How does the new viv look?

[svt*girl]

I know it's a little big but we got it for free so we couldn't turn it down. Here are a few pics let me know what you think. We aren't through yet we still have stuff to add to it. Some more hides and stuff. I have heard some people talk about closing off half of it but I kinda think our snake will be fine. We haven't put him in it yet but he has always seemed really comfortable with being out in the open and since we first held him he was never jumpy or anything so he seems to be cool lol. Also what kind of snake do you think he is? We were told Candy Cane but I kinda think Amel.

 

[Maize411]

I really like the vivarium and he's definitely an amel :0)

a cutie amel at that

 

[mdrews]

Nice viv...and free!!!!remember, there's no such thing as too big!The more space the better!

 

[Jrgh17]

Very nice. I would put more hides in there while your snake is still small though. Toilet paper tubes work wonderfully.

 

[Jay@PJCReptiles]

Also what kind of snake do you think he is? We were told Candy Cane but I kinda think Amel.

A Candy Cane is a selectively bred Amel. What I would consider a Candy Cane would exhibit more of the red and white coloration and less of the orange. I would describe yours as a very nice Amel.

Nice viv...and free!!!!remember, there's no such thing as too big!The more space the better!

May I ask where you got this information from?
To the contrary, with a snake that small it would like a smaller environment compared to something that large as the larger area may be too much and cause stress for the snake. Cornsnakes, especially babies, prefer and tend to be very secretive and would prefer smaller places to feel secure. I wouldn't suggest anything bigger then a 10 gallon tank for a baby. The tank displayed by the OP looks like a 55 gallon to me and that, in my opinion, would be kind of big even for a very large adult Cornsnake. I would suggest getting a smaller tank for the small Amel until it got bigger, then, split the big tank in half and make room so the OP could have room for two Cornsnakes instead of one.
Everyone knows you can't have just one Cornsnake.
Jay

 

[Duff]

May I ask where you got this information from?
To the contrary, with a snake that small it would like a smaller environment compared to something that large as the larger area may be too much and cause stress for the snake. Cornsnakes, especially babies, prefer and tend to be very secretive and would prefer smaller places to feel secure. I wouldn't suggest anything bigger then a 10 gallon tank for a baby. The tank displayed by the OP looks like a 55 gallon to me and that, in my opinion, would be kind of big even for a very large adult Cornsnake. I would suggest getting a smaller tank for the small Amel until it got bigger, then, split the big tank in half and make room so the OP could have room for two Cornsnakes instead of one.
Everyone knows you can't have just one Cornsnake.
Jay

I'd have to respectfully disagree. Size, contrary to popular opinion, does not matter. What matters is well thought out placement of appropriately sized hides and cover. It's a glass viv. I don't think the snakes understands that the glass protects it. There's nothing wrong with starting small and upgrading, but I think it's a fallacy that it causes stress if you go straight for the full grown size home. Just make sure you fill it with hides and cover, as that is what counts.

 

[Jay@PJCReptiles]

I'd have to respectfully disagree. Size, contrary to popular opinion, does not matter. What matters is well thought out placement of appropriately sized hides and cover. It's a glass viv. I don't think the snakes understands that the glass protects it. There's nothing wrong with starting small and upgrading, but I think it's a fallacy that it causes stress if you go straight for the full grown size home. Just make sure you fill it with hides and cover, as that is what counts.

Agreed, on the fact of making more hiding places throughout the viv. But this will intern make the snake feel more secure via a smaller tighter place to be. I am pretty sure when she goes to look for such a small snake in that size tank it will be more likely to be found in one of the smaller hides and not out and about that viv.
Jay

 

[svt*girl]

Since we have put him in there he's pretty much stayed in the trees the whole time. At first he was staying in the small log hide but once he realized he had something to climb he's been glued to the tree lol. We have already added a few other hides since we took the picture so he will have plenty of hides. I also think he likes it in the tree b/c its right under the heat lamp cuz he likes to stay close to the top. We have a probe to check the temp. now and on the warm side it has been staying around 89 and the cool is like 77 so I think it's all good right now.

 

[Voodoo]

"At first he was staying in the small log hide but once he realized he had something to climb he's been glued to the tree."

Oh no! That's terrible..... You should never glue your snake to a tree!


Ok, I'm kidding. My amber corn used to do the same thing. Then, he got too big for the tree and kept knocking it over, so I had to buy him a bigger one. I didn't glue him to it though.

 

[svt*girl]

haha yea that glue is hard to get off of them lol

 

[Plissken]

Size, contrary to popular opinion, does not matter. What matters is well thought out placement of appropriately sized hides and cover. It's a glass viv. I don't think the snakes understands that the glass protects it. There's nothing wrong with starting small and upgrading, but I think it's a fallacy that it causes stress if you go straight for the full grown size home. Just make sure you fill it with hides and cover, as that is what counts.

I agree 100%.

Just a suggestion - have you thought about adding a background to the tank? I was just wondering if that mirror would confuse your corn at all.

Nice amel, too.

 

[Nanci]

Since we have put him in there he's pretty much stayed in the trees the whole time. At first he was staying in the small log hide but once he realized he had something to climb he's been glued to the tree lol.

I have one baby who doesn't use a hide at all, he just sleeps curled up in his vine.

One thing to make a viv "homier" is to take those suction cup silk vines and stick one to each end of the viv. I like the big wirey vines, too. I gave up on weaving them all around the other furnishings, though- they are too hard to remove if you have to hunt down your baby! Instead, I just scrunch one up, or half a vine if it's going into a ten gallon, and stuff it in there.

 

[Talinea]

The tank displayed by the OP looks like a 55 gallon to me and that, in my opinion, would be kind of big even for a very large adult Cornsnake. I would suggest getting a smaller tank for the small Amel until it got bigger, then, split the big tank in half and make room so the OP could have room for two Cornsnakes instead of one.

Hello!
I just read through this thread and was kind of surprised: A 55 gallon tank is "big even for a very large adult corn snake"? Really?
In Germany there are official guidelines (not laws, but kind-of) that recommend a overall tank size of "snake lenght * snake lenght * 0,5 snake lenght", say, for a corn of 1m lenght 1x1x0,5 metres = 500 lit = 111 gallons. That is, for an adult corn even bigger than the 55 gallons!

I don't want to offend someone, you all breed and keep more corns than I will do in my whole life. I'm only confused about the different ideas about appropiate tank size.
In fact I'm sure that, despite the guideline, many people around here keep their corns in smaller vivs. In fact my adults (approx. 1,60m) live in tanks of around 550 lit = 122 gallons, smaller than they should be, but I add climbing and resting possibilities by many branches and platforms.
As far as I know, the guidelines aren't controlled that strict, but if you are inspected and the vet/inspector doesn't accept your keeping conditions, he could at worst case take away your animal...

Are there any guidelines like that in US or GB? I'm really interested

As already stated the pure size of a viv is not the only matter, the snake needs possibilities to hide and to climb (otherwise you could just forget the upper 60cm of your tank if your corn can't use ist anyway )

And in my humble opinion a viv can't be too big. It can have few hiding places, it can have too much open space, it can be cleaned poorly or be too cold - but if corns couldn't stand space, how do they go on in nature?
If they burrow, hide or climb as hatchlings, let them do - for my snakes I think they live better in bigger vivs with much hiding possibilities than in smaller ones with two hides and a water bowl.

But that's just my thing - what do you think?

 

[Jrgh17]

Hello!
I just read through this thread and was kind of surprised: A 55 gallon tank is "big even for a very large adult corn snake"? Really?
In Germany there are official guidelines (not laws, but kind-of) that recommend a overall tank size of "snake lenght * snake lenght * 0,5 snake lenght", say, for a corn of 1m lenght 1x1x0,5 metres = 500 lit = 111 gallons. That is, for an adult corn even bigger than the 55 gallons!

I don't want to offend someone, you all breed and keep more corns than I will do in my whole life. I'm only confused about the different ideas about appropiate tank size.
In fact I'm sure that, despite the guideline, many people around here keep their corns in smaller vivs. In fact my adults (approx. 1,60m) live in tanks of around 550 lit = 122 gallons, smaller than they should be, but I add climbing and resting possibilities by many branches and platforms.
As far as I know, the guidelines aren't controlled that strict, but if you are inspected and the vet/inspector doesn't accept your keeping conditions, he could at worst case take away your animal...

Are there any guidelines like that in US or GB? I'm really interested

Not really. For animals you have a have a permit for (and even that depends on the state), they could TECHNICALLY come inspect your housing and revoke your permit... but I have NEVER heard of it happening. In any case, corns aren't regulated in any way in many states.

The minimum size tank for a fully grown adult corn is a 20 gallon long. I'd say it's about a foot high, a foot deep, and three feet long.

As already stated the pure size of a viv is not the only matter, the snake needs possibilities to hide and to climb (otherwise you could just forget the upper 60cm of your tank if your corn can't use ist anyway )

And in my humble opinion a viv can't be too big. It can have few hiding places, it can have too much open space, it can be cleaned poorly or be too cold - but if corns couldn't stand space, how do they go on in nature?
If they burrow, hide or climb as hatchlings, let them do - for my snakes I think they live better in bigger vivs with much hiding possibilities than in smaller ones with two hides and a water bowl.

But that's just my thing - what do you think?

Personally, I don't think my corns care about their enclosure in the slightest as long as their needs are met. They need shelter. They need food. They need water. They need proper humidity. They need to be able to thermoregulate. I honestly don't think that cornsnakes have enough intelligence to experience 'happiness', at least the way that human beings do. Either their needs are being met or they aren't. :shrugs:

The only way that I think bigger is better is it gives more exercise room for the snake. But you can do the same workout jogging on a treadmill that you can do jogging around the block.