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[peterjohnson64]

I would like to hear what others have to say but I think that most people getting their first snake want a very natural looking substrate. And if you are a pet owner as opposed to a breeder then this is perfectly understandable. You want your enclosure to look like something in a zoo. I certainly did this and graduated to newspaper after a few years of endless work trying to keep my animals healthy and clean. If you don't mind the work then go for it. But you can set a cage for carpets up so that the focus is above the floor and your newspaper won't matter too much. There was also a recent scary tale on here about astro turf. I used it for 2 years and nothing died but that was in contrast to another story here.

Just my 2 cents worth.