• Hello!

    Either you have not registered on this site yet, or you are registered but have not logged in. In either case, you will not be able to use the full functionality of this site until you have registered, and then logged in after your registration has been approved.

    Registration is FREE, so please register so you can participate instead of remaining a lurker....

    Please be certain that the location field is correctly filled out when you register. All registrations that appear to be bogus will be rejected. Which means that if your location field does NOT match the actual location of your registration IP address, then your registration will be rejected.

    Sorry about the strictness of this requirement, but it is necessary to block spammers and scammers at the door as much as possible.

First cage setup - pic, any advice?

ladyq1

ladyq1

Often lurking...
I just got all the parts to set up my 10 gallon for a new young cornsnake sometime in the near future. Its an old 10g of mine, with some stains, but it is very clean, I scrubbed it down and soaked it in some 10% bleach for 30 minutes before rinsing until the bleach smell was gone, then rinsing it several times, then rinsing it a few more times for good measure.

I'm still messing with the top - I'm on my second set of clips that I don't like (tried some that were kinda 7 shaped that were strong, but near impossible for me to move to open the tank, and others that are G shaped that just don't seem to hold the top down securely, bleh)

I intend to put aspen in there eventually, but wanted the paper for the first little while to make it easier to monitor feces, urates, etc. I didn't have any newspaper, so I used a piece of brown paper from a paperbag. Its folderd up a bit in the front corner because of the thermostat and thermometer probes.

I have the thermostat with a probe over the UTH and set to approximately 85 degrees (with a second digital thermometer there so I can see what temperatures its reading...later I'll put that on the 'cool' side to monitor to make sure there is a decent gradient.

I have a cardboard tube across the back (old wrapping paper tube), with openings cut back at either end and the center, so that it can be used as a hide that goes across the whole gradient. I also have 2 acrylic half logs, identical one on each side, to give comparable hiding spot options, and a water dish in the center that should be big enough for a little guy to crawl into completely.

I have a picture here, any suggestions, feedback, problems, etc are welcome any appreciated! Looking forward to hopefully getting my first corn soon! :D

15321_336246222209_744892209_3438374_7471388_n.jpg
 
Looks like an excellent start. Your snake will prefer the aspen naturally. They like to burrow and it makes spot cleaning much easier.
 
It looks good. The only thing is the log hides are probably going to be too big for the snake to feel comfortable in (here assuming you're getting a hatchling). That's not exactly a problem, though, since you have the tube hide along the back. More foliage at floor-level, especially toward the front, would make it more cozy for a young snake.

There's nothing wrong with using paper as a substrate. Though, plain paper towel might be easier, lol! Using paper for the quarantine period is a good idea, anyway. Not only can you watch their feces, but you can also watch for mites.. Not as easy on a brown paper, but still easier than on aspen.
 
Yes, if you bow down and let the snake whisper in your ear, he'll tell you that he prefers aspen. That's what snakes make their furniture out of in the wild. They like to sit on a nice fluffy aspen sofa and de-stress and relax after a hard day of sitting under a rock.

Check out EcoEarth too, it's pretty good stuff.
 
lilwing89 said:
Yes, if you bow down and let the snake whisper in your ear, he'll tell you that he prefers aspen. That's what snakes make their furniture out of in the wild. They like to sit on a nice fluffy aspen sofa and de-stress and relax after a hard day of sitting under a rock.

Check out EcoEarth too, it's pretty good stuff.
Click to expand...

Weren't you getting all upset in your thread because of people posting condescending comments? Pot, meet Kettle. :rolleyes:
 
So would aspen be better right at first then? I had read in a couple of places that when you first get a snake its better to use newspaper or something similar so you can monitor their droppings more easily, and make sure everything is ok. But I do have a big bag of aspen (right next to the cage in that picture actually) that I can definitely add - I certainly think it would look better, I just wanted to make sure I could monitor the snake as necessary!

Thanks for all the input! :D Does anyone have any recommendations on their preferred top clips? I saw something about tops from walmart that sit in the frame and lock on, I'm thinking of looking into one of those, I'm just not happy with any of the clips I've tried yet. :p If I hadn't had the tank already, I'd have bought the critter cage with the sliding top, but since I already owned this tank and top....oh well, I'm thinking this won't likely be my only one, so I can get critter cages for the next ones! :D
 
use the paper towels at first it is easier to monitor the feces and for mites btw nice ste up for your first one. please post pictures when you get your new corn.
 
I would use aspen, since then the snake can burrow or move it to block the openings of those hiding places a bit.

Besides that and the height, it looks good. Just realize that you WILL have to expand to at least a 20 gal (so I hear) when it's older.
 
Aspen all the way snake poo looks wrong anyway...seriously. DO NOT use ecoearth with a corn it's too moist and will cause scale rot not to mention corns don't need the high humidity ecoearth provides:) Good luck!!
 
I have a spare 20g sitting around too, and a 40g breeder sized critter cage (sliding top) if I decide I want to use that - I'd need to repair the screen top a bit (my rats destroyed a corner of it at one point), but it would give an adult corn more than enough room I think! I just don't want to 'lose' a baby in all the space of a 20L or 40b tank right now, heh.

Thanks for all the advice everyone, I really appreciate all the information!
 
I'd add a suction cup vine on each side. I'd get rid of the half-log hides and get a couple really low fake rock hides. Other than that, very nice! Well, except I put new snakes right on aspen. They love to burrow.
 
I think using paper towel at first is best. After a couple months, if the snake appears and acts healthy, you can make the switch to aspen... But, for now, paper is definitely a good idea. Corn snakes aren't fossorial snakes--they don't thrive on being able to hide underground (like, say, a sand boa)--so your snake isn't going to suffer any by being put on paper towel, newspaper, or some other paper substrate for a couple months or so.

As for the lid, I've never heard of the one you're talking about... The lid you have can be used without issue, you just have to make sure you always put the clips on. I think the "G-shaped" clips should work fine... They don't leave any dangerous, hatchling-sized gaps, and they're most certainly strong enough to withstand a corn snake's pushing... I use them on my boa's and rat snake's tanks, and they do an excellent job.
 
Wicked first setup! definitely put some aspen bedding in there. Never Pine! I started off with aspen from the get go. You can buy a huge like 25 lb bag from petco for like $12. It lasts a long time.
 
IMHO, your fine with your set up... If aspen is what you desire at some point sure.. The cheaper option than shredded coconut junk ( I used it in the past, IMHO, it might be cheap, so you get what you pay for ), you can get it at .99 Cent stores and just heat it in the oven for about half an hour on 300f, to destroy any possible organisims that may be present..

Weren't you getting all upset in your thread because of people posting condescending comments? Pot, meet Kettle. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

What? I missed that, I thought the person was just trying to be polite, nice and sincere.. Touche'
 
I'm going to throw in my 25 cents in praise of ReptiBark. It's not as easy for snakey to burrow in (though they will), but has a slightly higher level of moisture than aspen, making it easy to regulate humidity.

It also makes for a beautiful viv. I added a lot of fake plant to mine, like a long vine that takes up most of the room. Adds security, protection, and beautification. Get your plants from a craft supply store; they're MUCH cheaper than the fake plants at petstores.
 
And by the way! If you decide to go with aspen, go to a feed/farm supply, like Tractor Supply. They sell huge, and I mean HUGE (like 25 lb.) bags for something like $5. Lots of people like to use it as horse bedding, and they need a little more than it takes to fill a little snakey viv. :) :)

Will last you quite a long time for cheaply.
 
nice first viv, only thing I might add is the half logs aren't the greatest hides. I use one for my 5 month old corn and he's rarely inside. They are too open to provide security. I had paid like 10 bucks for it at petsmart and my corn prefers his free toilet paper roll with a sock wrapped around it.(putting the sock around it gives him a nice place to hide with only one entrance)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top