Low maintenance tank decor suggestions

[ROSIEonFIRE]

I may be an outlier, but aesthetics are of no real importance to me with my snake tanks. My priorities are temp and humidity, making the snake feel safe/low stress environment, and cleanliness.

For what's worth and IMO, your snake does not care as long as his/her needs are met. Snakes want to feel safe. That's a huge priority for them. BP's, which I see you are interested in getting, are burrowing snakes and in captivity want safe places to hide and feel snug.

Get hides that are easy to clean and will feel snug to the snake. Plastic hides like these are great. Easy to clean and when snug, will keep your snake feeling safe and secure.

https://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

https://www.reptilebasics.com/large-hide-box

What kind of enclosure are you looking into getting? If it's a glass tank (which I do not recommend), you will likely need some form of substrate to keep humidity up. If it is a PVC enclosure with a clear door in front and sides you cannot see in or out of, humidity should not be an issue because of the nature of the tank and how well it holds temps as well. In those, you can use paper substrate. I love paper substrate. Others do not. I am immune compromised due to a kidney transplant and nothing is cleaner and easier to clean than paper substrate.

I use printless newspaper.

https://www.uline.com/BL_1953/Newsprint-Sheets

For keeping the tank clean, make sure you have a good cleaner that is reptile safe and diluted to the proper formulation/ratio. I like this: https://www.reptilebasics.com/cleani...centrate-32oz/

Great disinfectant and deodorizer. Make sure to follow the directions of any cleaner/disinfectant. For example, this needs to sit for 10 minutes to be fully effective and then should be wiped up with a wet cloth. I use a mister to spray a little water on the surfaces I just cleaned (usually tank floor and walls) and then wipe up. Pretty easy.

I have spoken to the owner of the company and he is knowledgeable. Zoos use it too, but often in a higher concentration than you should. I have 9 reptiles tanks and go through about 1 oz a month, if that. This will last you a long time and the deodorizing aspect is huge.

If you want plants and other decor items, make sure they are easy to clean. Also make sure they are not sharp anywhere. Even a slight edge can hurt a snake who likes to explore and push on things. Also, a hungry snake striking prey is indiscriminate. I have had snakes miss a F/T rat and hit hides easily. Smooth edges.

Fake plants with big leaves are easier to clean than tiny leaves, for example.

Others can chime in on tank decor. However, please focus on husbandry over aesthetics. Also, per my response on your other post - regarding what I wish I knew before getting snakes - IMO, a BP is not a display animal. If you want something pretty to look at in your living room, etc. a BP might not be the right choice. They want quiet and solitude over commotion. Putting a tank somewhere where you can see the snake and the snake tank often might be pleasing for you, but probably not your snake.

I’ve been planning on getting a front opening PVC tank. I have to say, this conversation is really comforting to me because I am actually in the middle of getting a serious and life changing medical diagnosis and I suspect the treatment may involve immune suppression. When I realized the direction the diagnostics were taking (yesterday PM) I pretty much just cried for hours and the only thing that could distract me last night at all was thinking about getting this snake. And then I realized that I might be on immunosuppressants and that I might not be able to get a snake after wanting one for years and that was very upsetting. This isn’t even what lead me to post this question, I’m just the kind of person who prioritizes low maintenance anyways, but what you said about keeping snakes while immunocompromised gives me a lot of hope. Thanks so much for your thorough answer! All of this information will be really helpful to me and for sure confirms in my mind that PVC is the right way to go as I am seriously concerned about mold growth in wood type subs.


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