If not a typo, then it was a piece meant to be cut down!

No, carpet is certainly not recommended for snakes. It gathers bacteria like no one's business and is not the most pleasant thing to clean. Your best bet would be to put down a layer of newsprint paper or paper towel with a layer of aspen on that if you wish. I use paper under aspen and it's great: easy to spot clean, looks nice, and also gives me a quick replacement method (roll and toss) for total disinfecting.