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Types of cage carpeting?

mxracer4life

mxracer4life

"Daniel Boone"
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I need some recommendations. I have a 3' x 5' wooden enclosure and I am sick of dealing with newspaper so I would like to try some type of outdoor carpet. How well does this work? My plan is to get 2-3 pieces so I can swap them out during cleaning. What are the ups and downs of carpet? Thank you.

Jeremy
 
If you think changing news paper is annoying then imagine having to go wash out some carpet every time your snake makes a mess. Its much quicker and easier to just change out news paper.
 
I've used astro turf in the past and had multiple pieces cut to fit so I could just change them out when soiled. Though it had its positive aspects I no long use it in any cages, other than my feeding enclosures, because it shed very badly in the washing machine.
I could see regular outdoor carpeting working though if you had multiple pieces pre cut so you can easily replace them when soiled.
 
I have used the outdoor carpeting before, and didn't much care for it...it IS a much bigger pain to clean properly than newspaper. It doesn't seem to get completely clean when you wash it (it always seems to have an odor after the first couple washes), so I was afraid it was harboring bacteria (I have no proof of this, but the smell made me think this).

Have you considered aspen or cypress mulch?
 
Well, the problem I am running into with the newspaper is it soaking through to the wood. I sealed the wood with minwax, but I still feel uncomfortable thinking that the wood is getting saturated with it. I have used the cypress mulch but it had a lot of bugs in it. I don't know. I kinda like the idea of using the carpet in pieces. Where do you get your cypress mulch? I got some at lowes a while back.
 
mxracer4life said:
Well, the problem I am running into with the newspaper is it soaking through to the wood. I sealed the wood with minwax, but I still feel uncomfortable thinking that the wood is getting saturated with it. I have used the cypress mulch but it had a lot of bugs in it. I don't know. I kinda like the idea of using the carpet in pieces. Where do you get your cypress mulch? I got some at lowes a while back.
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Which Minwax product did you use exactly? If you let me know and I can give you some idea of how much moisture resistance you'll have. And I don't mean "Minwax Polyurethane" as that is not specific enough. I need the exact product.

Cage carpet won't help you, unfortunately as it tends to trap water underneating more so than newspaper, which can be really bad. A lot of these really depends on the carpet, however, specifically the presence and/or type of weave underneath. Carpets with rubber backing are especially bad at trapping moisture. This is what a lot of people use as they are more durable and easier to clean, or so I've been told, but they will only compound your problem.
 
Minwax Fast Drying Clear Polyurethane. I applied 2 coats and let it air out for 1 week or so. I was going to use just regular outdoor carpet, no rubber backing. I stained the wood 2 times before sealing it with minwax. If I had a non rubber backed carpet that was cut into 1x1 squares that sounds like it would work good????
 
What about black diamond mulch? Lowe's has a pretty big selection of mulch's, I know to stay away from pine and cedar, all the others ok? redwood?
 
mxracer4life said:
Minwax Fast Drying Clear Polyurethane. I applied 2 coats and let it air out for 1 week or so. I was going to use just regular outdoor carpet, no rubber backing. I stained the wood 2 times before sealing it with minwax. If I had a non rubber backed carpet that was cut into 1x1 squares that sounds like it would work good????
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Before I forget, I have no idea what is in Black Diamond Mulch so I can't recommend it or tell you not to use it. Is the wood species listed on the bag?

The Minwax product you used is a good water resistant coating, especially for the price. And even though this is off topic slightly, it is also fairly toxic until it is completely done curing and offgassing. Unfortunately oil-based polyurethane is sort of like concrete is that is can take years (yes, years) to cure completely.

If you only put on one coat it should do okay but multiple coats would be better. Unfortunately multiple coats of this stuff is part of what leads to long term offgassing. If you do add extra coats make sure to thin each coat quite a bit and wipe on the coats very thin, making sure to let each coat cure completely. I'm guessing on the can they recommend subsequent coats be applied every four hours or thereabouts? I would ignore this and let each coat cure for a day or two and then scuff sand before applying more. If you want a more technical explanation as to why let me know and I can explain. But like I said I'm already getting off topic.

Either way, I would make sure to find a carpeting with an open and fairly course weave. Another thing to do is figure out a way to elevate the water bowl slightly so moisture does not build up under there.

Regarding the 12x12 carpet tile idea, I would think the snake would just end up moving them all around and making a scattered mess of carpet tiles. But maybe it would work, I don't know. I like the idea of only having to remove dirty tiles, however.
 
I foreget exactly what I did. But I remember staining it, letting it sit for a few days, then I put 1 coat of poly on, let it sit for a couple of days then 1 more coat. I then let it sit for quite some time, it was atleast a week. Should I have done it differently and if so can I go back and undo whats been don (if needed)? Your very informative, thank you.

Jeremy
 
mxracer4life said:
I foreget exactly what I did. But I remember staining it, letting it sit for a few days, then I put 1 coat of poly on, let it sit for a couple of days then 1 more coat. I then let it sit for quite some time, it was atleast a week. Should I have done it differently and if so can I go back and undo whats been don (if needed)? Your very informative, thank you.

Jeremy
Click to expand...

Ideally you would have used something else, but many keepers have used oil-based polyurethane in cages and have had not obviously negative issues.

However, oil-based polyurethane has changed and in fact will be illegal by 2011 when stricter VOC regulations go into effect. The problem with the newer stuff is that it has less of a solvent carrier and each coat goes on thicker than in years past. Then you need to apply subsequent coats during what is called the "burn-in time" which is another way of saying before the previous coat is cured. You end up with a thick mess that does not cure properly. In fact it is not even recommended you use the stuff inside of drawers that will contain your dishes, socks, or whatever. So generally I figure if one should not keep their dishes and socks near the stuff it is probably best kept away from their reptiles as well.

Now, before you get worried let me give you the good news. Well the first bit I already gave you -- many keepers have used the stuff, at least the older type, in reptile cages for a long time.

Secondly, the US requires that all finishes be non-toxic once fully cured, meaning your polyurethane will be too.

The problem is that it might not be fully cured. If you can put your nose up near the exposed floor of the cage and smell any sort of chemical smell I would get your snake out of there and rethink things. I can help you at that point. All is not lost either way.
 
I didn't smell any type of chemical smell when I first put her in there. I had a fan in there the whole time it was drying. After it had dried for a week or so, I cleaned the whole thing out with soap/water/bleach solution 3 times and rinsed it 4 times. What happened was in the beginning I used cypress mulch, before I even put her in the cage and I seen some small bugs crawling around, freaked out and scrubbed the cage. I am at work right now, but when I get home I will re-smell the cage and let you know forsure tomorrow.

Thanks!
 
I did "re-smell" the cage, I am not getting any type of odor. What is the next step? By the way, I have decided to use linoleum instead. Cheap, looks good and easy to clean - what do you think? Now, as far as installing the linoleum, should I glue it or staple it? I was told if I glue it I won't have a problem with water getting underneath it, which sounds like a good idea. IF I glue it, how long do I let it air out for? The glue is SUPPOSED to be non-toxic.

Jeremy
 
I don't know a lot about vinyl floor adhesives but am concerned you may not get good adhesion to to the polyurethane already on the wood floor, especially since it's "non toxic" which I assume to mean waterbased. Test a small area and see if it bonds well.

You might try to not use either staples or ahdesive. If the flooring will lay flat enough without it you might just be able to silicone the edges and get it to stay put. The advantage to this approach is that you can more easily replace the floor if necessary. Again, run a test to make sure silicone sticks.

mxracer4life said:
I did "re-smell" the cage, I am not getting any type of odor. What is the next step? By the way, I have decided to use linoleum instead. Cheap, looks good and easy to clean - what do you think? Now, as far as installing the linoleum, should I glue it or staple it? I was told if I glue it I won't have a problem with water getting underneath it, which sounds like a good idea. IF I glue it, how long do I let it air out for? The glue is SUPPOSED to be non-toxic.

Jeremy
Click to expand...
 
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