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Additional Notes - Reptile Carpets
Sri Lankan Star tortoise (Geochelone elegans)
Reptile carpets / cage mats
Reptile carpets are not the most ideal indoor substrate, but they can work for babies and small tortoises native to arid areas. Especially, if the tortoise keeper is allergic to other, more natural substrates.
Note: If you are NOT ASTHMATIC and HAVE NO SEVERE ALLERGIES, just replace the felt-like reptile carpet with soil, mulch, etc. See the substrates and substrates & allergics pages for info.
Pluses
Felt-like reptile carpets are soft, washable, odorless (if washed frequently), and provide a solid walking surface. They are not unstable like pellets or slippery like paper. They keep the underbelly dry and clean which helps prevent shell rot. Felt-like reptile carpets cannot be eaten easily, so they are very safe for babies. They also seem to be less drying than paper.
Felt-like reptile carpets work well as an indoor substrate for small to medium sized handicapped tortoises. Tortoises who have lost limbs or have paralyzed back legs, can easily pull themselves along on the felt-like reptile carpet. It gives their front claws just enough grip and allows the tortoise to slide smoothly. Felt-like carpets cause no wear and tear on the plastron.
In addition, if a tortoise accidentally flips over onto his back, a felt reptile mat gives enough grip for the tortoise's nails to help him flip back.
Note: Felt-like reptile carpet is not the same product as plastic, astroturf type, fake grass mats. Scroll down for more info.
Minuses
Reptile carpets do not provide moisture, so they are not suitable for tortoises that require high humidity. Adding a humid hide to the enclosure provides a more moist sleeping and hiding area for dry area species. Felt-like reptile carpets, especially under the basking lamp, can also be doused with water to increase the local humidity level.
To help keep tortoises hydrated, give them humid hides, soak them frequently, keep water dishes in their enclosures, spray them with water as needed, saturate areas of the carpet with water, and even put wet paper towels or washcloths under the heat lamps (scroll down to pic).
Caution: Putting towels under the heat lamp can be dangerous. Only do so under supervision. If the tortoise pushes the towel into a pile, he may fall on his back and get stuck under the hot lamp. Babies can dehydrate quickly and possibly die.
Reptile carpets are not a loose particle substrate. They do not provide humid microclimates that tortoises can dig into.
Reptile cage carpets require very frequent washing. They are not a low maintenance substrate! Scroll down to washing tips.
Brands
Felt-like cage carpets, aka liners, are available from Zoo Med and Zilla. They look the same. These mats have no blades, no loops, no loose strings, and no odor. Plus, they are easy to find in pet shops.
Currently, the largest Zoo Med cage carpet
is 48" x 18" (60 gal) in size, so you'll need more than one for larger tubs. For example, a 4ft x 2ft enclosure requires two 48" x 13" cage carpets to cover all of the floor. Zilla terrarium liners
Substrate boxes & crumpled paper
If you have provided your Star tortoise with several different hiding places (humid & warm hide, dry & cool hide, artificial plants, etc.) and he still scrapes the cage carpet with his front claws, he obviously likes to burrow a bit. Give him at least one spot of some substrate that allows him to do this, for example, a "digging box" (see substrates).
If you are very ALLERGIC to all natural substrates and thus can't even provide a digging box, you can put large pieces of crumbled, preferably inkless, paper in one corner of the tub. Your tortoise can "burrow" under them and feel safer. If you use thick enough paper, like brown grocery store bags or thick Kraft paper (see substrates & allergics), you can even keep it wet for additional humidity.
Caution: Dry, crumpled paper can be a fire hazard! Place it far away from any light or heat source in the tub. Tortoises may even push or carry the crumbled paper pieces on their backs and place them under a heat lamp.
Note: During indoor egg laying season, breeder female tortoises need a deep nesting box or nesting area filled with soil. Lack of suitable nesting site may lead to egg binding in gravid females. This condition can become fatal if not treated.
Humidity & reptile carpets
If you are using a soft, felt-like reptile carpet in your baby or small tortoise's indoor pen because you are ALLERGIC to other substrates, do check the humidity level in the enclosure. Enclosures with dry substrate tend to have very low humidity due to hot basking lamps.
For adult Star tortoises, 40-60% humidity is generally recommended. However, small babies and youngsters will benefit from higher ambient humidity, additional humid areas, and humid hideboxes. The higher the humidity, the warmer the area should be.
wet towel under the MVB
One way to increase the basking area humidity level is to put a folded, wet cotton towel, or a double layer of washcloths, under the hot basking light (pic above). If you pour 2-3 cups of warm water into the towel, the localized humidity may increase by 20-40%. Towels and washcloths can be easily changed, washed, and disinfected. Again, this is an alternative for SEVERELY ALLERGIC and ASTHMATIC tortoise keepers.
Caution: Crumpled towels can cause a dangerous situation if the tortoise trips on it and falls on his back under a hot heat lamp. The "paper towel soaking method" below is a safer way to increase humidity when using reptile carpets.
pouring water through a paper towel helps reptile carpet to absorb it
You can also pour water directly onto the felt-like reptile carpet under the heat lamp (pic above) to increase basking area humidity. Felt-like reptile mats do absorb water, but not always instantly. An easy way to get around this is to spread a paper towel on top of the reptile carpet, pour 1-5 cups of warm water onto it, and then squeeze the water out of the paper towel and remove it. The paper towel forces instant absorption of the water into the felt-like reptile carpet.
Cleaning & washing reptile cage carpets
The felt-like reptile carpet absorbs tortoise pee, but you should pick up any poop as soon as possible to prevent smearing, pathogen growth, and parasite proliferation. This is true for any indoor substrate. If your tortoise passes normal, solid poos, they are easy to pick up. Pee puddles can be patted with paper towels.
I wash the reptile carpets frequently and also clean the entire indoor enclosure at the same time. I hose and spray the mats outside, but you can also use a bucket. I let them dry in the sunshine when possible.
Some people have trouble keeping their reptile cage carpets odor free. Probably because they don't change them often enough and/or don't wash them thoroughly. Reptile cage carpets require frequent washing. They are not a low maintenance substrate. In fact, I would call them a very, very high maintenance substrate!
Tips
1.) For small tortoises only - Felt-like reptile carpets work best with babies and small, young tortoises. Larger tortoises are just too messy for this type of substrate. Subadult and adult tortoise poo and pee in very large quantities. :O)
2.) Wash often - Change reptile mats often, before they develop odor. Weekly cleanings may work in the summer when tortoises are outside a lot, but usually more frequent washings are needed. It all depends on how big the tortoises are, how many there are, how much time they spend outside, how many baths they get, and so on. Simply put, how much they soil indoors. It's also best to wash cage carpets before first use to rinse off any chemicals left over from the manufacturing process.
3.) Removing stains - If stubborn stains are present, soak the cage mat first or let it sit wet for a while to loosen the dirt. If needed, you can also disinfect the cage carpet by soaking it in a large bucket or pan filled with diluted reptile-safe disinfectant or diluted vinegar. Afterwards, rinse the mat thoroughly and let it dry before use.
4.) Hose outside - Hosing the mats on plastic garden chairs works well (pic). The openings in the chair back and seat let water pass through. Spray both sides thoroughly and hang to dry. Do not inhale the dirty water droplets. If you use the same chair for mats from different tortoise species' enclosures, disinfect the chair or let it dry in the hot sun in between.
5.) Straighten them - New reptile cage carpets tend to curl up and fail to lie flat because they are sold rolled up in boxes. Washing and hang drying will flatten the mats and remove these waves. I hang my mats to dry with clip-on trouser hangers (pic). You get them for free from stores with pants purchases. If you use a second hanger on the bottom for weight, it will help straighten the mat even better. Inside the enclosure, placing large tiles on top of the mat, especially in corners, will help keep it in place.
6.) Dry outside - Most important! Dry the cage carpets outdoors. I've noticed that drying my reptile mats outside in the sun and wind really helps keep them odor free. Sun is a natural disinfectant. Letting the mats dry indoors may leave them with a hint of smell, especially if you don't use a chemical disinfectant.
7.) Dryer? - Reptile carpets can be machine dried as well. I've never put mine in a dryer, so I don't know if this would make the mats too soft and "floppy". Besides, I would not wash and dry any reptile items in my own washer and dryer!
Reptile carpet vs astroturf - What's the difference?
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Even though many people use the word "astroturf" to describe reptile cage mats, astroturf is NOT the same product as pressed, felt-like reptile carpets.
Astroturf is actually a brand name of artificial turf, but it's also used as a generic name to describe all synthetic grasses. I'm using the term here with its generic meaning.
Basically, astroturf is artificial grass made from plastic. Astroturf has plastic grass blades, felt carpet does not.
I would NOT use plastic grass mats. They are non-absorbent and stay wet from pee. Unhealthy. They feel unpleasantly plasticky. The cut edges may unravel and wrap around the tortoise's feet or neck. In addition, the grass blade like texture may encourage some tortoises to eat it.
Pressed, felt-like reptile cage carpets have a smooth surface, no blades. These mats look and feel like thick, soft felt. They are soft, absorbent, made of odorless material, not slippery or unstable, safe, cannot be eaten, and are fairly easy to clean. They last a long time, wash after wash, and are thus quite economical in the long run.
Reptile carpets do not provide humidity, so additional humid areas and/or hides are needed. They are not the most ideal substrate to use, but they are an alternative for severely ALLERGIC tortoise keepers who cannot tolerate other substrates (e.g. garden soil or bark mixes).
Reptile mats are very labor intensive, especially if you have multiple enclosures, because they need to be washed frequently. Though, with this frequent cleaning, the enclosures stay super clean and odorless. That's good news for allergic and sensitive individuals who keep their indoor tortoise tubs in their main living areas.
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