Window screen for lid or somthing else?

[Dinah]

We are getting ready to put the finishing touches on our tank lid, my Father in Law built us a beautiful mahogany lid frame to custom fit our aquarium, and all we have to do is add the screen/plexi to close it on the top. What we want to do is put the screen into the frame and then cut 2 custom fit plexi pieces with holes drilled into it that we can add or remove on top of the main screen to adjust humidity. They would be built to fit and essential snap in or out of the frame above the main screen.

What I need to know is whether or not regular window screen is ok, or is it too flimsy? What sort of screening/mesh would you all recommend?

Also while it seems like a great idea to us do ya'll think the removable plexi is a good idea or do you think it would be better to go all plexi or all screen or???

Thanks in advance for what I am sure will be great advice.

Dinah

[AshleyShadows]

I'd say the answer depends on whether or not you're using an under tank heater or if you're using a light. I always suggest UTHs with corns, but that's up to you. If you do use an UTH, window screen should be alright. I'd personally prefer something a little more stable, which you can pick up for very cheap at a store like Home Depot. I got some there for a vivarium I built for my basilisk, and it's strong...very strong. He'll hang from it all the time and it's perfectly fine.

If you're using a light, absolutely no window screen! My roommates and I set up a temporary tub the other day and used a spare window screen as the top. We'd had the light just hanging above, but then decided we'd set it on the screen so the babies could get more light. Well, two seconds in, we smelled buring. Granted, it was a 100 watt bulb, but I still wouldn't risk it with screen so thin and flimsy.


I'd also suggest that you use a screen rather than plexi glass just for airflow and humidity's sake. Your normal room humidity is just about what a corn will need.

Hope this helps!

[Dinah]

Well we are planning to use an UTH with a thermostat. However, I have never set up a tank for a reptile before so we are planning to set it up and make sure we can keep the temps and everything right for a week or two before we get our little guy/girl, so I cannot say for sure if I will end up needing a light to get the temps right. We are open to possibly having to get one if it ends up being needed. My husband is pretty handy (it is in his genetics) and if we end up needing to go with a light it wouldn't really be a problem for us to change the window screen to something else.

What I was mostly concerned about would be that the screen wouldn't be strong enough and a snake might be able to push through it and escape. Not that I expect our snake to be the incredible Hulk or anything, but at the same time, I don't have any idea what the strength of screen is.

Our current plan is to have the whole top area be screen and to have one or two sections of plexi that snap to the lid above the screen just in case we need to raise humidity but it would snap on/off so the plexi part would only be used when/if our humidity was in need of assistance. I got the idea when reading about people occasionally having to cover parts of the screen with paper or plastic sheeting for humidity, and I thought why not just make a piece that can snap in/out when needed. And since it is flat it will store behind the stand and take up no space.

Our plan is to hit Home Depot or Lowes this weekend to get screen or mesh or whatever is the best option.

[ArpeggioAngel]

I can tell you that living in Florida you should really not have a need to adjust the humidity too much. Ours do just fine for most of the year with ambient room temps. You can also just add a hide with some damp sphagnum moss to assist with shedding if needed.

[Dinah]

Thanks for the advice about the Plexi, what my husband has decided to do is make the ledge on the lid for the plexi to sit on, but to hold off on actually making the plexi piece until we see if we need it. Since he keeps a well stocked workshop we always have some on hand so it wouldn't be a problem to make it real fast if it looks like we need it.

We already have a plastic hide and some moss for shedding, do ya'll recommend keeping it in their all the time (or maybe all winter when the heat is on in the house) or just during the shedding process? Or is this the sort of thing where I am just supposed to keep an eye on the snake and see what he/she prefers?

[AshleyShadows]

If your snake is prone to having shedding problems, it wouldn't be a bad idea to have it in year round. It'd also be good to have a normal, dry hide too. It'll be hard trying to see where the snake enjoys more just since you can't sit around and watch them all the time (unfortunately ;D).

As far as the moist hide, be sure to check it often. High-moisture environments mold very easily. I'd recommend changing it even once a week. If I don't change the substrate in my BRB's tank once a week, I risk it molding which can cause him harm.

And just make sure the plexi glass doesn't cover the entire top for ventilation's sake.

[Dinah]

We actually have a whole box of differently sized hides. Some are purchased and some are washed out Tupperware like containers that food at one time came in. There are also some paper tubes and my husband even has some PVC pipe that we are considering cutting up to make hides out of, but we are going to wait and see if we need them or not. We are not yet sure exactly what size snake we will end up getting so we have been trying to collect different sized containers so that way we have some choices.

I will be sure that we keep an extra close eye on the moist hide though to make sure it stays clean. We plan to arrange at least 3 or 4 hides in the tank at a time. We are thinking a warm side hide, a middle hide, and a cool side hide, plus my husband wants to construct a little shelf to put an additional hide on, plus my daughter bought some sticks from the pet store that can be arranged for climbing and such...I know that there are ways to clean wood from the yard but we didn't want to risk it since we are still VERY new to this.

When we do get it set up and we are testing it I will post pics so that hopefully I can get some feed back from everyone.