Please help me with my garter snake!

[d_virginiana]

Well, yes, if you glue them it should be fine, if it cant tip over, but just stacking will be extremely unstable.

Very true. I made a little thing out of river rocks for my baby snake like that. I think basically, if the structure would be stable and difficult to turn over without the glue, it's okay to put in with the glue. It's really only worth it for baby snakes though; it'd be really hard to make something an adult would have room to crawl through and play around in!

[amcutem]

Im confused....What do you guys want me to do??

So the newspapers are not ok.

There are fake plants in there..I just didn't take the pictures. But its this one..

[d_virginiana]

Newspapers or papertowels are fine. So are carefresh, aspen, or reptibark. Each sort of substrate has advantages and disadvantages. Newspaper and papertowel are very easy to clean, and make it easier to check for mites or check their poo if you need to for a medical reason. The other substrates allow your snake to burrow more and can be spot cleaned. It's your choice.

IMO having half the cage covered in rocks really isn't necessary. It'd probably be better to have more of the floor covered with substrate than with rocks. Other than that, everything seems fine.

[Didymus20X6]

I guess I miss that part.. But Im pretty sure someone here advice me to get kitty litter and mix it with something to create something that looks like soil..

I took the kitty litter out asap.. I saw another substrate there. I think it was made of corn....Corn cobs if im correct... How about that? Can I use that?

Actually, I did. I mix crushed clay with baked mulch to create a mixture that is very similar to outside soil, but free from unwanted critters. The dust isn't a problem, because the baked mulch does retain some moisture (and occasional misting makes up the difference), and the chunky pieces do break down in water.

I got the idea from a scientist who works with snakes who actually recommended it, and I have been using it for the past 2 years with no problems.

Now, I will say I wouldn't recommend the stuff by itself. It is very dry and dusty. But mixed with the mulch, it's great. Like I said, just like soil, but without the unwanted critters.

As for the mulch, that should be easy to get as well. But I will say, baking it will smell up your house, so open plenty of windows and turn the air conditioner off until you're done.

I would get the type without additives, though (like baking soda - which has sodium and therefore not good for snakes).

[ConcinusMan]

Shredded aspen isn't very expensive. Might I suggest using that. Garden centers sometimes have "coir peat" which is really just loose coconut fiber with a consistency similar to peat moss but it doesn't tend to irritate the respiratory tract or harbor mold like real peat does. Coconut fiber is OK to use too.

Here's some pics of some of my setups. This is just a hardwood driftwood log I got down by the river placed securely so it can't be moved, shredded hardwood substrate, a heavy water basin on the cool side that can't be toppled, and place for them to hide, which you can't really see. It's just a big piece of curved tree bark that they can hide under. Also I placed dollar store plants into holes drilled into heavy secured wood. I have an undertank heater on the left to warm the bottom, plus an overhead heat lamp above that. This provides around 88 degrees on the left, and close to room temperature in the rest of the tank. Nothing in here can be moved easily. It looks good, it's safe, and they are comfortable. It's a 55 gallon long. (4ft long tank)



Same basic principle for this 20 gallon long. Really all you need is a localized warm spot, a few places to hide, safe substrate, water dish, some fake plants, some sort of lighting, (I use florescent and an incandescent for heat) and you're set.

[amcutem]

Shredded aspen isn't very expensive. Might I suggest using that. Garden centers sometimes have "coir peat" which is really just loose coconut fiber with a consistency similar to peat moss but it doesn't tend to irritate the respiratory tract or harbor mold like real peat does. Coconut fiber is OK to use too.

Here's some pics of some of my setups. This is just a hardwood driftwood log I got down by the river placed securely so it can't be moved, shredded hardwood substrate, a heavy water basin on the cool side that can't be toppled, and place for them to hide, which you can't really see. It's just a big piece of curved tree bark that they can hide under. Also I placed dollar store plants into holes drilled into heavy secured wood. I have an undertank heater on the left to warm the bottom, plus an overhead heat lamp above that. This provides around 88 degrees on the left, and close to room temperature in the rest of the tank. Nothing in here can be moved easily. It looks good, it's safe, and they are comfortable. It's a 55 gallon long. (4ft long tank)



Same basic principle for this 20 gallon long. Really all you need is a localized warm spot, a few places to hide, safe substrate, water dish, some fake plants, some sort of lighting, (I use florescent and an incandescent for heat) and you're set.

OMG...That is nice...!

Is that just wood chips... I have lots of that at work!!! I can use wood chips for substrate??

[ConcinusMan]

Shredded aspen. Fir bark (reptibark) and perhaps a few other hardwood species are safe to use. Never use pine or cedar. Like I was saying shredded aspen is fairly inexpensive and it's safe. For around 3 bucks at walmart, I got a bag big enough to do a lot of tanks, 1-2 inches deep. A 55 gallon long, 2 20 gallon longs, and two 10 gallon. 3 bucks. As long as your tank isn't overcrowded, it can be weeks (with spot cleaning) before it needs to be replaced.

In this pic I'm using a local hardwood species that I cannot recall the name of, but it's just like aspen. Only use shavings or chips (not dust) from fully seasoned and cured hardwood. Find out if the stuff at work is from cured wood and find out what species of tree.

[amcutem]

Shredded aspen. Fir bark (reptibark) and perhaps a few other hardwood species are safe to use. Never use pine or cedar. Like I was saying shredded aspen is fairly inexpensive and it's safe. For around 3 bucks at walmart, I got a bag big enough to do a lot of tanks, 1-2 inches deep. A 55 gallon long, 2 20 gallon longs, and two 10 gallon. 3 bucks. As long as your tank isn't overcrowded, it can be weeks (with spot cleaning) before it needs to be replaced.

In this pic I'm using a local hardwood species that I cannot recall the name of, but it's just like aspen. Only use shavings or chips (not dust) from fully seasoned and cured hardwood. Find out if the stuff at work is from cured wood and find out what species of tree.

Oic. So i cant just use any wood chips. There's lots at work that we use for oil spills but I don't what type of tree its from. But tomorrow, i will drop by wallmart and look for reptibark. I hope they have it.

[ConcinusMan]

reptibark won't be at walmart. It's at petstores or online and it isn't cheap. Walmart has pine, cedar, and aspen shavings in the pet section. Make sure you get aspen.

[jitami]

Or save yourself some time, give yourself a break, and just stick with newspaper until you happen to be at the store next. Newspaper is fine. The rocks in the tank are fine. The hide & fake plants are fine. Your snake is already set up better than half, or more, of the snakes kept in captivity. I know you've gotten conflicting information and know how frustrating it can be with repeated trips to the store. Read the care sheets, learn from forum members, but then use common sense to determine what will work well for you and your snake. You're on the right track