habitat augmentation.

[GaiusIuliusTabernarius]

Earlier I noticed tiamat trying to climb up the artificial leaves and realized she could probably use a new toy. So I went into the yard and broke off a maple shoot. I then stripped the green bark and inner bark with a knife, before rinsing off and drying the core. I broke it in half and arranged a small canopy topped with leaves in the center. I'm hoping she will have fun climbing on it. and perhaps she'll spend less time hiding under the substrait with the extra cover it provides.

I'd also like to make some fake rocks and a better water dish for her. I've heard that they can be made from a mixture of flour, salt, oil and water, and then backed and spray painted. But I don't have an exact recipe. Do any of you have any suggestions? I'd like something I could mold with my hands, then bake solid.

[RedSidedSPR]

Maybe something like this?
http://www.thamnophis.com/forum/encl...ade-hides.html

[Didymus20X6]

Someone made a thread about that a while back.

Here's something better: Great Stuff. It's a spray foam that comes in cans, costs about $3 at Lowes, and can be shaped into just about anything. But you have to use the entire can at once, or it goes to waste. Shape it however you want, give it a few days to dry, then give it a good thick coat of textured paint, and voila, artificial rocks!

Another option: flower pots and bricks, available real cheap at Wal-Mart. You can take bricks and break them into pieces for a natural appearance.

[infernalis]

I just pick up rocks and wash them off. Nearly every one of my snakes cages has real rocks in them.

[RedSidedSPR]

Me too. My snakes love them.

[GaiusIuliusTabernarius]

Well I got creative, I made a hide out of an empty paper towel box and a used paper towel roll and some scotch tape. then used the sticks and some of the rocks from my collection to make a tower with the leaves. she seems to like it and it should keep her happy until I make something more permanent, also thanks for the link, that's exactly what I was looking for.

[kibakiba]

Tape is really bad to use around snakes.

[infernalis]

Tape is really bad to use around snakes.

It will pull the skin right off the snake.

[guidofatherof5]

Well I got creative, I made a hide out of an empty paper towel box and a used paper towel roll and some scotch tape.

Any tape in an enclosure is very dangerous.
Snakes have a way of getting caught in it no matter how well you think you have it secured. Humidity and snakes rubbing against it can cause the edge to come loose.
We've had plenty of people come on the forum with stories of snakes caught in tape. Some were wild snakes found and other were captive snakes.
I once used a piece of cardboard to separate out two groups of snake in one aquarium. I though I had everything done right and I still ended up with a stuck snake. The snake survived but that was the end of my tape use.
Just a word to the wise on tape use.

[d_virginiana]

Yup, I've seen plenty of wild ones caught in tape, usually in our church fellowship hall (no one goes in and there's a lot of childrens' art projects). Never a good idea.