Tricks of the trade...

[kyleO]

I think everyone should post up some of their tricks of the trade they've found over the years. Things that save time, money, etc. Stuff like Hides and water bowls from the dollar store, cheap substrates, stuff like that. I spent way too much money on my snakes putting them in various types of substrates and buying all those nice hides from the commercial chains. Let's see what you guys have found over the years that have helped out you.

[adi]

well of course theres the rubbermaid containers

• the black hides you can buy at walmart

thats just a few to start

[Laooda]

I get a large bag of Cypress at Lowe's that I keep my Brazilians on... That's a REAL $ saver ! I'm learning that breeding your own Rat colony is probably the BEST way to cut cost... that is going to be my next venture.


Great thread BTW!!!

[Freakie_frog]

I'll play.
I get my water bowls from the dollar tree.
Pets mart has in the small animals section Aspen in a huge 45lb bag for like 2 bucks more than what the 11qt bag costs in the reptile section.

[minotaur]

With my extensive 1 month of experience I learned you can get really awesome postal scales for weighing snakes on ebay. They are digital, come with a snake sized weigh dish and they cost less than 25 bucks including shipping!

[green_man]

dollar stores are a great playground for hides water dishes ect.
I also get alot of silk plants from crafts stores and dollar stores (they cost half as much as the plastic ones at the pet stores). If you watch for deals you can get em cheap and they make the enclosures look much more realistic. Just be carefull which you get because alot of them have metal wire running through them and you would hate to poke one of your lil guys.

[rabernet]

Pets mart has in the small animals section Aspen in a huge 45lb bag for like 2 bucks more than what the 11qt bag costs in the reptile section.

THAT'S good to know! I use aspen with my rats!

Kitty litter pans make great hides for the larger snakes.

If you ever need to transport snakes, but don't want to use your own pillowcases, stop by Goodwill to pick up some pillowcases, usually less than $2 for a set of pillowcases.

[KeithTN]

Since I live close to the Tenessee River, I go and pick up my driftwood. Of course you have to clean it and bake it in the oven to kill all the possible creepy crawlies.

I also a gallon ice cream container with a hole in the lid for a humid hide in my Bp's cage. I clean it every 2 to 3 days to keep any bacteria or anything for contaminating the water. I only put a couple inches of water in it, just enuogh for her to cover her body.