i noticed everyone elses vivs had tons of stuf.. like logs ang plants branches etc. mine is about 18 in tall and i only use about 4 inches.. alll i have in there are the hides and water bowl.. i was wondering if it would be ok to go in my back yard vut off a branch clean it and pace it in my viv?? i have a lot of fire wood and wanted to know if that would be ok to use as well.. or if it all has to be fake stuff..
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what kind of decorations?
- Thread starter newtocorn
- Start date
Keeper-Of-Cornsnakes
The Keeper of cornsnakes.
I heard something about that you gotta heat it in the oven if you do like that, but other peopel will know better, so I will keep and eye here, might catch something new 
dpreston66
New member
Keeper-Of-Cornsnakes
The Keeper of cornsnakes.
Hi!
Another possibility to kill unwanted passengers on natural material can be freezing - depends of course on the size and power of your fridge
You could also build up climbing solutions from styrofoam and cover them with plaster, tile adhesive or something alike. When dried you can paint the construction (like stone, wood or what you like) and cover it with some kind of non-toxic laquer, e.g. how it's used for toys.
This way you can build complex wall structures (be sure to secure it with non-toxic adhesive), my snakes love these to climb and rest on - you can form "stone walls" with restig platforms so your corns can use the full height of your tank and you have something nice to look at
If someone is interested/confused I can take some pics of my tank to show waht I mean
Another possibility to kill unwanted passengers on natural material can be freezing - depends of course on the size and power of your fridge
You could also build up climbing solutions from styrofoam and cover them with plaster, tile adhesive or something alike. When dried you can paint the construction (like stone, wood or what you like) and cover it with some kind of non-toxic laquer, e.g. how it's used for toys.
This way you can build complex wall structures (be sure to secure it with non-toxic adhesive), my snakes love these to climb and rest on - you can form "stone walls" with restig platforms so your corns can use the full height of your tank and you have something nice to look at
If someone is interested/confused I can take some pics of my tank to show waht I mean
Hi!
Another possibility to kill unwanted passengers on natural material can be freezing - depends of course on the size and power of your fridge
You could also build up climbing solutions from styrofoam and cover them with plaster, tile adhesive or something alike. When dried you can paint the construction (like stone, wood or what you like) and cover it with some kind of non-toxic laquer, e.g. how it's used for toys.
This way you can build complex wall structures (be sure to secure it with non-toxic adhesive), my snakes love these to climb and rest on - you can form "stone walls" with restig platforms so your corns can use the full height of your tank and you have something nice to look at
If someone is interested/confused I can take some pics of my tank to show waht I mean
im somehwat confused... i had thought of making something like this but white some foamy stuff we have here at work to package things.. i wasnt sure if it would be toxic or not to the snakes...
but what your tlkin about sounds nice.. pics please:crazy02:
Hello!
I took some pics from one of my smaller tanks: Here I made a back-wall-covering from styrofoam that was cut in form of a stone wall.
A small snake can climb using the "joints" between the "bricks" or climb over the braches I attached on the walls (somewhere you can see pieces of hot-melt adhesive, I'm sorry about it, Pietro just decided to "remove" some of the decoration :crazy02: )
I also made some platforms from styrofoam, when I put a piece of cork on it my snake loves to lie there.
The last pic shows another tank in the "pure styrofoam"-phase
The (rough) steps to make such a back-wall:
You need:
- sheets of styrofoam/polystyrene, about 2-4cm thick
- glue (to be used with styrofoam, so must be solvent-free)
- water-resistant plaster, tile adhesive ore alike
- clear laquer/varnish (solvent-free/childproof)
- acrylic colors (solvent-free)
1. Cut a piece of styrofoam of the size of the back wall of your tank. On this piece the background-structures etc. will be glued.
2. Cut the rest of styrofoam into the structures you want on the back-wall-covering, this could be "bricks", "rock-structures", "trees" or whatever you like.
3. Glue the structures on the wall-sized piece of styrofoam.
4. When everything dried, mix the plaster and brush it onto the whole construction. You may need some layers (3-5) until the surface is solid enough.
5. Now you can paint the back-wall-covering as you like, in my case I used light brown to imitate freestone (the frilled lizard is a bonus )
6. Then paint the whole surface with the solvent-free varnish.
7. Finally glue the piece into your tank - it's important to do this because otherwise it wouldn't be safe for your snake to climb on. Be sure the piece fits tight, small snakes will love to crawl behind it
Note: Steps 4-6 refer to all surfaces on the construction that are visible/have contact to your snake. If you glue it to the back wall of your tank you don't have to care about the backside of the styrofoam as no one will see it or no-snake will touch it
I hope this gives you some ideas about it, you have fantastic possibilities to create a tank both enjoyable for you and your snake
I took some pics from one of my smaller tanks: Here I made a back-wall-covering from styrofoam that was cut in form of a stone wall.
A small snake can climb using the "joints" between the "bricks" or climb over the braches I attached on the walls (somewhere you can see pieces of hot-melt adhesive, I'm sorry about it, Pietro just decided to "remove" some of the decoration :crazy02: )
I also made some platforms from styrofoam, when I put a piece of cork on it my snake loves to lie there.
The last pic shows another tank in the "pure styrofoam"-phase
The (rough) steps to make such a back-wall:
You need:
- sheets of styrofoam/polystyrene, about 2-4cm thick
- glue (to be used with styrofoam, so must be solvent-free)
- water-resistant plaster, tile adhesive ore alike
- clear laquer/varnish (solvent-free/childproof)
- acrylic colors (solvent-free)
1. Cut a piece of styrofoam of the size of the back wall of your tank. On this piece the background-structures etc. will be glued.
2. Cut the rest of styrofoam into the structures you want on the back-wall-covering, this could be "bricks", "rock-structures", "trees" or whatever you like.
3. Glue the structures on the wall-sized piece of styrofoam.
4. When everything dried, mix the plaster and brush it onto the whole construction. You may need some layers (3-5) until the surface is solid enough.
5. Now you can paint the back-wall-covering as you like, in my case I used light brown to imitate freestone (the frilled lizard is a bonus
)6. Then paint the whole surface with the solvent-free varnish.
7. Finally glue the piece into your tank - it's important to do this because otherwise it wouldn't be safe for your snake to climb on. Be sure the piece fits tight, small snakes will love to crawl behind it
Note: Steps 4-6 refer to all surfaces on the construction that are visible/have contact to your snake. If you glue it to the back wall of your tank you don't have to care about the backside of the styrofoam as no one will see it or no-snake will touch it
I hope this gives you some ideas about it, you have fantastic possibilities to create a tank both enjoyable for you and your snake
Attachments
Blue Apple Herps
aka Matthew, PhD
Also keep in mind the ease of keeping them clean. I used to have fancy elaborate decorated cages - but they were a pain to clean. I'd have to remove everything to dig around for the poop, clean off all the decorations when they were soiled, and on and on. Just something to keep in mind.
Yes, you are totally right, one important thing I forgot to mention!
Don't create caves or surfaces where you can't easily reach to! The varnish must be glossy and robust enough to be cleaned with a brush or rough sponge.
I know someone to clean his decorations with a toothbrush, but not everyone has this amount of time and nerves! :crazy02:
Choose plastic plants and if real wood, use branches and cork with kind of smooth surface that you can clean better.
It is possible to bake wood and cork in the oven every some months or weeks (depends on size and "usage" of the tank ), plastic flowers/plants can be cleaned with desinfectant and boiling water.
Of course the use of complex decorations takes some extra efforts, it's way easier to use newspaper, cardboard boxes and plain plastic.
If you don't mind cleaning now and then, you can use decorations on many ways to make you (and probably your snake) feeling more comfortable in a tank.
Much luck
Don't create caves or surfaces where you can't easily reach to! The varnish must be glossy and robust enough to be cleaned with a brush or rough sponge.
I know someone to clean his decorations with a toothbrush, but not everyone has this amount of time and nerves! :crazy02:
Choose plastic plants and if real wood, use branches and cork with kind of smooth surface that you can clean better.
It is possible to bake wood and cork in the oven every some months or weeks (depends on size and "usage" of the tank
), plastic flowers/plants can be cleaned with desinfectant and boiling water.Of course the use of complex decorations takes some extra efforts, it's way easier to use newspaper, cardboard boxes and plain plastic.
If you don't mind cleaning now and then, you can use decorations on many ways to make you (and probably your snake) feeling more comfortable in a tank.
Much luck