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  1. #21
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Just off the cuff here, but I'm not sure that using a milk carton for a hide is a good idea. Milk cartons are generally wax-coated cardboard- which is soft enough to make it difficult (or maybe impossible?) to completely wash out, & milk, as we all know, can spoil, so I'd be afraid of such a container holding a bit of moisture + bacteria to which your new little friend won't have been previously exposed to. How will you even know if he defecates inside it? I'd find another cardboard box to modify & use, personally.

    I'd also use a real (small) bowl of some kind for him to drink from. Water evaporates much more when it's spread out like that in the tray- that's fine for just adding humidity but I wouldn't expect him to drink form that- & you'd have to be checking it all the time to make sure it's not evaporated, leaving him with NO water, & all that checking will be stressful, for him, at least.

    Not so sure about the overturned bowl either- that's not an obvious place to dash for cover with no visual door. I'd modify a small inverted cardboard box, personally, or a plastic food container.

    I'd rate your tub as "room for improvement"- (I haven't assessed the first photo yet.)
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 02-12-2022 at 11:59 AM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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  3. #22
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    Re: 3x2x2 Modification for Antaresia

    Quote Originally Posted by Homebody View Post
    I've added furnishings:

    The warm hide is on the left. It's built from a piece of cast iron water pipe sitting on a novelty cast iron frying pan and topped with a piece of slate. The cast iron modulates the temperature fluctuations caused by the on/off thermostat. A pulse proportional thermostat is high on my wish list. The cool hide on the right is just a stone mug with a cracked handle. In the back along the rear wall is a wire tunnel covered in fake foliage. It covers the entrance to the terrarium and will allow my snake to traverse the length of the terrarium under cover. The climbing branch was harvested from my local park, washed, dried and coated with 3 coats of polyurethane. I found the bench on the right in the garbage. I cleaned it and coated it with polyurethane. The fake flowers hold the probe of the thermostat that controls the RHP. The water bowl in the center is plastic. It has a wide flat bottom to keep it from tipping. Golum is a decoration that also gives the snake something to hold onto if he decides to take a bath. The lights are there just to take the picture. They are not a permanent part of the terrarium....

    At first glance, it looks like fun for a snake, BUT- the wide open cup "hide" is not a hide- it's way too open- a snake will NOT feel hidden or safe in there. It's the equivalent of a half-round tree bark "hide" that also doesn't "hide" a snake either. At most, both are "cage furniture"- things to explore. A cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels would be a better "cool hide" for a tiny hatchling- & you can stuff some paper towel in one end so there's only one open end ("door"), then bury it most of the way in the paper shreds substrate.

    About the slate-topped pan: can the slate slide off? If it can, a little constrictor pulling on it to climb can get crushed & injured/killed under it- & sooner or later, he'll be big enough or strong enough to do that. Any sharp edges on the water pipe section? Can't see it well enough to know about the size of the "doorway"- remember that hides need to provide privacy. Not too big, no "high ceilings", & a relatively small doorway. Being cast iron doesn't sound like anything a snake can tip or move, but it's deadly if your grip ever slips when picking it up- just saying. Good for heat retention though- just not "sure about it" for reasons given.

    Also- many cast iron fry pans have a hole in the handle- again, not seeing it, but if it does, sooner or later your snake might get stuck in that hole, & there will be NO way to safely cut him free of it. Just saying...snakes think of everything to get into. Yours will never get stuck in the cup-handle, but you have to think of everything before they do.

    "Golum" in the water bowl is cute, but WILL be climbed on & tipped over -just saying; how heavy is it? Is it hollow? (Snakes might find the opening to be intriguing & then get stuck inside, or hurt on unfinished edges. And I wouldn't glue it into the water bowl, as that would be impossible to keep clean- many snakes like to defecate in the water bowl.

    I do like the bench & branch. Also the vine-covered tunnel & flowers on the probe wire (which he will also climb on so make sure it's not going to move).
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  5. #23
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    In the tub, rather than just having some water spread out like that for humidity, either use a wet sponge or some soaked sphagnum moss instead. Effective for humidity & MUCH more practical. And add a real water bowl, of course.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  7. #24
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    BTW, is the cup glued in place? If so, it's not practical to clean (snakes often defecate in hard to reach crevices), but if not, it could fall ON him. So re-think using that where it is, at least.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

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  9. #25
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    Re: 3x2x2 Modification for Antaresia

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    Just off the cuff here, but I'm not sure that using a milk carton for a hide is a good idea. Milk cartons are generally wax-coated cardboard- which is soft enough to make it difficult (or maybe impossible?) to completely wash out, & milk, as we all know, can spoil, so I'd be afraid of such a container holding a bit of moisture + bacteria to which your new little friend won't have been previously exposed to. How will you even know if he defecates inside it? I'd find another cardboard box to modify & use, personally.

    I'd also use a real (small) bowl of some kind for him to drink from. Water evaporates much more when it's spread out like that in the tray- that's fine for just adding humidity but I wouldn't expect him to drink form that- & you'd have to be checking it all the time to make sure it's not evaporated, leaving him with NO water, & all that checking will be stressful, for him, at least.

    Not so sure about the overturned bowl either- that's not an obvious place to dash for cover with no visual door. I'd modify a small inverted cardboard box, personally, or a plastic food container.

    I'd rate your tub as "room for improvement"- (I haven't assessed the first photo yet.)
    I don't have a lot invested in the milk carton, so I don't mind letting that go. I don't want to invest in hides until he arrives and I have a sense of how large he is, so I've been looking for food containers that would serve in the short term. I'll find another one.

    I don't have a lot invested in the stainless steel tray either. I found it on the side of the road. I thought it would make a great water bowl. It's difficult to turn over. It's easy to clean. It's large enough to soak in. Then I tried it out and the humidity level went through the roof. The tub is way better at retaining humidity than I realized. I was so disappointed I suppose I'm still trying to find a way to make it work. A water bowl small enough to keep humidity levels down will be too easy to tip. I figure I'll use it a humidity bowl. It's great for that. It'll keep me from having to mist the paper shreds. If I ever do need to jack the humidity way up it's nice to know I'll have an easy way to do that. My snake can use the water bowl in the terrarium to drink from and soak in.

    The fruit bowl was another disappointment I'm repurposing. It was originally a water bowl but I immediately noticed that it's too easy to tip. This is just my original set up. Once I have a chance to observe how my snake uses it, I'll modify it (no doubt extensively) to meet his particular tastes. Thanks for taking the time to give me feedback. I really appreciate it.
    Last edited by Homebody; 02-12-2022 at 01:24 PM.

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  11. #26
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    I hope it doesn't feel like I'm too critical of your efforts- I really just want to keep you out of trouble with your new tiny snake, by giving you the benefit of my years of experience w/ tiny s.

    It's not necessary to invest in tiny hides for snakes that they'll outgrow- I'm a big fan of using all sorts of clean & dry cardboard boxes- snakes do outgrow them, & a Children's python will take a long time. But cardboard can't be washed either, so keep that in mind- when they're dirty, they're trash. Probably fit in a Jello box at first, or a pasta box, lol. You learn to save these things when you open food packages.

    They enjoy cardboard tubes from paper towel rolls also, but keep in mind, you can't lift it up to locate or remove the snake quickly, so that's a slight drawback. BTW, snakes cannot really get "stuck" in those either, though sometimes they can appear to be, it's mostly because they don't WANT to come out- but all you have to do is tear the cardboard tube along the spiral diagonal line where it's put together, & voila! you have the snake! (the tube is toast)

    BTW, I've never used "tubs" to house snakes. But if there's too much humidity- you need more air-holes. (you can always cover them later from the outside if too much). But what are you making the ventilation holes with? Your snake will be quite tiny so they can get stuck in a pretty small hole- even if they can't go all the way thru, they can be injured or worse. I would ask the source of the snake what size hole they recommend? (the maximum size that the snake WON'T fit thru) When I got my yearling spotted python, she was still pretty small but she moved right into an aquarium with screen mesh top- if she felt nervous or lost, it was never apparent.

    Water bowls should ALWAYS be flat-bottomed so they cannot be tipped. I'd give you some if you were nearby, lol. Pet stores sell them (ceramic or plastic) but you can find suitable things in thrift stores too- such as a ramekin> > >
    I mostly use glass bowls- not a plastic fan, & pet store bowls are usually over-priced- many "human bowls" are fine.

    Tweak on... (tweak should be my middle name, lol) I appreciate your creativity, but I know this snake will be much different than you're used to.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 02-12-2022 at 02:12 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
    Eric Hoffer (1902 - 1983)

  12. #27
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    Re: 3x2x2 Modification for Antaresia

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    At first glance, it looks like fun for a snake, BUT- the wide open cup "hide" is not a hide- it's way too open- a snake will NOT feel hidden or safe in there. It's the equivalent of a half-round tree bark "hide" that also doesn't "hide" a snake either. At most, both are "cage furniture"- things to explore. A cardboard tube from a roll of paper towels would be a better "cool hide" for a tiny hatchling- & you can stuff some paper towel in one end so there's only one open end ("door"), then bury it most of the way in the paper shreds substrate.

    About the slate-topped pan: can the slate slide off? If it can, a little constrictor pulling on it to climb can get crushed & injured/killed under it- & sooner or later, he'll be big enough or strong enough to do that. Any sharp edges on the water pipe section? Can't see it well enough to know about the size of the "doorway"- remember that hides need to provide privacy. Not too big, no "high ceilings", & a relatively small doorway. Being cast iron doesn't sound like anything a snake can tip or move, but it's deadly if your grip ever slips when picking it up- just saying. Good for heat retention though- just not "sure about it" for reasons given.

    Also- many cast iron fry pans have a hole in the handle- again, not seeing it, but if it does, sooner or later your snake might get stuck in that hole, & there will be NO way to safely cut him free of it. Just saying...snakes think of everything to get into. Yours will never get stuck in the cup-handle, but you have to think of everything before they do.

    "Golum" in the water bowl is cute, but WILL be climbed on & tipped over -just saying; how heavy is it? Is it hollow? (Snakes might find the opening to be intriguing & then get stuck inside, or hurt on unfinished edges. And I wouldn't glue it into the water bowl, as that would be impossible to keep clean- many snakes like to defecate in the water bowl.

    I do like the bench & branch. Also the vine-covered tunnel & flowers on the probe wire (which he will also climb on so make sure it's not going to move).
    The Children's Python that I'm getting is an 80 gram sub-adult. I don't have any experience with anything that small so it's tough for me to vision how how well he'll fit in the hides that I have for him. The mug is pretty deep but I can't imagine him in it. If he barely fits, I agree he won't feel secure. If he's able to coil up far enough away from the entrance, I think he may feel secure enough. I've heard Antaresia are fearless.

    The slate on top of the water pipe is secure. My BP never moved it and he was much larger. Is it too large. Again, I don't think so, but I'll need to see him in it. Good point about the frying pan. It does have a whole in the handle. Probably too small for the snake to even attempt to fit through, but at least until I see him for myself, it comes out.

    Golum's solid but not heavy enough to crush a snake even if he does tip it. I'm particularly proud of the wire tunnel, so I'm glad you like it. The probe is twist tied to the flower, so he can't knock it off. Can he move it? I suppose he can. If he does I'll find another way secure it where it needs to be.

    All the furnishings are subject to my snake's approval. He doesn't use the cool hide. It's gone. Moves the slate on the warm hide even a little. It's gone. Keeps tipping Golum. Gone. Again, thanks for taking the time. I really appreciate it.
    Last edited by Homebody; 02-12-2022 at 02:36 PM.

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  14. #28
    Bogertophis's Avatar
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    Frying pan hole: the other option is to permanently glue something inside the hole. I'm betting he'd fit in it, that's why I'm concerned. Always remember snakes are NOT logical about fitting all the way thru things- plenty are killed that way, when they get stuck & cannot back out because their directional scales prevent them from doing so- they "catch" on whatever the snake is stuck in.

    And you can never trust pet stores NOT to sell you things that look 'cool' but are dangerous for at least some pets, like those "fake skulls" with many holes where some snakes can get stuck.

    You might ask the seller for an estimate of the snake's length- to give you a better idea of his head size & all. While you're asking about the size of air holes...

    I love tiny snakes & they do grow, eventually, but you have to be prepared for the differences in housing them. I have lots of practice with tiny snakes- I've raised plenty of corn snakes etc., whose heads are about the size of a sunflower seed. Remember that snakes are soft enough to smoosh their way into holes, especially air holes with enticing odors "elsewhere" in the room- they just like to explore, which is why they're fun to watch. But we have to do their thinking for them, lol.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 02-12-2022 at 03:02 PM.
    Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.
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    Re: 3x2x2 Modification for Antaresia

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    BTW, is the cup glued in place? If so, it's not practical to clean (snakes often defecate in hard to reach crevices), but if not, it could fall ON him. So re-think using that where it is, at least.
    The cup is now secured with a piece of twine. Thanks.

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    Re: 3x2x2 Modification for Antaresia

    Quote Originally Posted by Bogertophis View Post
    In the tub, rather than just having some water spread out like that for humidity, either use a wet sponge or some soaked sphagnum moss instead. Effective for humidity & MUCH more practical. And add a real water bowl, of course.
    I'll give a sponge a try and I'll keep my eye out for a small water dish, maybe something with a suction cup on it so the snake won't knock it over.

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