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Cheap Housing...
- Thread starter Serpwidgets
- Start date
Darin Chappell
Very Senior Hillbilly
I'm all for having adequate housing of animals. However, we need to understand that "adequate" means meeting the needs of the animals themselves, rather than being aesthetically pleasing to humans. That being the case, here is what cornsnakes need to thrive:
1. Heat
2. Water
3. Food
4. Humidity
Everything else is just for our enjoyment as keepers. In the wild, if a snake has all of its basic needs met, you know where it is? Under a piece of tin or something, not moving at all. Unless the snake is hungry, thirsty, cold, hot, dry or looking for a mate, it is COMPLETELY content to be just lying in one spot digesting its last meal.
You'll notice that I didn't have hides on that list. One of the cool things about the less transparent forums of the rubbermaids is that they also obscure vision of the snake enough to cause them less need for hides. They often get up and move around more in rubbermaids than they do in glass tanks, because the proximity of people doesn't scare them into their hides during daylight hours!
1. Heat
2. Water
3. Food
4. Humidity
Everything else is just for our enjoyment as keepers. In the wild, if a snake has all of its basic needs met, you know where it is? Under a piece of tin or something, not moving at all. Unless the snake is hungry, thirsty, cold, hot, dry or looking for a mate, it is COMPLETELY content to be just lying in one spot digesting its last meal.
You'll notice that I didn't have hides on that list. One of the cool things about the less transparent forums of the rubbermaids is that they also obscure vision of the snake enough to cause them less need for hides. They often get up and move around more in rubbermaids than they do in glass tanks, because the proximity of people doesn't scare them into their hides during daylight hours!
Serpwidgets
New member
Definitely a soldering iron...
I agree, Clint. You can buy a cheap one at Radio Shack, for like $5-10. It's way easier, just pushes right through with little or no resistance. I drilled a couple boxes and my arm was sore, not a problem with the soldering iron. It also doesn't make a huge mess of plastic shavings to clean up. And, it makes smooth holes... the excess just beads around the hole to "soften" the edges.
The only problem I ran into was this: if you go like mad it will lose too much heat and be harder to push through... so just take a quick break while it heats back up.
Oh and of course make sure you are aware that those things are HOT and can burn you and other stuff, so be careful.
I agree, Clint. You can buy a cheap one at Radio Shack, for like $5-10. It's way easier, just pushes right through with little or no resistance. I drilled a couple boxes and my arm was sore, not a problem with the soldering iron. It also doesn't make a huge mess of plastic shavings to clean up. And, it makes smooth holes... the excess just beads around the hole to "soften" the edges.
The only problem I ran into was this: if you go like mad it will lose too much heat and be harder to push through... so just take a quick break while it heats back up.
Oh and of course make sure you are aware that those things are HOT and can burn you and other stuff, so be careful.
pinatamonkey
Ophidiophile
cka said:
Big Lots is a chain store that sells closeout merchandise. At their website http://www.biglots.com/ you can enter your zip code and it'll find stores near you.
Gregg
Ancient Elder
Re: Definitely a soldering iron...
I agree with you, Serpwidgets; a soldering iron is the way to go.
I'll just add a few words of advice--if no one else has done so already: use a dust-mask and give yourself plenty of ventilation. You don't want to be breathing the fumes as they roll up under your nose. Smoke from burning plastic may be extremely hazardous to your health, now, and on down the road. Raising snakes should be fun, but not a cancer causing activity.
Serpwidgets said:I agree, Clint. You can buy a cheap one at Radio Shack, for like $5-10. It's way easier, just pushes right through with little or no resistance. I drilled a couple boxes and my arm was sore, not a problem with the soldering iron. It also doesn't make a huge mess of plastic shavings to clean up. And, it makes smooth holes... the excess just beads around the hole to "soften" the edges.
The only problem I ran into was this: if you go like mad it will lose too much heat and be harder to push through... so just take a quick break while it heats back up.
Oh and of course make sure you are aware that those things are HOT and can burn you and other stuff, so be careful.
I agree with you, Serpwidgets; a soldering iron is the way to go.
I'll just add a few words of advice--if no one else has done so already: use a dust-mask and give yourself plenty of ventilation. You don't want to be breathing the fumes as they roll up under your nose. Smoke from burning plastic may be extremely hazardous to your health, now, and on down the road. Raising snakes should be fun, but not a cancer causing activity.