Would snake statuary cause stress?

I found an interesting piece of statuary at my workplace I would like to use as decoration/jungle gym for my snake's habitat. Would my corn be stressed just by the imagery, or would it require more substantial sensory input (i.e. looks like a snake, smells like a rock). Thanks in advance.

I don't think your snake would be bothered by it. I would just want to make sure that there are no places in it that your snake could get stuck.

A Corn's eyesight really isn't that great. Smell and movement mean more to them. I can't imagine a snake recognizing any statuary for what it represents. They will only sense what it's make of, or, even more basically, whether it is food or a threat or not.

There are a couple of holes in the base that would be hard for a hatchling to fit in. Other than that, no real squeezy places. The tongue is leather, so it won't be sharp. and the scales are rounded; no sharp points but rough enough to help with a shed.

You would also need to boil it in water mixed with a little bleach for about 20 minutes and, barring there are any plastic parts, bake it at about 225° for about 20 minutes. This will ensure that any creepy crawlies that you can't see are killed off before introducing them to your snake.

Boil it and bake it? It's resin! He'd be more likely to destroy it than clean it, or at least remove all the coloration. And just what creepy crawlies are likely to exist on resin? Resin snake mites? Little plastic ticks? I am all for putting the health and welfare of the animal first, but a sterile environment is not necessary for life to thrive, and I think we over-think the topic. As long as there are no transferable toxic chemicals/fumes, and no reptile-specific parasites/pathogens, then it should be fine.

Just wash it in soapy water and you should be good, it's plastic, not wood. I can't imagine you'd find bugs on/in it. Just make sure the paint is non-toxic, you may have to inquire about that to the seller if it doesn't say so in the description.

If it's hollow, you should fill in the holes with hot glue or silicone to avoid the snake getting stuck, they amaze people by what they can get themselves into!


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Well, my daughter gave her corn a dragon-themed aquarium ornament for Christmas last year, and the corn keeps knocking the dragon down and half-burying it in the aspen. I don't know if it's simply that it gets in her way when she's exploring, or if she actually dislikes him and is trying to get rid of him.

backafter30 said:

Boil it and bake it? It's resin! He'd be more likely to destroy it than clean it, or at least remove all the coloration. And just what creepy crawlies are likely to exist on resin? Resin snake mites? Little plastic ticks?

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There is truly no need to be nasty and sarcastic. And you answered the question yourself.

backafter30 said:

As long as there are no transferable toxic chemicals/fumes, and no reptile-specific parasites/pathogens, then it should be fine.

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A good cleaning from any outside source should be disinfected, better safe than sorry.

While a tiny bit of sarcasm was intended, nastiness certainly was not. Your suggestion just seemed a bit overkill, but we both agree that the safety of the animal is most important. No offense intended. :cheers:

Thank you for your apology, it is very much accepted. People here know how careful I am with my corns as I do a lot of rescuing and fostering and I don't always know what the conditions were like before it came to me. I am careful to do the "boil and bake" with anything I can, it may be overkill (even I think it is a bit much!) but I have never had problems. One shipment of plastic aquarium plants came to me with dead bugs in the box, some still crawling. Ick. I boiled the hell out of that batch!

I have also heard of newbies grabbing decorations from their gardens, using pretty rocks and seashells without disinfecting or even washing them, I just think of pesticides and dead creepy-crawlies that have left their calling cards. Better safe than sorry for me, and if it ain't broke, I ain't fixin' it!

Back at ya! :cheers: