Wood Viv question

So I bought this homemade wood viv from a college kid for $25. Not sure what size you would consider it. Looks to be about maybe 20gal? Anyways, the lid doesn't close down quite right. Leaves some small gaps. So I cut down a strip of wood my roommate brought home and that fills in most of the gaps, but there are still one or two that are too small to fill with wood and I am not sure what else I can use? Some kind of silicone or something I would imagine. I have my first snake coming tomorrow so if anyone has suggestions of something I could get at say - walmart - tonight - that would be fantastic.

some sort of tape works... thats what i have to use to fill in the gap between the sliding doors (talullah escaped) lol

oh and can we see pics of this wooden viv, sounds interesting

I will certainly post pics once I have the whole thing finished. This all happened kind of last minute for me. Found a snake (happens to be a kingsnake) online at a good price. I wasn't planning on getting anything until the show 4/22 in Clearwater, but couldn't pass this baby up. So now I am rushed to get the viv ready. Almost all set except for these little gaps.
My roommate - CaptBogart - advised me that tape wasn't a good idea because it can stick to the snake?

Originally Posted by ArpeggioAngel

My roommate - CaptBogart - advised me that tape wasn't a good idea because it can stick to the snake?

I agree 200% with CaptBogart. Anything that could stick is a bad idea as it could really harm your snake.
Isn't there a way you could nail/screw the top as it is wood?
You could also get some Styrofoam to fill the gaps as it is hard and your snake could not squeeze though and it is flexible enough so that you can press on it a bit to close the top tight and then use the tape on the outside once there is no gap left.

Tape is not a good idea, but if your going Lowe's or a hardware store, you might try foam weatherstriping.

What about that expanding Big Stuff Foam? I know that fills gaps and is used when people make those real life rock looking displays for their viv's. One warning though...if you are going to go that route, you must make sure it is completely dry and cured before putting your snake in, and I mean truly cured.

Just a suggestion.

can't you glue it together with some silicone or something?
if the snake comes tomorrow, I'd leave it in the transportbox till the silicone/foam completely dried

you can use silicone that is non-toxic which you will find at a fish store, it is the silicone used on aquariums.

I found some non-toxic silicone at Wal-Mart last night (only thing that was open)...dries in 1hr, cured in 12hrs. Got my snake this morning....everything with the viv looked good - dry, clean etc....
So now he is cruising around checking everything out!
This being my first snake - I actually ended up with a striped cal. king. Got him from Mark Lucas. Still looking for my first corn. Hoping to find one at the show in Clearwater on 4/22. (Maybe an aztec if I am lucky!)