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My tank setup, comments appreciated

A

Aremus

New member
Hiya, I'm relatively new here, about a month on the forums doing research for my first cornsnake, a reverse okeetee hatchling that I should have in a few days. Figured I'd post a few pic's of my tank set up and see if you guys see anything that screams mistake! As I said, I've been doing research so everything should be in good shape.
General description: 10 gallon for as long as hes comfortable, I have to go mobile every 4 months for the next few years, but I will switch him to his final cage as soon as he out grows this.

Left side is "hot", is being monitored by a digital thermometer w/ probe, using a friends old 8x12inch zoomed heat pad under the tank which is hooked up to a Big apple thermostat. Digital thermometer reads 79 when the pad goes on 85-86 when it goes off, this is after a week of adjustments to the stat.
Right side has a silver dial hydro- I live in the Mississippi delta: humidity is 60% year round, and gold dial thermo which is ~75 usually.
Cage1.jpg

Here's a pick w/o the foilage and vines.
Left is 2 shells (sanded for smoothness) on top of each other with a hollow that could hold an average sock. On the right is a half burried long shotglass.
Center is an upside down candle holder, Im replacing it with a better hide though, this one has no entrance except through the shavings.
Cage2.jpg
 
humid hide

I own 2 corns. Both LOVE their humid hides. I tried out the "Zoo Med Repti Shelter 3 in 1 Cave" small size for my 2' corn. Stuffed it with moss from the pet store an and misted every few days when it dries out.

http://www.petco.com/Shop/AlternateImages.aspx?FamilyID=15053&sku=

"Spud", my 2' (92g) Okeetee corn, will burrow under the moss and curl up snuggly inside the hide and stays there for long periods of time. Seems to really, really like it. I thought about getting the medium size cause the small seemed too small, but actually the tight fit is good for snakes, they like being in tight areas where there isnt space above or on the side of them. Makes them feel safe I guess. For my smaller corn I bought a cheap plastic humid hide that is shaped to fit in the corner of the tank to save space. "Xaero", my 15" (23g) Blizzard corn loves his hide, too. This hide is "Lee's Shedding Stump". Plastic, but the snakes dont seem to know the difference. AND...it lists as $8 at Petsmart, but if you are a Petsmart member (just fill out the leaflit and turn it in and you get a card with saves you on lots of stuff) it only cost me $4. Compared the to 3in1 cave which is $16.99.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/zoom/index.jsp?productId=2752577


p.s. Remember the moss and misting every few days!
 
Mate, that looks freaking perfect! :) I think you mentioned just about everything there. Kudos to you for doing that research, its paid off.

The only thing i can think of you didn't mention, and can't see in the pictures was the lid. It looks like its gonna be one of the plastic slidy mesh types? Was just going to say about escape proofing, ie. using clips, but i'm sure you already know that too ;)

All the best

Tom
 
And if you don't mind never seeing your snake...lol, you can buy a fake branch that has many holes and passageways which your snake will never come out of. Very good for a stress free snake. And when you need to get him out of the log, lure him out with a tasty mouse. I used one for awhile for my baby snake, and to feed him i would take the whole branch out of the cage and place it in a feeding tank. Then I would wiggle a mouse around outside one of the holes. And after a few seconds, his little head pops out to investigate, smells the mouse, extends, strikes, then back into the safety of his branch.
 
theMeanGreen said:
And if you don't mind never seeing your snake...lol, you can buy a fake branch that has many holes and passageways which your snake will never come out of. Very good for a stress free snake. And when you need to get him out of the log, lure him out with a tasty mouse. I used one for awhile for my baby snake, and to feed him i would take the whole branch out of the cage and place it in a feeding tank. Then I would wiggle a mouse around outside one of the holes. And after a few seconds, his little head pops out to investigate, smells the mouse, extends, strikes, then back into the safety of his branch.
Click to expand...

That's not a good idea. I've personally seen snakes get stuck in hides like that, and there are a few horror stories here about similar incidents.

Also, Corn snakes don't need a constant humid hide and/or misting every few days. The only time you need to mist and/or provide a humid hide is when they're in blue.
 
"Also, Corn snakes don't need a constant humid hide and/or misting every few days. The only time you need to mist and/or provide a humid hide is when they're in blue."

Good point. Thanks for saying that. What info i am tryign to pass on is only that your snake will like a humid hide.

Is it ok to keep the moss "wet" all the time though? I mean just barely wet to the touch? Or does it need to be dry all the time except when in the blue?

"That's not a good idea. I've personally seen snakes get stuck in hides like that, and there are a few horror stories here about similar incidents."

And as for the branch not a good idea, what is this horror story you speak of? When you say stuck, do you mean he couldnt fit through the holes, or just wouldnt come out? I realize that if you are anxious to get your snake out, you are SOL. You wont get your snake out quickly. But its a good stressfree hide. But im no expert, I just like snakes and am always learning more.
 
I personally have had to help the guys in my local rep shop get a corn out of a cork tube hide, that the owners let him eat in, because he eventually grew too big to get out of through the entry holes and we had to very gently cut the log away from the snake. Some corns will go for security over everything else, not all corns are this silly but it does happen.

I still use cork tubes for my corns, but I cut them in half length wise first and tie them back together with string. This way if the snake refuses to come out for feeding, then I can undo the string and gain access :)

Aremus, your tank is looking pretty darn good, as TW said a good fitting escape proof lid is a must, but you've probably got that covered :)

The glass/see through hides might need to be blacked out, by using paper to cover them or something, or your snake may still feel exposed. Any household boxes can be used for hides, providing they've not contained anything toxic and are a nice tight fit for your snake to get into :)

Hope that helps,
 
Thanks for the input!
I'm using a standard cheap wire frame lid right now, the kind that just sits on top, I'm in the process of escape proofing it with duct tape to close off some of the open corners (there are some pretty bad gaps in it) and bending in the edges to make it snap around the edge of the plastic on the tank. For now its going to be weights on the edges to keep it secure, but hopefully I'll have some good locking clips in within a week, may see if I cant find some when I pick up the snake tomorrow.

As for a humid hide, I've read that 40-50% humidity is fine for corns, and since his cage rests at ~60% (WITHOUT water in the bowl) the tank should be humid enough. I'd rather the snake be a little less comfortable than risk scale rot.

As suggested I'll put some paper in the shot glass.
 
Aremus said:
Thanks for the input!
I'm using a standard cheap wire frame lid right now, the kind that just sits on top, I'm in the process of escape proofing it with duct tape to close off some of the open corners (there are some pretty bad gaps in it) and bending in the edges to make it snap around the edge of the plastic on the tank. For now its going to be weights on the edges to keep it secure, but hopefully I'll have some good locking clips in within a week, may see if I cant find some when I pick up the snake tomorrow.

As for a humid hide, I've read that 40-50% humidity is fine for corns, and since his cage rests at ~60% (WITHOUT water in the bowl) the tank should be humid enough. I'd rather the snake be a little less comfortable than risk scale rot.

As suggested I'll put some paper in the shot glass.
Click to expand...

Seriously a corns lid has to be very escape proof, so theres absolutely no way they can get out, if there is, (even if you think it would be very improbable) it will find the tiny weakness and leave through it., they remember the escape points once found to and keep going back too.

So your lid needs to be secure and tight fitting, ie.no gaps whatsoever

Also using tape in a snake vivarium is never advisable, it can cause serious skin damage.

All the best
Tom
 
The tape is only on the corners that are allready where they snake shouldnt be able to get to, but if there is a weekness in the lids fit, its on the corners, especially the left front one where my thermo and stat probes run. I've covered it all very well so that there are no sticy areas. Now that I've bent in the edges, it takes some prying a decent amount of pressure to remove it, and I'll have at least 12-15 lbs of text books on it for added security.
 
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