I'm About To Buy A Snake...

[Matu92]

Hi all,
I'm thinking about getting either a Garter Snake or an Amel Corn Snake.
But I must first get a home for it. So I have been offered a 20 litre fish tank for free and I was wondering would that be alright as a first home?
Obviously I'll kit it out with all the heat equipment and all the shelter it needs but I am just wondering if this is alright for a small garter snake or amel corn snake?

Thanks in advance

Matt

[Grond]

Originally Posted by Matu92

Hi all,
I'm thinking about getting either a Garter Snake or an Amel Corn Snake.
But I must first get a home for it. So I have been offered a 20 litre fish tank for free and I was wondering would that be alright as a first home?
Obviously I'll kit it out with all the heat equipment and all the shelter it needs but I am just wondering if this is alright for a small garter snake or amel corn snake?

Thanks in advance

Matt

You can keep snakes in fish tanks, but there are a few issues which have to be overcome.

They don't hold heat well, so you may have to insulate three of the sides and the top.

They don't always have a securely fitting lid, so you'd have to address this problem as snakes are great at getting out of tiny gaps or exploiting insecurities.

The only way of ventilating is the lid as the sides are solid glass, and if you don't cove rsome of the sides, the snake may feel a bit exposed.

I'm not trying to put you off, just giving you a few things to consider!

[Matu92]

Originally Posted by Grond

You can keep snakes in fish tanks, but there are a few issues which have to be overcome.

They don't hold heat well, so you may have to insulate three of the sides and the top.

They don't always have a securely fitting lid, so you'd have to address this problem as snakes are great at getting out of tiny gaps or exploiting insecurities.

The only way of ventilating is the lid as the sides are solid glass, and if you don't cove rsome of the sides, the snake may feel a bit exposed.

I'm not trying to put you off, just giving you a few things to consider!

Okay, thank you for answering
I think I can sort out the insulation problem and in doing this I will be covering some of the sides meaning the snake is less exposed
And I will be able to sort the lid out.
As for ventilation, if I was to make a nice big hole in the lid and secure fine wire mesh on the hole to allow ventilation would this be good? Or are there better ways to ventilate it.

[Grond]

Originally Posted by Matu92

Or are there better ways to ventilate it.

You can buy plastic vents depending on what you make the lid out of, have a look on here in equipment classifieds or on ebay.

Wire mesh would also be a good alternative as long as it's well secured and no sharp edges.

[Matu92]

Okay, thank you for your help.

Anything else you recommend I need for keeping a snake? Because I'm new to it all

[Grond]

Originally Posted by Matu92

Okay, thank you for your help.

Anything else you recommend I need for keeping a snake? Because I'm new to it all

Well you'll need to think about how you're going to heat it, a thermostat, what substrate you're going to use, what you're going to use as hides etc.

Decide which species you're getting, and then do some reading around on how to keep them. There's lots of stuff on here and the internet, or you could get a good book. Be aware, that not every one does things the same, and you will get differing views about almost everything!

This is why a good bit of background reading (preferably from different sources) is essential IMO and then you can make your own mind up.

If you're getting a cornsnake, a good book for beginners is 'the comprehensive owners guide' by Kathy and Bill Love. This gives a fairly balanced view and you will understand all the basic priciples of caring for a corn after reading it.

I don't keep garters, so wouldn't like to give too much advice there.

[Matu92]

Okay then, thanks again for your advice

[ambyglam]

I would probably either buy a proper viv lid for the tank which will only be around 20 quid, or get an exo terra or similar, especially for the garter snake, as they are amazing escape artists!

[SNAKEWISPERA]

I'd buy a rub.

[tronsmith]

As the above says, RUBs (Really Useful Boxes) are perfect for corns (not sure about garters). They are easy to, easy to maintain temperature. and very cheap.

I am by no means an expert but I have done alot of reading before getting my first corn (my only corn/snake). Saying that these are the thhings you will need:

Enclosure
Heat mat
Thermostat
two hides
Water bowl
Substrate
Cleaning solution
I have a branch and a log. The log helps udring their shedding.
A snake

I think this is the bare minimum. As I said before I am new to snake keeping to so if there's anything I have forgotten feel free to add it to the list.

Good luck!