Cage Setup - Dos and Don'ts?

[Sonya Bailey]

And my thoughts on your questions...

- how do i measure humidity and keep the tank humid enough?

buy a digital humidity sensor

- Also, they gave me the rest of their aspen wood chips and that seems like a weird substrate. Should i be using something else?

I think bark is best, some people use newspaper or kitchen rolls.

Thinking about all the changes that need to be made also brought to light a bunch of other questions for me about the snake's health and happiness.
- Is it stressful for t he snake to have things moved around, added, or taken away?

I have moved things round a lot in the past 2 weeks, maybe each snake is individual, mine seems to have dealt with this ok.

- The snake has no hides and seems to enjoy hiding inside shirts and hats while being handled. Can i use a beanie as a hide/hammock without posing safety issues?

Really think you need hides in there. You can use many things, ,most people seem to like plant pot bottoms with a hole cur out, but no sharp edges. Many say all hides should be identical so the snake doesn't favor one over the other and sacrifice heat or lack of for the hide.

- what should i look for to know if my snake likes or dislikes the decorations or items in his tank? Is he happy?

Thats a hard one, just watch and go with your gut feeling

- once all of his necessities are taken care of, i'd like to decorate his tank in a unique and creative way. Are there any materials that i should avoid or any i should definitely include?

Don't use tape ever! if you use things from outside make sure you clean them well, freeze them for 24h and then if you can heat them for 30mins, just to be sure they are safe. Don't ever use cedar bedding, it's toxic to snakes.