New Cages Accessories; any obvious errors here?

[Sonya610]

Anyone see any errors in these cage accessories? Plan to order most/all from Amazon today for the new cages that will arrive next week. Am I forgetting anything important? Will likely buy little digital thermometers from the wal-mart.

Cages are wood sided 36"x14"x18", screen top and polyurithaned interior, floor set up to accept flex watt.


Plan to order the following:

1) 6 feet of 11" wide Flex Watt with dimmers, will cut into hot/cool sides for each cage (question can I use one thermostat to monitor the hot side of both stacked cages? Cages are stacked with a spacer, lower level has the Ball Python, higher level the garter, and the BP's like slightly higher temps).

2) Two x-large Exo Terra waterdishes 9"x11"x3"


3) Carefresh bedding for the Garter (Eco-Earth for the Ball Python).

4) Medium reptile hide for the Garter (probably an adult) 11" x 8" x 3.8" (plus a couple of log hides that my BP does not use)

[guidofatherof5]

I stopped buying hides long ago.
The more I spent the more they disliked then.
Cardboard boxes and styro. meat trays seem to be more to their liking.

[Sonya610]

I stopped buying hides long ago.
The more I spent the more they disliked then.
Cardboard boxes and styro. meat trays seem to be more to their liking.

Yeah, hear that. Thing is they may like the styrofoam but I don't! I want a very pretty natural looking setting (enclosure will be 3 feet away from me most of the day and I am making this investment for a PRETTY snake and setup!)

Perhaps I should hunt around the yard and find interesting things then after they are baked in the oven whip out the hot glue gun and make some nice hides!

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

I learned a cool recipe to make fake rock snake hides from your every day kitchen materials... flour, salt, vegetable oil, blend it into a dough, mold it and bake it in the oven... they take a while to bake, and then when you are sure they are completely dry/hardened you spraypaint it with krylon waterproofing spray, then a granitey spray paint, then another coating of waterproofing. So far, mine are holding up... they are surprisingly tough and they look pretty because I can choose exactly how I want them to look! If anyone's interested, I will dig up the recipe and post it.

[Sonya610]

I learned a cool recipe to make fake rock snake hides from your every day kitchen materials... flour, salt, vegetable oil, blend it into a dough, mold it and bake it in the oven... they take a while to bake, and then when you are sure they are completely dry/hardened you spraypaint it with krylon waterproofing spray, then a granitey spray paint, then another coating of waterproofing. So far, mine are holding up... they are surprisingly tough and they look pretty because I can choose exactly how I want them to look! If anyone's interested, I will dig up the recipe and post it.

Thanks! Sounds like a fun complicated 10 hour project. Would rather just buy a hide or hot glue some pretty rocks together (non-toxic glue of course)

If you like the home-made projects you may like this video (plus it uses styro-foam!)

[infernalis]

Always so creative Shannon..

[ConcinusMan]

Ball pythons may be perfectly happy in such a setup but it is not what I would use for garter snakes. They do better in a brightly lit enclosure with basking lights in my opinion. They aren't the kind of snake that is content to hide in a dark box warmed only by surface heat. I would think about LED or florescent light and maybe a small watt basking spot light. If the top screens are heat resistant then it should be easy to implement.

[Mommy2many]

Shannon, I would love that recipe. I could put my kids to work for new snakie hides! Please PM me with it, if/when you get a chance. Thanks!

[Sonya610]

I would think about LED or florescent light and maybe a small watt basking spot light. If the top screens are heat resistant then it should be easy to implement.

Yeah the top screen is heat resistant. A low watt basking bulb like a 50 watt with UVA? Any suggestions on the best bulbs would be appreciated, apparently some of these bulbs burn out quick.

Other than the basking bulb I can use whatever secondary light source I like?

[guidofatherof5]

http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/encl...ade-hides.html