a thermostat. :-)

[melcvt00]

I wouldn't do it. That towel even if you clean it from time to time is going to get incredibly dirty and gross. You would be wasting a lot of water to make sure it is cleaned; unless you don't mind your other clothes being washed in poop water. Paper towels and newspaper is cheap and easily replaceable and a much better option. Over time that towel will pick up lots of bacteria being in a humid environment, its not worth it.

Worse than washing blankets and towels from tiny kitten fosters with diarrhea that may contain giardia, coccidia, roundworms....and my last fosters that were full of ringworm? :-)

I will have the towel in there for just a bit until I get new bedding, unless it gets too awful too quick. I am so used to dealing with with kitten laundry that unless it is too bad, it won't bother me. I was just worried about it being a huge and scary health risk in some way. Ick I can deal with. :-)

[Reinz]

I don't even have the UTH out of the packaging yet because I don't have a thermostat. :-)

Good to hear 👍