A blank canvas. Suggestions needed badly.

Ignore the reflection, and the hazy water mark area on the top 2-3 inches of the glass, it used to be way worse but I managed to clean it that much. Sir Blinky used to live in a regular 20 gallon aquarium, but he quickly out grew it (not really outgrew, I just wanted something a little bigger I think) and I got this 55 gallon tank from a coworker and I like it much more. Although I've had it since the beginning of February I haven't had much chance to really deck it out because Sir Blinky decided to go on an insane spring time induced eating strike. He was super active and would totally ignore anything new I tried to install so I just kept it basic. Now he's back to acting normal though, and I would like to make this tank look less.... Basic? Boring.

After he outgrew 2 of his old hides I needed a cool side hide very badly, so my ingenious dad (sarcasm lol) decided to make him a 2 and a half story corn flake box hide, and wouldn't you know it Sir Blinky loved it. So that's what that big thing on the far end is. There is a paper towel tube in front of it, and one behind that log/rock that you can't see in the pic. The warm end is the nearest one, with the rock. There is a rock and connected is one of those 'large' hides that you can buy that looks like a rock? I completely buried it and connected the two under the bedding and he loves it. The log on top is normally propped up on this near end so it's in the air. I have tried fake plants and climbing branches and he didn't ever use them so I took em out. The rock that you can see a small bit of is from the creek, and the log is from the hill behind my house (both have been thoroughly cleaned and I've used them both for more than a year now).

So those are the details, the water bowl is a simple plastic Christmas themed bowl that held some cookies a long time ago. I am literally 100% open for any ideas, replacing any of the current hides. I am actually wanting to replace the corn flake box as soon as I can, but no matter how much I look online I cannot find anything that really grabs me. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm open for any _SIMPLE_ DIYs, or anything you can purchase online, if y'all have any go-to favorites.

It's a really open ended question, I know.... Basically what I'm asking is, imagine you had this very tank. What would you do with it?


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If he likes the corn flakes box, I say stick with it. If it's the look of corn flakes (appropriate choice of cereal, by the way) you don't like, you can use colored paper, wrapping paper, or even paper mache the outside to look more decorative or more naturalistic. Or hide it under vines and greenery. The only downfall of this type of hide is it will all need to be replaced eventually, since paper can't be disinfected.
My only other thought was that I have many decorations that my snakes never use, but I keep them anyway because I think it makes my cage look nicer to me. I like having lots of fake plants and whatnot because I think the greenery is beautiful. And since most people look around in there and think it's an empty cage (unless you know where to look and exactly what you're looking for, they really are very effective hiders) I figure it might as well be a pretty empty cage. LOL.

Suction on fake plants all over the back wall. The snakies love them, they can hide under them and climb up in them. Even my almost 600g girl loves climbing in them and the suction holds her weight well.

I also have a fake resin tree structure from the NatGeo line @ Petsmart. You can lean more branches on it at an angle to create a fun climbing structure.

I actually think the boxes are great. Easy to replace if they get soiled and very cheap to replace as your snake grows. If you do decide to cover it, just make sure you don't use any tape!

Best of luck

lots and lots of those suction cup vines and plants. That tank is quite big, and Corn snakes actually prefer a lot of "Cover" over the "Wide open Spaces."

Thanks for the ideas! They were exactly what I was looking for I love the idea to cover the cereal box with some sort of paper, and I really like the fake suction plants. I'll be moving his viv within the next week or so, so I think I'll go ahead and do both of those things for sure. I am also gonna prop he log back up into the air and maybe add some fake vines to it.

I have another idea, and what to know what someone thinks:

You know those large fake castles/shipwrecks you can get for fish tanks? Is it ok to put those inside, or should I not? I was thinking about buying one new, a really large one as like a center piece, and add some fake vines in/throughout it, then having the vines on the back glass and around his log. Then taking the same color of paper as the rest of the deco and covering the corn flake box, just so it is more neutral and sort of fits in a little better, what do y'all think?


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Originally Posted by jagodzinski

Suction on fake plants all over the back wall. The snakies love them, they can hide under them and climb up in them. Even my almost 600g girl loves climbing in them and the suction holds her weight well.

I also have a fake resin tree structure from the NatGeo line @ Petsmart. You can lean more branches on it at an angle to create a fun climbing structure.

I actually think the boxes are great. Easy to replace if they get soiled and very cheap to replace as your snake grows. If you do decide to cover it, just make sure you don't use any tape!

Best of luck

Yes, use glue or paperfolds, not tape! Thanks jagodzinski, I forgot to mention that.

Originally Posted by Jupiter

I have another idea, and what to know what someone thinks:

You know those large fake castles/shipwrecks you can get for fish tanks? Is it ok to put those inside, or should I not? I was thinking about buying one new, a really large one as like a center piece, and add some fake vines in/throughout it, then having the vines on the back glass and around his log. Then taking the same color of paper as the rest of the deco and covering the corn flake box, just so it is more neutral and sort of fits in a little better, what do y'all think?


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Wonderful idea, except for one thing: MAKE SURE you DON'T get one that has any TIGHT or INTRICATELY NARROW nooks & crannies where your snake can literally go and get LOST in or NOT COME OUT OF!!

I've read some brutal horror stories where people had to submerge ceramic logs or varnished tree-trunks under water for hours or had to use a hacksaw to TRY and get at their little sneaky ones, who just WILL find a way into the tightest creases known to humans! Thankfully, the stories I read all had happy endings, but I wouldn't want yours or ANYONE'S pets to be the first I read about that ended badly!

Just a friendly word of caution! An ounce of prevention . . .

Forgot to mention: I've probably spent in the THOUSANDS (literally!) on hides and decorations for my vivs over the years and most have either been given away or sit in a storage bin in a basement somewhere but the BEST hides I EVER gave my snakes were the ones that didn't have the best aesthetic qualities. A roll from the inside of a roll of Bounty paper towels can last a month for a yearling and a toilet-paper tube at least a week for a hatchling! My big guys LOVE hiding under the mostly-flat cardboard boxes that a case of canned cat food comes in. I just cut a little entranceway on one side and typically, you'll see them popping their head out of it an hour later as if to say, "Thanx Fella!!" And a plastic tub that butter or margarine comes in makes a GREAT hide if you cut a small hole in one side and just turn it upside-down with the cover on. You can put some bedding in it and remove it for spot-cleaning as necessary. I wish I had a dime for every hide I purchased! Fuhgeddaboudit!!

(Oh well, I DO admit I'm NOT the BRIGHTEST BULB on the MARQUEE!! But I AM getting BETTER! I USED to think Hamburger Helper came with another PERSON!!)

About the nooks and crannies in castles, etc. They can be filled with aquarium safe silicone that has been fully cured. This makes it much safer for them and less exciting for you!

Dittos on the suction cup vines. As I sit and write this the two snakes in the two vivs in my bedroom are sitting curled up in their suction cup vines. To affix them firmly, moisten the suction cup with water and then push them down to get as much air out as possible. Give them a tug every week or so and the chances of falling vines and crashing snakes are few (though sometimes the snakes still crash all on their own, lol.)

You can also make fake rock hides to your liking pretty cheap if you goto any art store and get the styrofoam and shape it then paint it and seal it there a million tutorials on YouTube