Shopping list for a colubrid enclosure?

[Neal]

Can I get some help making a shopping list for an enclosure for my first snake? I'm planning to get a gopher snake but that may not pan out because of space, in which case I'll likely be getting a corn. I'd like to get a PVC cage from Herp Houses, and they said they can help install accessories if I bring them when I come to pick up the cage. This being my very first time with reptiles, I'm still uncertain what specific products I should get. It'd be great if anyone with colubrid experience can help me out with this?

So I do know that I need:

- an RHP - I have no idea what wattage/size to get for a gopher or corn. I guess it's hard to determine at this point, when I'm not 100% sure what size cage I'm getting.
- some form of under tank heating - am I understanding correctly that Flexwatt is the common method for PVC cages?
- thermostat - for a North American colubrid, would a simpler one that's not a Herpstat be sufficient?
- lights - what's everyone's preferred way of lighting PVC cages? So far I've read that you can just glue or silicone LED strips on.

Am I forgetting anything?

Also, I'm still having trouble with exactly what size cage I should get, if I go for the corn. Herp Houses offers 24x24x12, 24x24x16, 48x24x12 and 48x24x16. Would a corn require one of the larger ones? I'm frustrated that there doesn't seem to be a 36' cage available from Canadian companies. Honestly if the cage size gives me problems I might end up going for an even smaller snake, like the hognose...

1.) RHP are great, size and wattage varies depending on your enclosure size. If you want a RHP I wouldn't recommend using anythin other than a PVC enclosure and at that point you shouldn't need to use any type of under tank heating. I'm sure you could rig an RHP to a screen top, but I wouldn't do it. I prefer to make sure things get done right so you don't have issues, but that's me.

2.) A thermostat is a must have for anything heat related. I prefer Herpstat by Spyder Robotics. I've never had any issues, and they have great customer service. They have cheaper thermostats available, but you get what you pay for. When the cheaper thermostats fail, they often get stuck full blast, so your heating will get as hot as it can which can kill an animal. Herpstats and your other ones have fail safes where they will cut the power, they don't get stuck wide open which is why they're recommended and used by anybody that's been in the hobby.

3.) You can light PVC cages with LED lighting, or you can use a flourescent, whatever you choose I would put it on a 12 hour cycle, so they get 12 hours of light, 12 hours of dark. Now if you can and I would recommend this based on my own observations in keeping colubrids, use a UVB light. I've noticed color shifts and behavior changes from using UVB and not. You just need to make sure that the snake can't get to the bulb as they do get hot. Most of the fixtures should come with the bulb covering.

I would get two identical hides, depending on the size they are and they get, you can use the exo terra caves which I like, or you can use the black reptile basic hides.