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2nd-hand vivarium too big?

Zimmer

Zimmer

New member
Hello :eek: I recently picked up a previously used (for snakes) 40 gallon reptile terrarium with a huge wooden half-log hide, a giant climbing branch (driftwood maybe?) and some fake foliage and water dish. It was only $20 for everything, I couldn't pass it up. We don't have our snake yet, still in planning stages, but I hope to get one at the reptile expo near me in a couple weeks so I gotta get it all ready!!
So I have a couple questions....

1. Will vinegar water solution disinfect everything sufficiently or should I use bleach?
2. How do I sanitize the wooden hide and climbing log? I was told bake it at low temp but it's too big for the oven....
3. Should I partition off a section of the tank to make it a smaller area if I end up with a smaller snake? (I want to get a larger juvenile or young adult, not a tiny pencil-worm snake baby :laugh:)
**I have asked this 3rd question on a different group and got multiple differing responses. I realize a smaller snake will feel more secure in a smaller area but if I provide enough cover and hides, won't a larger area work also? Looking for people's personal experiences here, I would like to avoid sectioning off the tank if possible but obviously if it seems necessary I would do whatever is needed to make our future snakey feel at home!**
 
I would use bleach (1/4 cup to a gallon of water ratio), but you can actually buy a Reptile Cage cleaning solution at most pet shops.

I clean my hides with an old discarded toothbrush, warm water, and an anti-bacterial kitchen soap. I generally do this in the sink. and then let them dry before replacing them.

Partitioning off a big tank would be a good idea until the snake reaches adult size.

Yes, Corn snakes actually like a smaller tight fitting hide rather than something large.
 
The size of the tank really does not matter. I see people often say that you must keep baby corn snakes in small enclosures, but that is not how it is in the wild for them. Regardless of what size the tank is, make sure it's filled with hides, clutter, and ground cover. Two of my favorite items for babies are toilet paper tubes, cut lengthwise, and fake leafy vines from the dollar store. Corn snakes, especially when they're babies, like to hide a lot, so having sufficient ground cover will allow them to move around and still feel secure.
 
I agree with hypnoctopus that as long as you have enough hides, 40 gallons will not be too large.

Bleach would be a good way to clean the tank - just make sure you rinse it out extremely well! I would probably use something stronger than just vinegar for this first clean.

Personally, I would discard the wooden things and not use them for another snake. However, there are others that I am sure have experience with this situation so I'll defer to them.

Good luck with the setup!
 
The one wooden half log hide is huge.... I could almost have my husband saw it in half or thirds. It's probably a foot long by at least 6" wide and tall. Bleach solution and let it dry in the sun? And the driftwood is NOT real wood I finally layed hands on it and it's some type of plastic. So that's nice. I can't wait to get this all set up!!!! I think I am going to use aspen shavings for bedding. I like the idea of something they can burrow around in from what I have seen they seem to quite enjoy that? My concern with the aspen is my husband is a bit sensitive with respiratory irritants and I bet that aspen is real dusty and sneezy sometimes..... Are there any other materials or options that provide that nice burrowing feel but aren't wood? I still might use aspen but if I do, I suspect he will not be able to be around when I clean the tank or stir stuff up so idk :(
 
Aspen is great for burrowing, but if your husband is sensitive it very well might irritate him as it bothered me a lot (I have allergies to dust).

Aspen is the most commonly used and it is very safe (probably newsprint or papertowels are safer only because aspen poses a very, very small risk of impaction but 1000's of 1000's of people use it with only 1 to 2 incidents. Just something to be aware of though).

I switched from Aspen to papertowels about a year ago and both snakey and I are pleased. I have about a 10 layers of papertowels so my snake can still burrow in them. Considering buying stock in a paper towel company :)

As for other substrate ideas, I know there is a coconut eco earth thing that they can burrow in. Also, some people use what I think is called carefresh - which is basically shredded up soft paper. Not sure if that would be less dusty or not.
 
Carefresh is a little dusty but I would say less likely to be allergenic. I have used it for mice and snakes and I like it. Although I use aspen for all the snakes now.

Very important: any plastic hides or logs or other equipment, examine it really carefully for holes. A small snake can go into the holes and get stuck (or just really frustratingly not coming out for weeks at a time!). You can use a hot glue gun to plug them up. Holes of any size from a pinhole to the size of a softball with enclosed space behind them could potentially be a problem.
 
Thank you for the information I will have to look into this Carefresh. I think I recall using this back in my younger days of small rodent keeping..... I love the look of the aspen though. We shall see!!!! Also - thanks for the tip about plugging the holes I will have to check that driftwood log out really closely....
 
What size UTH is recommended for this size enclosure? This set up came with a small-ish looking one... Without knowing exact measurements I would say it covers about 1/4 of the tank bottom.
 
A UTH that is 1/4 to 1/3 the size of the bottom of the tank is perfect. The only thing is that you will want to make sure it doesn't get too hot. Most UTHs go up to over 100 degrees, but your ideal warm spot should be around 87. I don't know if you have a thermostat or a rheostat yet, but either of those are definitely recommended to controlling the temperature.
 
If you want a thermostat recommendation, the Hydrofarm one that is sold on Amazon.com is used by many members here, it pretty accurate and known to work well with heating mats. It is also one of the least expensive ones (about 29 dollars)
 
I actually use the Hydrofarm thermostat on my leopard gecko's UTH! Exactly what I was planning to purchase again. Also, just for the record: the UTH is 8"x12" and the tank is 18" wide and 36" long. So this is appropriately sized? It is what was used previously by the lady I got the setup from but she also gave me a couple heat lamps (which I don't plan to use), just made me wonder if she added the heat lamps due to the small heat area of the UTH or if she just didn't know any better?
 
I'd clean it with 30% ammonia. Ammonia kills _everything_.

CareFresh is nice for babies, but I don't like it very much, and am always glad when they switch to aspen. It gets in the water bowl, and sucks up all the water. If it gets wet, it molds. I don't care for the smell.

What's the screen like? Escape-proof? A yearling will be fine in a 40. A hatchling would be, too; the problem would be finding it.
 
So this is what the lid looks like. Also for reference, the UTH laying on top. Sorry it's so blurry lol

The lid seems a bit..... flimsy. I never thought about it really until you asked, but the little door is rickety with space all around and there's a good give to the whole lid when pressed from below. It slides on but you can raise it up a fair bit.

Is this replaceable with a different type of lid? Or is this is what I'm stuck with? :awcrap: I can reinforce it, but I'd rather spend a bit to get something secure from the start.

 
Also - I was thinking about painting it on the outside of the glass, on the sides and back? To enclose the area a little more for snake's sense of privacy/security? I like the look of that better as well. Do people do this? What would I use?
 
If you want a heftier screen look at Zilla screens - they have rigid metal ones that go over top and you can lock them down with velcro if you want. I have them on 2 of my tanks to stop my cats from breaking through the lightweight screens.

I guess you could paint the glass but why not just buy a roll of that aquarium background paper from a pet store? It's easier and less permanent. There are different designs.
 
I've been trying to figure out the best way to velcro my screen top to the aquarium. :shrugs:What's the best way?

*** Note: Nevermind! I figured it out. I just needed the type that has fuzzy side on one side and the plastic 'hooks' on the other side!
 
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Thanks for the tip on the Zilla screen! So does that just go over my exisiting lid? I do have a really nosy cat so this sounds like a great option. Trying to nail down my final shopping list for Amazon later today!! Are there any specific brands of Velcro straps you would recommend?
 
To be honest I have never used velcro. I have two that I just weigh down with stuff, and a third that goes right over top of the lighter screen for cat purposes. The two that are just weighted down are on females' tanks and they aren't aggressive at trying to escape. I can't speak for everyone else's snakes but I've done this for 3.5 years with no problems.
 
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