Tank setup

I would. It might be a pain right now, and take a bit of time, but again... better safe than sorry.

20 gallon is pretty big for a hatchling, Make sure you have a hide at each end. They don't like huge spaces.

How are you doing for lighting?

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Originally Posted by Christycat

I would. It might be a pain right now, and take a bit of time, but again... better safe than sorry.

20 gallon is pretty big for a hatchling, Make sure you have a hide at each end. They don't like huge spaces.

How are you doing for lighting?

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Damn! Ok is it better to pour boiling water on the hide/plants/water bowl or disinfect it? Also is it cool just to bag the substrate that's in there now and freeze it or put new in there after freezing that?

I would disinfect everything before introducing your snake to it. As for the substrate (this is just me) I wouldn't freeze it, Id just put it in before the other items.

What do you have in the way of heating?

I've never heard of freezing new substrate...is this normal or necessary?


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Originally Posted by calmolly1

I've never heard of freezing new substrate...is this normal or necessary?


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Honestly, I've never heard of that either. Maybe if you get it wholesale and scoop it yourself?? I've never frozen any of my substrate personally.

I've heard of ppl putting their substrate in the oven... i kinda thought that was stupid but maybe I'm wrong. Never heard of freezing anything.
You'll want to clean everything now, then clean everything again regularly... so keep in mind, the more that's in the tank the more you'll have to clean... but since you have a large tank for a baby you should probably put a lot in there to take up the extra space for now. Definitely at least 2 hides on each side (cool/hot). Then other items for decorating to take up extra space.
Send us some pictures of your set up and your new snake when you get him!

You don't need to freeze the substrate. And cleaning hides, water dishes, etc before introducing your snake to everything is definitely recommended and MUCH easier to do now before you have the little guy/girl.

And as mentioned, 20 long is big for a hatchling so you'll want to create as much clutter in the tank as possible so they feel they always have a secure place to hide. Also, it's recommended to clean your snake's habitat once every month or so, so get used to doing this. It's a big part of keeping your new snake happy & healthy.

Would also be good to know what you are using for substrate & heat as well as the general environment you live in (warmer area, colder area)...

Some people used to freeze substrate like cypress mulch as it can sometimes have wood mites in it. I personally have never used cypress as its pretty expensive here but I have used eco earth which is great for moisture but is messy as hell and if you allow it to dry out, it gets pretty dusty. I now use finely shredded aspen for my large snakes and paper towels for babies. And then I just throw out the aspen every couple months and do a full clean. Much easier than trying to change eco earth.