Outdoor carpet for bedding?

[Jophis82]

My mom just bought some outdoor carpet from home depot for her 8'x2'x2' cage for there baby ball. Is this ok to use for substrate? She was going to put Aspen on top of the outdoor carpet on one edge of the cage for is warm bedding area. Just curious if anybody uses this stuff and if it's ok to use! Thanks

[ama1997]

I use to use it and it was ok was hard to keep humidity up. It gets nasty really fast and really hard to get 100% clean. I use aspen or newspaper now.

[Jophis82]

Thanks for the input I will let her know. She probably won't be to happy to hear that. LOL

[nixer]

8'x2'x2' i hope that is a typo no ball should ever need a cage that big!

[Argentra]

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.

[Jophis82]

The the cage dimension is not a typo. It was a cage my dad built into a wall in there house. It is all oak with forest green thick mesh. What is the problem with a cage that big? I know they don't need it but why would it hurt? Just more room for them to roam is all!!!

[Argentra]

Ok, number one - you said it was a baby. Two - ball pythons are one of the few 'large' snakes that benefit more from LESS space. Their natural habitat is rodent burrows and termite mounds...tight spaces. It sounds like a beautiful cage...but not for a baby snake, and especially not for a ball python.

Baby balls should be kept in something the size of a 12qt tub or a 10 gallon tank. They get stressed quite easily if they don't feel secure, and a huge enclosure like that would probably make them feel as though predators were around every curve.

I'm not trying to slight you, or tell you you've done a bad thing. I'm just trying to let you know that your snake would be MUCH happier in something a lot smaller.

[Jophis82]

Thanks for the input I will let my parent know!!!!