tell me about your tank setup

Hey,

I'm looking at adopting a 2 yr old Corn Snake and have been looking for info on corn snake habitats.. The only thing I keep as of right now are frogs, though, I have a general idea of what I need to provide, but I want to do this right and also make it look good.

I'm looking for photos of and tips on enclosures! Thanks!

-mk

 

the bigger the tank the better imo, put lots of branches so they can climb and explore, alot of hiding places for them to hide in obviously( at least 1 on the cold side and 1 on the warm side ) if you cant get more, thats ok, 2 are enough. Corns are more forest type snakes rather then desert, so moss , wood and branches would add a very nice fealing to your tank. but if you dont want it to look natural, some rocks and a couple branches would be ok, i guess.

 

natural is good

Thanks! Natural is good!

I have two fire bellied toads that currently reside in my living room, and have had way too much fun creating their home.

I would like him to be as "at home" and comfortable as possible.

 

yeah i know what you mean, now the only thing that bothers me is that aspen is gray/yellowish color. aspen is the substrate thats recomended by alot of people, but if you want to make it as natural ull have to find something else, since most of your tank will be green with plants and brownish with logs... i dont know what im gona do but im going for natural as well...

 

If you don't like aspen, you can always buy reptibark or coconut bark. I use coconut bark in my big cages and it's natural looking and very cheap.

 

repti bark is hard to clean, dont know about coconut bark

 

There's nothing wrong with aspen though. It's actually a creamy colour. And corn snakes love it. They love to burrow and aspen allows them to do that. It also holds humidity in well. And it's easy to clean, spot check, etc. So why not go for health and wellness over asthetics (the way the habitat looks) As long as you have plants and branches and hides, your corn snake is good to go. Trust me.

 

ash, because we want the tank to look pretty thats why

 

I realize that, but who cares about that? Wouldn't you be more concerned about how your corn feels about it? Or how healthy that will be for him? If you do choose something other then aspen, just make sure it's easy to clean. Not trying to make you choose aspen. Just concerned for your future corn's sake

 

Who cares about how ur snake's enclosure looks? umm most people. coconut bark and aspen are both recomended for snakes, so it dosent really matter which one you chose.. there both healthy , so go with whatever looks like its natural habitat...

 

The problem with those that look like the natural habitat is that you can't find your snakes poop easily. And they will slither through it which isn't very sanitary. Aspen is by far the best choice as it is easy to spot clean and allows your corn to burrow.

We were worried about what it would look like but once we got it in there it looks a lot better than repti carpet. It isn't as bad as you think.

 

Exactly! Thank you Lews! That's exactly what I meant. And I didn't mean that no one should care how the tank looks. I meant that when it comes down to it, you should care more about your corn's health then how pretty your tank looks. Ppl who actually have snakes know what I'm talking about

 

evilolive, I use aspen shavings and lizard litter. The branches and bark are real, the plants are plastic. I moved Motega into this viv I built about 2 months ago. http://www.photobucket.com/albums/a226/Mot...urrent=Scan0002

 

I want to jump into the argument too, but I don't have an argument, lol. At the moment I'm using coconut bark for my big cages and reptibark for my hatchlings' cage. I agree that finding poo in reptibark can be difficult, but it's no harder to clean than aspen once you find it. I find coconut bark easy to spot clean, but that's only because my adult snakes are eating white mice and the white fur is easy to spot in the brown coconut bark.

All in all, I think coconut bark or reptibark looks the best and I don't think it's any less healthy for corns than aspen, but I agree that aspen would be quicker to spot clean. Aspen is very cheap and can be bought for only a few dollars at walmart; Coconut bark is also very cheap and can be bought at most pet stores; Reptibark starts to get a little pricy, but it looks really good in a cage. Whatever works best for you, buy. They all have their advantages.

 

jammer,
WOW! what did you use inside the den? thats a really cool idea! I am thinking about using a false bottom in my tank for such an endeavor, seeing as I have 24" of vertical space that is not being used..

 

jammer u show of your tank too much, iv seen u post that link over 30 times now

 

its an awesome tank! besides.. he built it. theres no reason NOT to show it off..

 

Actually, SHE built it...

 

yeah that tank is sweet hhaha

 

Yes asphen is the best in my opinion,its easy to see snake poo etc and they can burry themselves in it and everything.Im not to cocerned about the look but i can't sleep at night if i know theres a poo in their vivs lol.
As for the bigger the better thing quench if you get a tiny hatchling in a huge enclosure then your gonna have a few feeding issues.