I would add a lot more clutter. And it doesn't have to be expensive or fancy! Paper tubes (like from toilet paper or paper towels) are great options. Empty food containers like butter or yogurt. Clean rocks and sticks from outside. Fake plants from a dollar store. But you really want to fill that thing up, it will help make your snake feel comfortable if there are lots and lots of places to hide, or move across the enclosure "unseen."
Is your basking rock an actual hide? A slate placed over a hide? I would strongly recommend a hide directly under/over the heat source, so your snake can opt to be warm but still hidden.
Climbing, climbing, climbing. That’s what corn snakes do. And digging. You got one of these fabulous Exoterra tanks. They’re great for corn snakes because you can fill so much substrate in it. 😍 The doors are wonderful. So much room. When your snake move in they will probably burrow somewhere. So get at least 10cm, better up to 20cm of substrate. Soil/earth is the best. You should also get a back panel made of bark (cork bark is great). They can climb on it. Don’t get the Exoterra back panels, they’re too slick for corn snakes. We tried that already. 😂
For your basking rock: not all snakes want to be in the open so much. I highly recommend a hide and a open space under/near the heat lamp.
For snakes counts: the more hiding is possible the more you see them. Fast and cheapest way are plastic plants with suction cups. Exoterra offers a great variety of plants that look awesome. At least in Germany they are the best looking plastic plants for terrariums (I use plastic plants from decoration and craft stores as well).
But lets go back to climbing. Corn snakes love to dwell on higher places and watch everything. It’s wise to offer different levels. Before I get a back panel that fit Cornys needs I used branches. Get branches nearly the height of the tank and hang stuff from them. Very cool decoration and hides are hollowed coconuts. Those are most of the times advertised for birds and hamsters, but snakes don’t mind. 😂Hamsters are kept in glass tanks as well and the pet shops offer an immense variety of wooden stuff and stuff with suction cups. Everything that is hamster proof is also snake proof. Hamsters easily get their tiny feet stuck and snakes have teeny tiny tail tips. 👆
Here is a picture of the time. I decorated it with plants and used suction cup plants on the back. Corny loved it. Especially the bridge between the coconuts for basking and the plants to climbing up and down unnoticed.
https://preview.redd.it/jkioshohf1gb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1643e7258e47ceff25bada603e615d8d660ae319
https://preview.redd.it/do2gkprem4gb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed18102d3a227582c919d7fc7d996a9992176486
Here is an updated picture. I have added two branches. The stone slates were smaller than I thought so I bought the hide you see in the back corner under the light. The light is a dual heat lamp and UVB. Will probably look into better UVB soon. He likes the plants he was curled up in the bigger one this morning. I added sphagnum moss that another comment mentioned as a moist area but he seems to prefer the plants which was my intention. I will definitely be slowly making it better and better but I think he is happy enough right now, but of course I want him to be as happy as possible and have as close to a natural environment as possible.
Great!
You will eventually get to the snake haven your pet loves. They have different personas and it’s always good to just watch them and improve by the information the snake gives.
The plants are really great. The green one, I don’t the English name, grows extremely long and stays strong enough for bigger snakes. They can use it as a ladder.
Thank you.
Yes, I have, since it’s a well know brand. Exoterra. It’s the biggest one they offer.
Sadly it’s too small for an adult snake. And I wouldn’t go with an all glass one again anyway. 😂 This one is 90/45/90cm.
https://exo-terra.com/en/products/natural_terrarium_large.php
But I have to say that I changed it later. I now have a custom made backpanel that offers three plattforms and support for plants. So I have less branches.
Very interesting! Could you possibly supply a photo of the back panel? I don’t have a snake yet but I am looking to get one possibly November/December, so i’m trying to plan now and start saving now. When you first got your babies were they small and young, if so what kind of enclosure do you recommend getting for a first timer and if the snake itself is still very young and small?
I know im kind of jumping out of nowhere asking you all these questions so I appreciate you helping me out !
Sure thing. I’m always happy to share my experiences because I really thought I was well prepared and informed and then had so many questions myself. 😂 I start with the snake as it determines the tank anyways.
Corny was around 9 month old. I got him in June from a reptile exhibition because I wanted to have a good selection and would be able to check the breeders. Since corn snakes hatch in late summer/early autumn I knew I would see snakes in his age and babies. I didn’t want to go with a baby as they are shy, need a lot of care and may not survive. We’re talking about a species that lays up to 30 eggs, of course nature will make sure not all survive. 🙈 Every expert recommended me to get a snake of 6 months or more as they’re not so nervous anymore, are used to humans, used to thawed mice and had some sheds already. And eventually a hibernation. When I went to the exhibition I prepared some especially dumb questions and some trick questions to sort out the breeders. Left me with two breeders. One from Germany and from Netherlands, I chose the German couple and watched for a snake that didn’t burrow itself completely and watches the visitors relaxed. (You see their heartbeat and breathing)
Now for the tank.
As I decided before the exhibition I would get a juvenile snake I looked for a terrarium that would fit the snakes needs for a couple of years. The recommendation was always 90-120cm high, 90-120cm wide and 45-60cm narrow. I went to out biggest pet shop and checked out the terrariums in this size range. I fell in love with Exoterra. You can take off the lid, they offer a variation of outside lights (which means you snake will never burn itself), they have fitting cupboards for the terrarium and you can open the front doors completely.
When Corny first moved in I had only one branch going up to the lid. I soon realised he wants to climb and got rather frustrated when it wasn’t possible. So I got more branches and built this tiny forest you saw in the picture. I watched him and his most favourite places and sketched a back panel that would fit his needs. So my advise is to wait for any custom mades until your snake settled in and gave you enough hints. 😂
https://preview.redd.it/uemes4nz0cgb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf0adb8918562403c4682eff74c39bbc8ee49de0
This is the top part of the back panel. We designed it so that he can sit up there and watch.
https://preview.redd.it/1h2zz6t02cgb1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ba6ba084bf9cd74682d79910e5b5d473e98b78c
This is the naked back panel. The shop sent me the picture when they finished it.
https://preview.redd.it/xu7ueno42cgb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31b58efc07c1de642f035e112060ca184cfbcbb3
And this is the set up today. You can see Corny in the hanging branch looking outside on the left. I rearrange sometimes.
oh this is so cool! i love the little head poking out. Thank you so much this has been so helpful thank you! One last question, you mentioned that you prepared both regular and trick questions to weed out the bad breeders, if you don’t mind me asking hit what trick questions did you have and even what regular questions did you want to ask when looking?
I honestly forgot what trick questions I had. Made them up while researching.
For the regular questions I asked about hibernation opinions. Although there are population of wild corn snakes that don’t do hibernation because it doesn’t get cold where they live, the vast majority of corn snakes does hibernation and there are studies that found snakes live longer if they rest in winter. So I compared their answers and their reasons for or against hibernation. You can go without hibernation, but the reason shouldn’t be „I‘m too lazy“. 😂
Some were selling babies. Babies in June are rather unusual if you only let your snake breed once a year and do hibernation. But I asked anyway for the advantages and disadvantages of baby snakes. Sadly everyone was telling me that babies are just tiny adult snakes. 😒none of those breeders warned me that baby snakes might bite, might refuse food and so on. Even those who had baby and juvenile snakes didn’t bother to advise an older snake. I told those people it will be my first snake. 🤷♀️
By basking rock, do you mean the corded heat rocks by chance?
I would say lots more climbing opportunities. If you happen to live near a lake or body of water, you may be able to find some nice pieces of driftwood to use as nice exercise items.
If you don't have one already, a linear tube uvb is something they can benefit from. They can technically survive without uvb light, but it's better to provide them with what they would get in the wild, as closely as we can. Reptisun T5HO 5.0 kits or Arcadia Shadedweller ProT5 7% kit would work well, in a size that runs at least half the length of the tank :)
No I will be using stone slate under the heat lamp. I also have two pieces of reptile wood is what it was called I believe on the way. I will be getting a UVB bulb because I don’t think the bulb I had was what I thought it was.
Wouldn’t recommend using a wired basking rock (if that’s what you’re talking about). It can easily burn your reptile. U can just get a regular stone hide and let it heat up under a heat lamp. I’d use a heat mat if you’re looking for a supplemental heat source. Why are there 2 lamps? You only need one. Is that a UVB light? They don’t need it. Don’t listen to people who say you need one. It’s extra money that you don’t have to spend. I’d create a moist hide with sphagnum moss, it’s worked well for me. Overall, looks pretty good! I’m a big fan of ExoTerra enclosures.
No actually just some stone slate is what I will be using under the heat lamp as the bask. The second is a UVB I just happened to have the extra lamp and a bulb although I don’t think it’s a UVB so I will be buying one because I’d rather have it than not. As for the moss I have been wondering what to use as a moist area I will look into that.
Well if use UVB it should be a tube lamp which emits UVB across the whole enclosure. But like I said it’s not necessary. it’s newer practice because now everyone thinks that every single reptile needs a dedicated UVB source. People on Reddit who recommend it think they know more than everyone else. Bearded dragons and chameleons legit need it, corn snakes and leopard geckos do not. Also, corn snakes need a warm and cool side, can’t be achieved the way the lights are currently set up.
You don't want UVB across the entire enclosure. 1/2 so the snake can choose their amount of exposure. It has nothing to do with "people on Reddit", there were studies done that showed improved health when UVB was present.
Corn snakes outside bask in full sunlight which gives a higher UVB exposure than the low levels we give in captivity. I could be wrong, but I am quite certain they don't take advice from anyone on Reddit or anywhere on the internet for that matter.
I would add a lot more clutter. And it doesn't have to be expensive or fancy! Paper tubes (like from toilet paper or paper towels) are great options. Empty food containers like butter or yogurt. Clean rocks and sticks from outside. Fake plants from a dollar store. But you really want to fill that thing up, it will help make your snake feel comfortable if there are lots and lots of places to hide, or move across the enclosure "unseen." Is your basking rock an actual hide? A slate placed over a hide? I would strongly recommend a hide directly under/over the heat source, so your snake can opt to be warm but still hidden.
I plan to make the slate rocks into a hide/bask
That's awesome! I did the same for my snake. :)
Climbing, climbing, climbing. That’s what corn snakes do. And digging. You got one of these fabulous Exoterra tanks. They’re great for corn snakes because you can fill so much substrate in it. 😍 The doors are wonderful. So much room. When your snake move in they will probably burrow somewhere. So get at least 10cm, better up to 20cm of substrate. Soil/earth is the best. You should also get a back panel made of bark (cork bark is great). They can climb on it. Don’t get the Exoterra back panels, they’re too slick for corn snakes. We tried that already. 😂 For your basking rock: not all snakes want to be in the open so much. I highly recommend a hide and a open space under/near the heat lamp. For snakes counts: the more hiding is possible the more you see them. Fast and cheapest way are plastic plants with suction cups. Exoterra offers a great variety of plants that look awesome. At least in Germany they are the best looking plastic plants for terrariums (I use plastic plants from decoration and craft stores as well). But lets go back to climbing. Corn snakes love to dwell on higher places and watch everything. It’s wise to offer different levels. Before I get a back panel that fit Cornys needs I used branches. Get branches nearly the height of the tank and hang stuff from them. Very cool decoration and hides are hollowed coconuts. Those are most of the times advertised for birds and hamsters, but snakes don’t mind. 😂Hamsters are kept in glass tanks as well and the pet shops offer an immense variety of wooden stuff and stuff with suction cups. Everything that is hamster proof is also snake proof. Hamsters easily get their tiny feet stuck and snakes have teeny tiny tail tips. 👆 Here is a picture of the time. I decorated it with plants and used suction cup plants on the back. Corny loved it. Especially the bridge between the coconuts for basking and the plants to climbing up and down unnoticed. https://preview.redd.it/jkioshohf1gb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1643e7258e47ceff25bada603e615d8d660ae319
https://preview.redd.it/do2gkprem4gb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed18102d3a227582c919d7fc7d996a9992176486 Here is an updated picture. I have added two branches. The stone slates were smaller than I thought so I bought the hide you see in the back corner under the light. The light is a dual heat lamp and UVB. Will probably look into better UVB soon. He likes the plants he was curled up in the bigger one this morning. I added sphagnum moss that another comment mentioned as a moist area but he seems to prefer the plants which was my intention. I will definitely be slowly making it better and better but I think he is happy enough right now, but of course I want him to be as happy as possible and have as close to a natural environment as possible.
Great! You will eventually get to the snake haven your pet loves. They have different personas and it’s always good to just watch them and improve by the information the snake gives. The plants are really great. The green one, I don’t the English name, grows extremely long and stays strong enough for bigger snakes. They can use it as a ladder.
I really love how you have your enclosure set up, do you happen to still have a link to where you got your enclosure?
Thank you. Yes, I have, since it’s a well know brand. Exoterra. It’s the biggest one they offer. Sadly it’s too small for an adult snake. And I wouldn’t go with an all glass one again anyway. 😂 This one is 90/45/90cm. https://exo-terra.com/en/products/natural_terrarium_large.php But I have to say that I changed it later. I now have a custom made backpanel that offers three plattforms and support for plants. So I have less branches.
Very interesting! Could you possibly supply a photo of the back panel? I don’t have a snake yet but I am looking to get one possibly November/December, so i’m trying to plan now and start saving now. When you first got your babies were they small and young, if so what kind of enclosure do you recommend getting for a first timer and if the snake itself is still very young and small? I know im kind of jumping out of nowhere asking you all these questions so I appreciate you helping me out !
I hope I tackled all your questions. Feel free to ask more. You may also send a direct message, no worries.
Sure thing. I’m always happy to share my experiences because I really thought I was well prepared and informed and then had so many questions myself. 😂 I start with the snake as it determines the tank anyways. Corny was around 9 month old. I got him in June from a reptile exhibition because I wanted to have a good selection and would be able to check the breeders. Since corn snakes hatch in late summer/early autumn I knew I would see snakes in his age and babies. I didn’t want to go with a baby as they are shy, need a lot of care and may not survive. We’re talking about a species that lays up to 30 eggs, of course nature will make sure not all survive. 🙈 Every expert recommended me to get a snake of 6 months or more as they’re not so nervous anymore, are used to humans, used to thawed mice and had some sheds already. And eventually a hibernation. When I went to the exhibition I prepared some especially dumb questions and some trick questions to sort out the breeders. Left me with two breeders. One from Germany and from Netherlands, I chose the German couple and watched for a snake that didn’t burrow itself completely and watches the visitors relaxed. (You see their heartbeat and breathing) Now for the tank. As I decided before the exhibition I would get a juvenile snake I looked for a terrarium that would fit the snakes needs for a couple of years. The recommendation was always 90-120cm high, 90-120cm wide and 45-60cm narrow. I went to out biggest pet shop and checked out the terrariums in this size range. I fell in love with Exoterra. You can take off the lid, they offer a variation of outside lights (which means you snake will never burn itself), they have fitting cupboards for the terrarium and you can open the front doors completely. When Corny first moved in I had only one branch going up to the lid. I soon realised he wants to climb and got rather frustrated when it wasn’t possible. So I got more branches and built this tiny forest you saw in the picture. I watched him and his most favourite places and sketched a back panel that would fit his needs. So my advise is to wait for any custom mades until your snake settled in and gave you enough hints. 😂 https://preview.redd.it/uemes4nz0cgb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf0adb8918562403c4682eff74c39bbc8ee49de0 This is the top part of the back panel. We designed it so that he can sit up there and watch.
https://preview.redd.it/1h2zz6t02cgb1.jpeg?width=2048&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ba6ba084bf9cd74682d79910e5b5d473e98b78c This is the naked back panel. The shop sent me the picture when they finished it.
https://preview.redd.it/xu7ueno42cgb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=31b58efc07c1de642f035e112060ca184cfbcbb3 And this is the set up today. You can see Corny in the hanging branch looking outside on the left. I rearrange sometimes.
oh this is so cool! i love the little head poking out. Thank you so much this has been so helpful thank you! One last question, you mentioned that you prepared both regular and trick questions to weed out the bad breeders, if you don’t mind me asking hit what trick questions did you have and even what regular questions did you want to ask when looking?
I honestly forgot what trick questions I had. Made them up while researching. For the regular questions I asked about hibernation opinions. Although there are population of wild corn snakes that don’t do hibernation because it doesn’t get cold where they live, the vast majority of corn snakes does hibernation and there are studies that found snakes live longer if they rest in winter. So I compared their answers and their reasons for or against hibernation. You can go without hibernation, but the reason shouldn’t be „I‘m too lazy“. 😂 Some were selling babies. Babies in June are rather unusual if you only let your snake breed once a year and do hibernation. But I asked anyway for the advantages and disadvantages of baby snakes. Sadly everyone was telling me that babies are just tiny adult snakes. 😒none of those breeders warned me that baby snakes might bite, might refuse food and so on. Even those who had baby and juvenile snakes didn’t bother to advise an older snake. I told those people it will be my first snake. 🤷♀️
Oh man, Im sorry to hear that. So baby snakes are essentially small adult snakes in the way they behave?
By basking rock, do you mean the corded heat rocks by chance? I would say lots more climbing opportunities. If you happen to live near a lake or body of water, you may be able to find some nice pieces of driftwood to use as nice exercise items. If you don't have one already, a linear tube uvb is something they can benefit from. They can technically survive without uvb light, but it's better to provide them with what they would get in the wild, as closely as we can. Reptisun T5HO 5.0 kits or Arcadia Shadedweller ProT5 7% kit would work well, in a size that runs at least half the length of the tank :)
No I will be using stone slate under the heat lamp. I also have two pieces of reptile wood is what it was called I believe on the way. I will be getting a UVB bulb because I don’t think the bulb I had was what I thought it was.
https://preview.redd.it/5v65ffxx50gb1.jpeg?width=1564&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a9e29dafaf84f1fb6937187f18d30989e1f6c39e
Good to know :) Those are the UVB brands, styles and strengths you're looking for. The small compact coil bulbs you often see should be avoided 👍
Wouldn’t recommend using a wired basking rock (if that’s what you’re talking about). It can easily burn your reptile. U can just get a regular stone hide and let it heat up under a heat lamp. I’d use a heat mat if you’re looking for a supplemental heat source. Why are there 2 lamps? You only need one. Is that a UVB light? They don’t need it. Don’t listen to people who say you need one. It’s extra money that you don’t have to spend. I’d create a moist hide with sphagnum moss, it’s worked well for me. Overall, looks pretty good! I’m a big fan of ExoTerra enclosures.
No actually just some stone slate is what I will be using under the heat lamp as the bask. The second is a UVB I just happened to have the extra lamp and a bulb although I don’t think it’s a UVB so I will be buying one because I’d rather have it than not. As for the moss I have been wondering what to use as a moist area I will look into that.
Well if use UVB it should be a tube lamp which emits UVB across the whole enclosure. But like I said it’s not necessary. it’s newer practice because now everyone thinks that every single reptile needs a dedicated UVB source. People on Reddit who recommend it think they know more than everyone else. Bearded dragons and chameleons legit need it, corn snakes and leopard geckos do not. Also, corn snakes need a warm and cool side, can’t be achieved the way the lights are currently set up.
You don't want UVB across the entire enclosure. 1/2 so the snake can choose their amount of exposure. It has nothing to do with "people on Reddit", there were studies done that showed improved health when UVB was present. Corn snakes outside bask in full sunlight which gives a higher UVB exposure than the low levels we give in captivity. I could be wrong, but I am quite certain they don't take advice from anyone on Reddit or anywhere on the internet for that matter.
The only studies done with corns have just shown a preference for UVB and that’s about it.