Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium on sale

Hi,

I'm debating weather or not to buy a Zoo Med Naturalistic Terrarium from petco.com. There having an internet Sale: $49.99 by 3/37. And orders over $50 get free shipping.

http://www.petco.com/product/108504/Zoo-Med-Naturalistic-Terrarium.aspx?CoreCat=RepAmp_ProdBotL

The only thing is, it's 12"L X 12"W X 18"H.

I'll be getting my first corn at the end of August first week of Sept. She should be around 4 months old bay then. I know babies feel more secure in small vivs, but I was wondering when she will have to move out into a larger viv. If it' only going to be for a year or so, I was thinking it might be smarter to buy a larger Critter Cage right off the bat.

Any advice?

That size is more appropriate for a chameleon or something else that will use all that vertical space. For a corn snake that would only use it for about a year before outgrowing it, I would save my money and buy inexpensive small tupperware/sterlite containers for $3-5.00 each for the first year and then get something really nice for the adult viv.

I have one of those that I had a toad in. I don't feel like it would be secure for snakes. AND it's an awkward shape, and too small, once a baby snake outgrows it, for much else.

If you buy a nice 10 gallon Critter Cage, that's the perfect size for a snake for the first year or two, and then you could get a 20 gallon, and a new baby snake! Or, what I would do is just get a 20 gallon and furnish it with lots of hides. I've put several baby snakes right into 20's with no problems whatsoever. They just need lots of cover- vines, hides, maybe a hammock, climbing branches, paper towel tubes, etc. You can do so much more with a 20.

Susan said:

That size is more appropriate for a chameleon or something else that will use all that vertical space. For a corn snake that would only use it for about a year before outgrowing it, I would save my money and buy inexpensive small tupperware/sterlite containers for $3-5.00 each for the first year and then get something really nice for the adult viv.

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Yeah..that's a great way to save some money.

Nanci said:

I have one of those that I had a toad in. I don't feel like it would be secure for snakes. AND it's an awkward shape, and too small, once a baby snake outgrows it, for much else.

If you buy a nice 10 gallon Critter Cage, that's the perfect size for a snake for the first year or two, and then you could get a 20 gallon, and a new baby snake! Or, what I would do is just get a 20 gallon and furnish it with lots of hides. I've put several baby snakes right into 20's with no problems whatsoever. They just need lots of cover- vines, hides, maybe a hammock, climbing branches, paper towel tubes, etc. You can do so much more with a 20.

Click to expand...

I'm glad you told me about it not being secure. I definitely don't want my baby girl escaping. :awcrap: And I love the idea of getting a second baby someday for the 10 gal.

What do you guys think of Lee's Plastic Breeder boxes?
http://www.petmountain.com/product/terrarium-habitats/504408/lees-plastic-breeder-box.html
How can I use a ReptiTemp 500R thermostat with one of these boxes? I'm worried that I can't close the cover properly with the sensor probe wire going in, or a digital thermometer wire. I like the fact that the Critter Cages have port holes in the cover for wires. How do the sweater boxes do with wires going in? I just don't want to weaken the integrity of the cover.

you can put the wires on the outside for the tstat. no need for it to be inside it shouldnt fluctuate the temps to much to travel through the plastic.

pwargcm said:

you can put the wires on the outside for the tstat. no need for it to be inside it shouldnt fluctuate the temps to much to travel through the plastic.

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That's cool, I never though of that. How about in the winter when we keep our house a frigid 65 degrees? Do you think the probes would still read accurately?

CRIKEY! said:

What do you guys think of Lee's Plastic Breeder boxes?
http://www.petmountain.com/product/terrarium-habitats/504408/lees-plastic-breeder-box.html

Click to expand...

I use these at my place but do not add any heat to them but I do have my herp room heated. I also use a temp gun to check my temps regularly on my snakes. Just to make sure the cool end is cool and my warm end is warmer. And the temps seem to be running fine.

Temp guns can be ordered for about $25 and are the most accurate things you can buy.

http://www.tempgun.com/main.html