new enclosure

[crzy_kevo]

this is a quick layout i drew up for an enclosure any input is welcome
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/4787/tanklayoutsp2.png

the water will be in a dish or something buried in the soil and the heat lamp will be over the sandy area and a normal light in the middle

[adamanteus]

Looks good, Kevin. Have you considered the practicalities of cleaning etc with a buried water bowl? Also sand can be a difficult substrate... it's inclined to stick to the food and so get ingested.
I'm not intending to be critical, sorry.:o

[crzy_kevo]

well i plan on feeding george by the grassy area i always hand feed him and i plan on making it so the dish can be removed for cleaning just by lifting it up but maybe i do need a different substrate how much does substrate usually cost after all this is my first garter and atm im just using grass
no need to appologize i did ask for input :)

[crzy_kevo]

the plus side to this enclosure i can get all the materials from across the street

[adamanteus]

I have no idea on the cost of substrate where you are, but there is another discussion going on, on that very topic right now, have a look...

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/enclosures/3407-substrate.html

[crzy_kevo]

thank you for your input James i hoping to start putting this enclosure together in about a week or so i will post pictures of it with george as soon as it is ready

[el lobo]

I recommend coconut husk...it doesn't seem like many people here use it, but it is odourless, absorbs odours, looks great, and only costs about 8 dollars for four bricks! You just put a brick in a pail of water, and it expands. then you can ring it out, and spread it in your viv.

[crzy_kevo]

i dont thing coconut husks are readily available in my area but thanks for the thought caleb

[ssssnakeluvr]

well i plan on feeding george by the grassy area i always hand feed him and i plan on making it so the dish can be removed for cleaning just by lifting it up but maybe i do need a different substrate how much does substrate usually cost after all this is my first garter and atm im just using grass
no need to appologize i did ask for input :)
just because you are putting food by the grassy area doesn't mean he won't drag the food across the cage, especially if you are feeding worms....

[crzy_kevo]

point taken and i am considering another form of substrate

[el lobo]

haha...I didn't mean for you to FIND coconut husk...Most pet stores that carry reptiles will have it!

otherwise, you could always order it...here's just one of many sites...

Coconut Husk Brick | Specialized Bedding | Reptile Bedding | Reptile - ThatPetPlace.com (http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/group/1712/product.web)

shipping won't cost much if you FedEx ground it either...

[anji1971]

If you choose any substrate other than reptile carpet or slate, that has little bits to it, be careful when feeding. I lost my first garter to what I'm sure was an impaction due to swallowing a piece of repti-bark that got stuck to the worm. Now I always put my snakes in a separate feeding bin to eat, then return them home when they're done.

[Odie]

Hi, from Oregon, Kevin :)

[gregmonsta]

I use repticarpet .... no problems at all ... I changed to this after I had a little snakey swallow a piece of Aspen bedding.

[infernalis]

I recommend coconut husk...it doesn't seem like many people here use it, but it is odourless, absorbs odours, looks great, and only costs about 8 dollars for four bricks! You just put a brick in a pail of water, and it expands. then you can ring it out, and spread it in your viv.

For me this is a love hate relationship. I found a vendor where I can get a 3 brick pack for around $5, it's compressed, so it ships easy, its attractive, etc..

But I have had 3 neonate snakes ingest and choke on it. I still use it, but with adults and as a ground surface in the arboreal enclosure.

For neonates (babies) I prefer cage carpet, the adults are easy to feed in a tote, but a tank full of squirmy little babies, that's another thing entirely.

Feeding on the grassy end is no guarantee of safety, many of my garters will grab up a food item, and for lack of better words, "prance all around" with a fish or crawler hanging from their mouth.

http://www.reformedsniper.net/1/melanie.jpg

[el lobo]

I haven't had neonates yet, but I will keep that in mind while housing them! All my adults do well with it. I don't have my gravid female on coconut husk though...she is on newspaper right now.