# Need Advice for Corn Snake Setup...



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

I have recently bought a hatchling amel motley corn snake. I currently have it set up in a plastic faunarium with a heat mat and mat stat with nothing but 2 home made hides a small water dish and some aspen bedding. I am looking to buy his 'for life' setup. So here's my question, would the following list be adequate? If not, what have I missed out or what should I change? 
Thanks in advance : victory:

*Viv*
VivExotic LX36 Vivarium	

*Decor*
ExoTerra Reptile Cave (Medium)
Lucky Reptile Terra Bark Hide (Medium)
ProRep Wooden Corner Pool (Medium)
Lucky Reptile Snake Bedding

*Heating*
Habistat Mat Stat Thermostat
Lucky Reptile Thermo Mat (Size: 26 x 27.5cm (14W)
Zoo Med Digital Thermometer

All this comes to £119.70 with delivery. This is much cheaper than buying a so called 'starter kit' which seem to always come with a 2 foot viv or lack a thermostat.


----------



## mstypical (Feb 16, 2011)

RobbHughes said:


> I have recently bought a hatchling amel motley corn snake. I currently have it set up in a plastic faunarium with a heat mat and mat stat with nothing but 2 home made hides a small water dish and some aspen bedding. I am looking to buy his 'for life' setup. So here's my question, would the following list be adequate? If not, what have I missed out or what should I change?
> Thanks in advance : victory:
> 
> *Viv*
> ...


Sounds like you'll have a very lucky snake, but remember you don't always have to buy the expensive exo-terra or lucky reptile items, some household thingybobs do just as well


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

mstypical said:


> Sounds like you'll have a very lucky snake, but remember you don't always have to buy the expensive exo-terra or lucky reptile items, some household thingybobs do just as well


Thank you! haha, I'm guessing all that stuff is okay then? I did notice I forgot to add some plants to the list :blush: And yeah I know I can make do with cheaper alternatives. I currently have hides made out of an old jar and a butter container


----------



## Hannah81 (Nov 19, 2008)

Rabbit and hamster hides are cheaper as well. Dog bowls for water etc. There's loads out there that's cheaper and does the same job. Reptile branded goods are still a lot of money.

It's ok if you're just got the one but when the addiction hits you and you've got a house full you'll find yourself with a box full of saved toilet roll tubes, egg boxes and cheap bits and pieces. :lol2:


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Hannah81 said:


> Rabbit and hamster hides are cheaper as well. Dog bowls for water etc. There's loads out there that's cheaper and does the same job. Reptile branded goods are still a lot of money.
> 
> It's ok if you're just got the one but when the addiction hits you and you've got a house full you'll find yourself with a box full of saved toilet roll tubes, egg boxes and cheap bits and pieces. :lol2:


Thanks for the tips  yeah I'm sure the addiction will set in soon. I have been trying to convince my girlfriend to let me get a ball python but she isn't having any of it :2wallbang:

Also, what is the best way to put the heat mat in the wooden viv? I wont be able to put it underneath like I do with a plastic faunarium.


----------



## spidersnake (Dec 1, 2009)

To put a heatmat in a wooden viv its best to have it on the back wall at one end - not in the middle. Putting the mat on a wall minimises the rist of the snake buring itself. Reptiles dont realise when they are getting burnt as there is very little in their natural habitat that gets hot enough to burn.


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Okay thanks, I was thinking of putting it on the inside on the floor, then covering the whole base with plexiglass and sealing it in. But putting it on the back wall seems a lot simpler


----------



## Rick Shaw (Jul 27, 2010)

U can put the heatmat on the floor and duct tape it into place, then get some Lino from a carpet shop to line the whole of the viv then put yr aspen on top.


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Rick Shaw said:


> U can put the heatmat on the floor and duct tape it into place, then get some Lino from a carpet shop to line the whole of the viv then put yr aspen on top.


I'm guessing I would need to seal the edges of the 'lino' too? Otherwise the snake, substrate and moisture would get underneath?


----------



## Rick Shaw (Jul 27, 2010)

If u measure the Lino and get a tight fit the snake will not be able to get underneath. Slight bits of aspen sometimes do but when u change it u can just give it a quick sweep out (or hoover, just don't let yr wife/mum catch you doing it)
You should have very little moisture/humidity in a viv for corns so will not be a problem.


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Thanks for the good advice  yeah I'll be sure to hoover in secret haha. When I said moisture I was more concerned about water from the water dish.


----------



## tenpin07 (Mar 11, 2012)

*heat mat*

i go a piece of 1/2inch board and sat my viv on to and put eat mat in between 
this allows the snakes to use the bottom of viv
and is easy to clean


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

tenpin07 said:


> i go a piece of 1/2inch board and sat my viv on to and put eat mat in between
> this allows the snakes to use the bottom of viv
> and is easy to clean


A half inch wooden board beneath a wooden viv with the heat mat sandwiched between them? Is that what you mean? Does the heat mat even penetrate the wood?


----------



## tenpin07 (Mar 11, 2012)

yes it does so far 
and its not to hot for them either


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

tenpin07 said:


> yes it does so far
> and its not to hot for them either


Okay, I guess ill try putting it under the viv first and if that doesn't work I'll have to put it inside :2thumb:


----------



## Tulppaani (Dec 22, 2011)

Please dont use any sort of tape in the viv , my baby has scars over her where some dofus put tape in her viv and she got stuck in it when it got lose. Its just not worth the risk. 

I have the heat mat under my wooden viv , comes through at a perfect temp :2thumb:


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Tulppaani said:


> Please dont use any sort of tape in the viv , my baby has scars over her where some dofus put tape in her viv and she got stuck in it when it got lose. Its just not worth the risk.
> 
> I have the heat mat under my wooden viv , comes through at a perfect temp :2thumb:


I wouldn't have used bare tape, I would have put either plexiglass or lino over the whole base and siliconed the edges. But it looks like the method I'm using on a plastic faunarium now will work on a wooden viv after all 

Also, when you say 'a perfect temp' are you using a thermostat?


----------



## Tulppaani (Dec 22, 2011)

RobbHughes said:


> I wouldn't have used bare tape, I would have put either plexiglass or lino over the whole base and siliconed the edges. But it looks like the method I'm using on a plastic faunarium now will work on a wooden viv after all
> 
> Also, when you say 'a perfect temp' are you using a thermostat?


No i dont , i only use a heat mat for their viv. On its own the heat mat warms the floor to 86 but i have a 4ft viv and two corns in there. I had a stat for their light but had to take it out because one of my darlings likes to wrap themselves around the light bulb after forcing himself through the light guard so i had to remove it:gasp:


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Oh okay, I thought that was what you meant, because with a stat its easy to get the perfect temp


----------



## Tulppaani (Dec 22, 2011)

No sorry should of explained myself better. 

What sort of thermometer are you using? you really need a digital one


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Yeah, im using a cheap chinese one of ebay at the moment


----------



## mjh73 (Nov 29, 2011)

Have you looked here for vivs? - cheapest I could find £43.59 free delivery

VivExotic LX 36 Vivarium


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

mjh73 said:


> Have you looked here for vivs? - cheapest I could find £43.59 free delivery
> 
> VivExotic LX 36 Vivarium


Good find :2thumb:

But I'll be using RS Pet Supplies for my order, because it is only 15miles from where I live and it has a wider range of products. The viv is only £6 more expensive. Seapets doesn't stock heatmats and I think the thermostats are more expensive anyway.


----------



## Kimora (Mar 7, 2012)

i placed my heat mat inside the wooden viv. the wire for this was fed threw the pre-cut semi circles on the back of the it, the hole also allows for my digital thermometer and stat probe (have wadded the remaining hole space up and have card secured behind the viv where the hole is) the hole can also be achieved by drilling a hole big enough for the stat probe as after you feed it threw it should allow you enough space to feed the remaining two wires. i use wallpaper liner ( £2 a roll in wilkosons ) cut to size on top and then place the wood chips in (no more than 1 cm thickness on top of the mat) the probe and thermometer are hair banded together and place on top of the substrate under her warm hide.

tape is always a BAD idea with ANY reptiles though i have been told that peanut butter helps remove it from reptiles if you are un-lucky enough to have it happen.


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Does wallpaper liner really work? Its not very robust


----------



## Kimora (Mar 7, 2012)

thicker/more robust than news paper, normal paper and kitchen roll, absorbs quite well, cheap to buy, doesn't leave ink prints on corn and easy to replace. when the viv needs a good clean out grab the corners and fold it all up like a parcel, wood chip inside ^^ minimal chip left in viv for sweeping. (i use it like a base like many others use news paper  my corn doesn't come into direct contact with the matt and the stat makes sure my temps remain within a good range. 
:2thumb:


----------



## RobbHughes (Mar 11, 2012)

Kimora said:


> thicker/more robust than news paper, normal paper and kitchen roll, absorbs quite well, cheap to buy, doesn't leave ink prints on corn and easy to replace. when the viv needs a good clean out grab the corners and fold it all up like a parcel, wood chip inside ^^ minimal chip left in viv for sweeping. (i use it like a base like many others use news paper  my corn doesn't come into direct contact with the matt and the stat makes sure my temps remain within a good range.
> :2thumb:


Sounds like a really good idea then, deffo give it a try :2thumb:


----------

