New with many questions!

[Craiga 01453]

Woah, Thank you so much Craigafrechette!
I didn't even know about PVC enclosures, so it seems that I have a lot more research to do.. This also sounds like it would be a great idea for ball pythons? Is there a reason that PVC is cleaner than glass? Or easier to clean?

For the reptibark/ecoearth cocofiber mix, is that one to one? How humid is "too humid" for corn snakes?

I'll look into a thermostat for sure! Are there any reliable brands/sources that I can find?
I will definitely do more research on these as well.

Seems I've only begun to scratch the surface!

My pleasure.

I'm still in the research phase of PVC. I'm most likely going to build my own. But the benefits are that they have a glass or plexi-glass front to keep the viewing aspect of glass enclosures. But glass is a terrible insulator, so heat control is easier with PVC. Less heat is escaping, so less needs to be produced. Also, they are more enclosed than glass because of the screen cage tops that glass use. PVC just has a few vents for airflow, but isn't wide open like the screens. This helps with heat and humidity control. Humidity control is probably the biggest complaint about glass enclosures. The smooth surface of the PVC is easier to clean than glass too. and no hard water stains to worry about after misting.

Corns don't have very specific humidity requirements, but where I live winters are very dry, so I mist occasionally in the winter. The rest of the year ambient humidity is usually fine. I don't let it get too high though. Higher humidity for too long can cause mouth rot and other health hazards. So usually just the ambient humidity that the substrate soaks up and the water dish are plenty.


Herpstat is the most common thermostat in the hobby from what I have seen and read. There are other options though. They can get a bit pricey, but it would be horrible to have something happen to your snake. The initial set-up for a snake can be a decent chunk, but once you have the set-up, it's mostly just food. Substrate and electricity are cheap. The only other major expense is when/if a trip to the vet is needed.


There is a lot to learn, but for me that's part of the fun of the snake/reptile hobby. They are fascinating animals and the more we know about them the better we can care for them.

Props to you for doing your homework before bringing the snake home! There will always be a learning curve, but with research prior you can save yourself a lot of headaches and money!