First Wooden Vivarium Build
 

So I'll be making my first wooden Vivarium soon, I have plans drawn out. It'll be like a shelving unit almost, two separate cages for my two male corn snakes. Storage under and it'll reach about 5 and a half feet talk, I want it eye level not touching the ceiling. I have a few questions I'd like to ask anyone who can help me.

Like heating, it'll be wood, and I see some people still use heatpad and it seems to penetrate through the wood and not cause any problems, with corn snakes, I feel like I could use light fixtures and heating bulbs, but being as this is my first Vivarium build I'm not completely sure on what's best. Best to heat the ground for belly heat and safety for my snakes. This is probably my biggest concern for my build. My snakes do like to burrow so I'm just torn between the two.

I live in Chicago, recently it has been storming, humidity goes way high, 70 to 80 and higher. Even in my house, it still stays around 60 maybe 50 if it's a good day. Any help with lowering the humidity? I will be getting a dehumidifier for my room, but With a wood Vivarium I'm a little curious on the ventilation. I see cup size holes and they seem to think it's enough, I see others with house hold vents screwed in the side. Having cornsnakes I hear it's best around 30 humidity. Up to 50 but shouldn't go higher cause they couldget sick. I even had a little scare where I see dry or damaged scale, maybe 3 on one of my snakes. But no darkening on his underbelly, so I don't think it's scale rot. I still am bathing him in diluted iodine and washing him off and drying him. Just to be sure till his nexr shed. So humidity is a problem for me and any suggestions would be great.

I think those are my main worries at this time, building the actual shelving and glass windows aren't a big deal. I have the help of my uncle who is a construction worker. All the tools and such are ready. He even suggested melamine, it's already fairly water proof, he thinks it'll work great.

I built a 4' x 2' x 2' melamine cage for my Colombian Boa.
I heat it with a 80 watt radiant heat panel mounted to the ceiling.
Humidity stays between 50% and 60%.
I drilled 3/4" holes across the back for ventilation.

Hello. I'm a little familiar with the Chicago climate here ;). Air conditioning in the summer is a must. With a/c the summer humidity can hang around 70%. While on the high side, when kept on a dry substrate like aspen, it's fine. If you are heating with ceramic emitters or heat panels they are even more drying so you should be fine.

I have glass vivs with UTH and my snakes are fine in the summer. In fact, I still provide humid hides with sphagnum year round and let the snakes decide. In the winter, with forced air heating, the humidity can get too low, like down to 25 %. I find partially covering the screening with plastic wrap keeps things at a very safe 50%.

Of course, your set up will be quite different from mine. The point is that I consider a/c absolutely essential, and a defumidifier is not needed my experience.

Best wishes!

P.S. The recommended humidity for corn snakes is 40 to 60%

Hi.

Ive seen a few snake habitats with the heat pad placed under a standard floor tile. The pad heats the floor tile and snakes just love to lay on them.

Just a thought.