Floor Coverings and Enclosure Items

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Unprinted newsprint, butcher paper, paper towels, terrycloth

towels and indoor-outdoor carpeting are the most suitable

materials for covering the bottom of a snake's enclosure.  In

fact, the first two materials mentioned can be cut to size and

placed many layers thick on to the floor of the enclosure.  When

the top layer(s) are soiled, they can be easily removed, leaving

clean, dry paper.  This makes cleaning of the enclosure very

quick and efficient.  If indoor-outdoor carpeting is used, it

is best to have 2-3 pieces cut to the correct dimensions.  This

way, replacements can be used while the soiled piece is cleaned

and disinfected.



Under no circumstances should pea gravel, kitty litter, crushed

corncob material or wood shavings be used.  These are

unquestionably more visually aesthetic than most of the materials

mentioned above; however, they are unsuitable because they trap

moisture and filth, provide unlimited hiding places for external

parasites, and make enclosures very difficult to clean.

Furthermore, these types of particulate matter are easily and

inadvertently eaten while the snake is feeding.  This can cause

mechanical injury to or obstruction of the digestive tract.



Various objects should be included within a snake's enclosure

that occupy its vertical area.  These include sturdy branches of

various hardwood trees or those fabricated from artificial

materials, driftwood, grapevine, hanging ropes, and shelves

situated along the sides of the enclosure.