Bought some fake plants from hobby lobby, what to doi?

Alright I bought a couple fake plants from hobby lobby last night, got them home and the stems are way too long for my tub. They are metal wire covered in plastic, so how do I cut them? Also should I sanitize them before putting them into his tub? And last but not least, he hasnt eaten in 2 weeks, he refused the last 2 mice I went to give him. Should I wait till hes eating well to put the plants in?

Double and triple check that for plastic O rings within the foilage. We've had too many snakes on the forum try to wriggle through those, only to be stuck 1/2 way down their body and had their panicked owners find them that way.

You can use pliers, wire cutters, even plain scissors.

Sanitize is not necessary. Just clean it in mild soap and water if dusty/dirty.

It could be that the reason he's not eating is because he doesn't feel secure in his enclosure. Adding the fake plants would improve this situation and might even help him eat.

Just my 2cents.

Well I hadnt changed anything with his last feed except the weather got colder other than that everything stayed the same. Hes eaten for me four times before, I just bought him tow coconut hides that he seems to love so I'll try to feed him again tonight.

Oh and I changed his substraight from shredded newspaper to repti-bark, so I should probobly take him out of his tub to feed him right? Well when can I put him back into his tub without him regurgitating?

I would stick to feeding him in his own tub. I do it with mine. its less hassle and i had no "signs of aggregation" as some people say happen from feeding in there usual enclosure.

Ahh I never thought that feeding in there own enclosure would be any different, Im just worried about him swallowing a peice of repti-bark?

It does happen sometimes as long as its only a small piece its no issue. Just keep an eye on them while they are eating.

Is the plastic coated wire not a problem? I'd be worried about the snake injuring itself... ??

I recently bought some fake plants from Wal-Mart that had the same thing. Metal covered by plastic. I think my BF used wire cutters and got what I needed off. After that I realized there was quite sharp exposed metal, so I dipped it in candle wax repeatedly until it was all covered up and smooth.

Hope this helps!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Elise.m

After that I realized there was quite sharp exposed metal, so I dipped it in candle wax repeatedly until it was all covered up and smooth.

Hope this helps!

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Nice idea! I'll have to implement it once I get a few foliage things together. I figured I'd just have to sand it or tape it

I bought a 10' piece at Joanne. The wire is about a 1/4" thick. I have not found a way at home to cut it yet. I tried the wire cut part on needle-nose pliers and scissors....I hope the wife doesn't find out about the scissors :rolleye2:

The walmart ones I could cut with the same scissors. I had pretty clean cuts on those, I ran my finger over it and it wasn't rough at all. I'm not using them for my balls though, those pieces went in with the cresteds.

The snake might not want to eat because you're messing with it's environment. Just a thought ;)

anyone got pics of there setup with the fake plants?

This is a mix of the ones from the reptile store (held on by suction cups) and some from Michael's. The ones hanging from the top is from Michael's. The "pointy stem" is hooked to the outside of the tank.
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l.../sunshine1.jpg

Here's one with a fake orchid from Michael's that is in a clay pot and some fake leaves hanging off the sides:
http://i314.photobucket.com/albums/l...07/Salazar.jpg

Besides the orchid that is in a pot, everything else is hanging off the sides of the tank. If it's on the floor, the snake will pull it out. The orchid came with the pot - it's actually a solid styrofoam thing inside the clay pot that the stem is stuck into. I guess the styrofoam is glued to the pot because it doesn't come off. You can pull out the stem - it's just buried in the styrofoam - so I put the orchid behind the log and the water bowl so the snake cannot crawl over it.

It's not a BP enclosure, but it's got 3 strands of fake plants in it.

This is for my crested. I took the suction cups from my shower rack and used them with the green leaves. The orange leaves are wrapped around a twisty branch. When I had my BP in this tank, I just layed the leaves on the ground. I probly could have used more, but the more stuff you have in there, the more you have to clean.

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...s_picture3.jpg

And here's what the wax ends of my leaves look like.
http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...909101354a.jpg

I have never heard of fake plants in tubs, but if the snake likes it who is to argue.

Instead of wax, go to walmart and buy a 10$ or cheaper hot glue gun. Wax will eventually chip and fall off, hot glue is there for life. You can even glue it to the tub if you dont want it moving around.

If you are plant savvy, use real plants without fertilizers and psticides. water the plants and this will add to your humidity as well

As for not eating, it could well be the dip in the weather. This could signal a slow down on eating and time to find a mate thing.