New setup questions

I just joined and I have 2 ball pythons currently kept in very boring, ugly enclosures. I'd really like to set them up something visually appealing but have some questions. I should mention they are doing great and eating, I just want to change things up and have some questions.

1) What substrates are best for humidity and looks nice? I don't like eco earth, and obviously not newspaper or papertowel.

2) What hides do yall use? I found an old thread with people linking hides but none of the links worked. I find some of the petstore hides have rough edges and I'm worried it might hurt them.

3) Do exo-terras hold humidity well? Someone told me they do, but if they don't i'd gladly stick with tubs.

Well ...

I use Orchid bark ( maybe sold as ReptiBark ) for all my display snakes as it looks fabulous ( and natural) , holds moisture/ humidity well and makes colourful, bright looking snakes look amazing .

As to hides I tend to use Exo Terra caves or pieces of curved dry tree bark from the local woods and parks .

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fbc47507a.jpeg

As regards Exo Terra vivs - the ones I have are all glass and fabulous build quality and easily adapted to individual needs . You do have to cover the sides and backs with dark / black paper to give then some security plus if the snake needs a bit of humidity you can cover the lid with a piece of plastic / perspex . They do hold water as well up to the door opening which can be useful . I used to have a few garter snakes and I had a little pond in one corner ..


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For substrate you have some options, you can try other coconut substrate like coco husk, or Reptichip. Cypress mulch also works well.

I use the Exo Terra caves that were mentioned earlier, but reptile basics makes some good hides too.

As for housing, Exo Tetras are pretty much like every other glass tank. Harder to heat and keep humidity than a tub, but with some modifications and a little work you can successfully keep snakes in them. I would look into PVC tanks though, easier to heat and they keep humidity better. Animal Plastics cages are popular but there's also Boaphile and Vision.

I use reptile prime. Better than Eco earth. I use bean farm black plastic hides. I also have a cork flat and a mopani wood so she can rub while in shed in there and fake plants.

I started in tanks on paper, then switched to eco earth, but moved to AP enclosures and Reptile Prime. I also use the rock hides that were mentioned earlier and the simple black plastic hides as well.

Thank you so much for all the suggestions :) I think I want to try cypress mulch, I was unsure before because I was afraid they might get splinters or something but if its safe I'm willing to give it a try. I like the back hides a lot but the site says they're mostly sold out so i'll have to see. Is it true that a larger enclosure stresses a snake even if there is plenty of cover and I cover all sides but the front? What is the "average" size tub for an adult? I'd have to measure mine exactly and they're bigger than racks I've seen but I have never seen other peoples tub set ups. They do great and show no signs of stress, but if its safe to go bigger I'd like to. People tell me exact opposite things about this and want what is best for my little guys :snake: I'm fairly new to snake keeping so excuse that stupid question.

I was concerned with the cypress mulch (what I called Eco Earth in my previous statement) as well honestly and when I switched to Reptile Prime is when the snakes started burrowing and I thought that was the coolest thing.

You can also find the black plastic hides on Amazon, that's where I got mine from.

You are correct, some people say the large enclosures will stress the snake but in my VERY HUMBLE and NOT an expert by any stretch of the imagination opinion, if your temps and humidity are on point, and you provide plenty of cover the snake should be fine.

As far as tub sizes are concerned, I do not use tubs (except for my baby Brazilian rainbow because I'm concerned about him being between the glass of a T10 right now). I keep him in a small tub in half of the T10 for now....

Good luck - you'll find a ton of knowledge here.