What do i need?

If anyone [or everyone] could make a list of everything i'm going to need [& rough prices] for my new set up in a 20 g tank. | think on the cheaper side |

I have:
A big water bowel [heavy and big enough for him to fit in]
An undertank heater
A heat lamp [no bulb it broke]
A 20 g tank. [coming soon]
A temp gage & stick

*Hes uses a tissue box standing on its long side as a hide. [ he found it on my floor and claimed it] I tried to get it back but hes in love with it.

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What i need [that i know of]

Humidity gage
Therostat probs [wht kinds where to find them OFFline]
What kind of substrate should i use?
New hides
Bulb for heat lamp- what kind/color/wattage?
What else?

there's a sticky thread in the 'husbandry' section i think that has great setup tips. if you do a search for 'substrate' you will find lots of discussions on which is the best. personally, i use cypress mulch and it's working just fine so far. a lot of people swear by newspaper, though, so if you're going for cheap (completely understandable), you might wanna give that a try first!

Hi,


Here is the very sticky mentioned.:)

How are you controling the UTH? It might also be worth your while looking into tubs if your going to be changing his enclosure too - very economical and easy to create the right environment for your snook.


dr del

I don't have anything controling the UTH at the moment. But i have place a cloth and bedding over it to ensure burns cannot happen.

Things you should get:
A roll of duct tape and some tinfoil to keep humidity in with a screen top. - 5$
Another tissue box identical to the one your snake has already claimed. - 1$
A smaller waterbowl, they don't need one as large as you stated - 2$
Some newsprint or paper towel for bedding - 1$
A digital indoor/outdoor thermometer/hydrometer with probe (this will measure the hot and cold side of the tank and the humidity all at once) - 15$ - 50$


I'd suggest picking up at least a cheap rheostat / or thermostat just to be safe -accidents can happen, and when involving pets they're more like disasters.

Oh, and regarding the specific stuff you need:

Humidity gage - Get one combined with a thermometer - call Walmart and ask if they have any Accu-rite indoor out door thermometers with humidity in stock - they include a probe.
Therostat probs [wht kinds where to find them OFFline] - Call around to your local pet stores, ask if they have the ZooMed 500R in stock. It's not the greatest, but it's the cheapest and probably all you will find without ordering online.
What kind of substrate should i use? - Newspaper or papertowel works great. I like the way coconut looks better.
New hides - Go to the dollar store and buy some ceramic plant saucers (the thing that goes under the pot) smack a hole in it, and sand it down so there are no sharp edges
Bulb for heat lamp- what kind/color/wattage? - If you're going to use a heat lamp, try for a 50 watt red night time bulb for now - will cost you around 12$ or so. It won't affect light cycles, will give off a bit of heat, and won't dry out the humidity too badly.

Thanks for the help :]

Suggestions are still welcome =]

sounds like youve gotten some great advise, i would start with that and see how it goes, be sure to get some pics so we can see the setup :)

heres mine! i started with a 20gal tank and changed to tubs, cheaper, space saving, easier to moniter/maintain temps and humidity and made for much happier snake babys :)

http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g3...5/IMG_7822.jpg
were no longer using aspen substrate as it kept our humidity too high.. now were using newspaper, im so glad we made the change..so much easier! we also have much smaller water bowl (helped with high humidity, thanks south fla) and ive also put some faux plants.. just for looks ;)

good luck!

Ashley,

your set up looks 10x better then what you first originally had set up.

and you wanted to keep them outside :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kagez28

Ashley,

your set up looks 10x better then what you first originally had set up.

and you wanted to keep them outside :)

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i admit, i was being stupid lol.. besides i like them far too much to keep them outside lol. my little reptile friends made a permentant home on my desk lol.. now i just hope i dont need bigger tubs anytime soon. and yeah, i had a before and after thread of the enclosures and wow what a difference. and to think i did it all in an afternoon lol

i know jo (frankykeno) has a great post somewhere that she shares everything you need for a tub set up... it's less expensive than a tank set up. i'll pm her and see if she knows where it is. i've been searching but can't find it.

Nice Ashley! Now that is using some creativity.

Just wanted to add that with a tank you might want to use the aspen or cypress mulch as it will help alot with keeping the humidity levels where they need to be. I am not sure if newspaper in a tank would do that also. The accurite thermometers/ hygrometers can be found at walmart for about $12 and they are great!!! Just don't get it wet if you find that you have to mist your tank (I did that and then had to go and buy a new one :( )


For Ashley, your tubs really do look great!!! I was wondering though if you used UTH for your tubs?? Or do you use flexwatt? With the tub on top sitting right on top of the one on the bottom, does one of them get too hot? Was just wondering.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sunny1

For Ashley, your tubs really do look great!!! I was wondering though if you used UTH for your tubs?? Or do you use flexwatt? With the tub on top sitting right on top of the one on the bottom, does one of them get too hot? Was just wondering.

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i do use UTH and yes the bottom one was getting too hot at first, i really just need to take new pictures lol. i had my husband make a shelf for me so it not only seperates the bins making it easier to slide the bottom out but also keeps the temps where they belong.

for me using aspen as substrate was actually keeping my humidity too high even though it was dried out.. newspaper helped bring it down.. just my .02

Not much for me to add really other than make sure you buy something to secure the tub lid properly. The clip down ends are not going to be enough and eventually your snake is likely to slither out. Things like heavy binder clips, C clamps or bungie cords work well. As far as hides anything that is dark, easy to clean and fits the snake tightly will do. No need to spend a fortune on fancy ones from the pet store, hit your dollar store and get creative. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AshleyB

for me using aspen as substrate was actually keeping my humidity too high even though it was dried out.. newspaper helped bring it down.. just my .02

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I'm sorry, I just wanted to clarify here. In a plastic tub, yes newspapers or papertowels are probably best since the plastic keeps all the humidity in but in a glass tank it can be difficult to hold the humidity at the right levels and you may need to use aspen or cypress mulch to raise the humidity (along with having to mist it when necessary).

OKAYYY i got some new stuff for Snakey

-Two black small identical hides.

-A new heat bulb

-Repti carpet.

-Something to help him scratch off a shed. [A log type thing]

And a live mouse to try and switch him to live [always will be there to supervise]

I'm hoping to get his 20 gallon soon.