So I had an idea while cleaning quarantine tubs today. I usually use paper towels as the cage liner. But would rags and/or towels be a safe alternative? Especially for the more humid snakes, something that would stay humid for longer, but also be easy to clean and replace is attractive as an idea if it is safe.
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I would not as a safety hazard. If a snake eats a bit of paper it’s usually no big deal… If for some reason they eat the towel? That’s most likely surgery to remove it.
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Definitely a good point, a counter argument is that I don’t see why a snake would eat it without the smell of food on it y’know? I’m not trying to argue or say that isn’t a valid point at all btw.
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I’d be concerned about towels or rags being a breeding ground for things like bacteria, mold, and mildew, especially for more humid species where it would be perpetually damp.
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My blood python tried to eat a ReptiZorb liner. 
Still not sure why she did that. Fortunately I was home when it happened and managed to get her to release it before she’d swallowed it. It’s possible it had some residual rodent smell on it, though as far as I know, there hadn’t been a rat in direct contact with it. So speaking from experience, such things can happen. Snakes aren’t known for being overly smart when it comes to food, especially if they have a strong feeding response.
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Oh yeah I agree, not the sharpest tools around food, snakes. That’s definitely a good point.
So far it’s looking like a definite no on them lol.
But now i’m just curious, I get the mold, but what keeps normal snake bedding like reptichips ect growing bacteria when constantly damp? I figure it’s just resistant, or is it treated in some way?
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To properly use something like cloth, you’d need to be cleaning and sanitizing any time it’s soiled. That means if a snake passes waste, that goes right into the laundry, separate from all personal laundry, and is washed as soon as possible. Ideally you do small loads, with bleach, and dry on high heat. This takes quite a bit of time, effort, and adds to utility bills. You’re also left hoping that your washer/dryer are capable of reaching the proper temperatures to actually kill what’s on the cloth.
On top of that, fabric is more prone to becoming musty, moldy, and degrading when exposed to high humidity for long periods of time and can encourage bacterial growth beyond what would exist in a normal enclosure. Just think of what wet laundry smells like if you accidentally leave it in the washer for a day without drying. Towels and rags are usually thick and textured to be absorbent, think of it a bit like using carpeting in an enclosure.
There’s also the consideration of where your washer and dryer is in your home in comparison to where your quarantine area is. You have to get those soiled, contaminated items moved without possibly spreading pathogens.
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I’ve had a ball python miss a swipe at me while using a washcloth for cleanup in the habitat. She kinda just was confused by the cloth in her mouth and let go after a minute.
I’ve also learned the hard way to keep hand towels away from my Retic enclosures. When one of them shot out for food and zero’d in on the towel for some reason instead. I had to wrestle it away. They absolutely would have tried eating it.
Snakes don’t always think things through very well… Lol
I do agree on the mention of bacteria as well. That would be another concern if not changing towels out regularly.
I heard some people use dog pee pads for their arboreal species. Maybe that could work. I’d still exercise caution though
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Things like the utility bills and spreading of stuff from quarantine to washer wouldn’t be a problem. But I definitely agree with everything everyone has said about the bacteria and the dangers. Definitely not worth it, just having a reuseable thing like tgat seemed like possibly a good idea, but the dangers aren’t worth it.
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I just want to give a small thank you to everyone for pointing out the dangers of it, and also not just jumping on my case. Being in this community is very refreshing compared to most.
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@greenhillsreptiles Clean unprinted newspaper works great. It’s inexpensive comes in rolls and sheets. And of course you can buy it on Amazon
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