Redo, corn snake cage!!!!

[mrgoogls]

i need your help guys! i dont have a lot of money to spend(i can buy or get things, just dont have much $$$) and i want to redo my snakes cage! right now i have:

Warm side:
UTH
Wood half log(i have had for a while now, time for a new one or a cave of some sort, just a new hide. what should i get?)
half of a peice if driftwood is on this side(other half is on cool side)

Cool side:

Half of the drift wood
very large water bowl(pretty new, got it in like may, he loves soaking in it durring shedding)

there is also a vine thing wrapped throughout the wood. the cage is functional and works well for me and my snake, but it doesnt look all that great. and i want it functional and to look good, like my beardie cage. the biggest problem, i only have 1 hide!!!!!!!!! it is on the warm side. before i new you needed 2(when i found this site...lol) hides i just put one in and didnt worry. i didnt research anything beacause, when i got my corn i was only 6 lol. and the pet store said it was fine so i thought it was. but i didnt know pet store knew nothing when i was 6 but, my snake is great, to hiide on the cool side he just burrows under the water dish because there is between 3 and 5 inches of aspen chips because he loves to burrow. and as i found out i wasnt concerned because he just burrowed but its been nagging me more and more so i finally decided to just fix it. my biggest problem to why i cant just throw in another hide, my water dish takes up like a 3rd of the cage! and i dont want to get rid of it because he loves it and i spent like 35$ on it and i want to use it! i can post pics ina day or 2 of the cage, but by my info, can you start to come up with ideas? im so clueless!!!!

 

[Floof]

First and most important is to get a thermostat, if you don't already have one. Those UTHs get HOT. A corn snake only needs a warm spot of 82-85F, and since he likes to burrow so much, you want to make sure his UTH isn't getting any hotter than 90F under all the aspen, on the glass. A couple inexpensive but decent quality thermostats are the Zilla and the Hydrofarm.

Back to actual hides, try some fake plants! They look real nice, offer a great hiding place, and can be strewn across the upper levels of the cage and wrapped around the driftwood so the snake can climb around without being out in the open. You can also stretch one nice, long fake plant across the floor of your vivarium, giving your snake one big hide across all or most of the temperature zones.

You can also look into some do-it-yourself projects. There are some great ideas on the DIY forum over at the Corn Snake forum (http://cornsnakes.com).

You can also consider doing a naturalistic vivarium, and start working toward that. I've been looking into them lately for my Asian rat snake (a mostly arboreal species), but they work great for corn snakes, too! They look extremely nice if done well. Here's a thread on the subject over at the Corn Snake forum: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53051. If you decide this sort of thing interests you, then you should pick up "The Art of Keeping Snakes" by Phillipe De Vosjoli (it's a book). It's a really interesting read even if you don't end up doing a naturalistic viv, but, if you do decide to build a naturalistic viv, The Art of Keeping Snakes is a must-have!

 

[mrgoogls]

thanks for finally responding! i think i will have to find new driftwood to redo this cage. because this current one, takes up a lot of space(not really, but is juuuuuuuust short nough where nothing will really fit under....) so i will find a better one tht will be better. its about time anyways. iv had that same wood for like 8 years. so time for a change ill let you guys know how it progresses!


PS: i like the idea with the leaves! i have some in his cage but just for decoration. never thought of it as a hide! creative!i have like an extra 3 foot strand and could always buy more....its very cheap lol. ill get some new nice looking ones and make him a plant hide under that wood. ill try to post a pic when i finish.

 

[jovamabob]

I found cork bark to be great - looks like a log, but super light weight and easily broken down to size Also you can pretend you are 'doing up your kitchen' and a lot of places will give you free or cheap samples of tiles. You could get some different slate or terracotta ones and make a basking spot arrangement. Check your local poundland/dollarstore - there are so many cheap things that look super cool. i got some fake leaves, flowers etc from there super cheap. Their gardening section often has some cool things in and the kids/ornaments section often has some cool things you can use for hides and decor. A lick of paint to the outside of the tank can also work wonders! If you want the inside walls to have a change i got some self-adhesive vinyl tiles from poundland/dollarstore DIY section and they stuck down pretty well but are easily removed and cut to size.

 

[Floof]

I agree, cork bark is excellent. I imagine you could make a good hide with silicone and tile samples... Just be sure, if it's heavy, that he can't burrow under it and get hurt if it drops on him.

I absolutely do not recommend using adhesive vinyl in a snake tank, however. Snakes are exceptionally good at getting into trouble, including finding that one corner that isn't stuck down right or came loose because of a heat lamp being too close, and promptly getting themselves stuck and injured. (I also worry about any possible fumes off that sort of thing if you choose to use a heat lamp for your snake...)

 

[jovamabob]

I used it in the cool end away from the heat mat on the floor to make it easier to clean and it's been totally fine and i haven't had any problems - i used a non-adhesive vinyl tile over the heat mat to protect it since its a wooden viv.

 

[Floof]

Just be careful! Adhesive anything and snakes aren't a great combo. Remember, snakes are exceptionally good at getting into all the worst kinds of trouble!

 

[ashleyelsha]

I love terracotta pots for hides. I use them for all of my snakes right now and I think they look nice. You can always buy more decorative ceramic pots, but the terracotta ones are really cheap.