Pond vs water bowl for corn snake

[No1stunner]

So I'm thinking about building a pond in the middle of my 55g. for the corn snake I plan to get in the next month or so...and in this pond in thinking about adding a water fall with filter...my question is this. If I add the pond with the filtering waterfall do I need to still add a drinking bowl for the snake?? also I assume I will need a small UTH for the pond especially in the winter as I live in northern Virginia (a four seasons state)?? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated :robo:

[Sylphie]

Nope, if you have the pond then it's a "big water bowl" :D Some corns love to swim, while others are like "nope". But enclosures with water sections are really nice looking!

[No1stunner]

Now if I get a hatchling do I need to worry about him/her drowning at all?? Probably a stupid question... Obviously I'll put some rocks in the pond so it can get in and out of the water with eaze...

[prairiepanda]

Snakes are very good swimmers, even the ones who hate swimming, and can hold their breath for insane lengths of time. Mine like to show off once in a while and just sit completely submerged in their water bowls staring at me like "Ha! I bet you can't do this!"

It would be good to make sure there are solid objects that can be reach by the snake from anywhere in the pond, though, in case they fall in and panic. If they can even just curl the end of their tail around something they calm right down. If you're looking at hatchlings, though, you need to keep in mind that a 55gal is a lot of scary open space for a baby snake and you'll need to compensate with lots of hides.

If you want to simplify things, you could forego the filtration and just make the pond easily removable so you can just pull it out for a quick rinse and fresh water every couple days. Depends on the size of the pond, though.

[Jim Smith]

My greatest concern with having a "fixed" water source in an enclosure is when the snake decides that it's a great place to use as a bathroom. When my hondurans do this, it stinks the entire room up. Having a water bowl I can easily remove and clean is essential for me. Just a thought...

[reptiledude987]

Ive been torn on this decision as well. as much as the water feature looks great as jim mentioned the water poopers are what have steered me away from it.

[ManSlaughter33]

With the amount my corn poops, or likes to spread it around.. I would personally use the water bowl. thats just me and my corn though.

[Jrich]

Maybe observe the snake first to see if he/she frequently poops in the water dish. Some of my snakes always do it so they get the not so pretty easy to clean dishes and some of my snakes never poop in their dish so I chance it with a bigger and more sophisticated watering hole and have been lucky ever since.

[jjhill001]

Maybe observe the snake first to see if he/she frequently poops in the water dish. Some of my snakes always do it so they get the not so pretty easy to clean dishes and some of my snakes never poop in their dish so I chance it with a bigger and more sophisticated watering hole and have been lucky ever since.

I love it when a snake only poops in the water, because with daily water changes you can have the substrate last longer.

[No1stunner]

I think I'm gonna build an easy to remove one I thought about that previously but thought the plexiglass line going across the front of tank where the pond was would be cheesy. However I could probably hide that with some vines or something. Thx for the info peeps!!

[PatrickT]

The pond is harder to clean and could be a hygineic problem. You should consider this.

[No1stunner]

Yeah another good reason to build a removable pond

[Pogie]

I got this for Tyrion's water bowl. Was trying to figure out what to use that he could actually get into. I came up with this. It even has a decorative palm tree in it rotfl. He likes it. He did poop in it though, but it's small enough I just take it out and wash it and put it back :)
This is the one I got him lol. Lees Lee's Turtle Lagoon Reptile Cages & Terrariums (http://www.petmountain.com/product/reptile-cages-terrariums/11442-107672/lees-lees-turtle-lagoon.html?utm_source=googleproductads&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=CLG-iZfq4MYCFQ-IaQodogkC5A)

[No1stunner]

I like that pogie!! That's another clever idea!! That may be my back up plan. Thx