New to Snakes, with a few questions!

[amandarenee]

Alright, I love snakes. Period. Always have. But my husband is really afraid of them. So, when we recently visited a pet store and I started talking about getting my aquarium set back up and HE suggested I get one of the cute little corn snakes instead, I was floored! :yes:

So, for the past week or so we've been planning and I've been reading everything I can about caring for and keeping corn snakes. And I have read a LOT about people making their own vivariums out of things like bookshelves, coffee tables, and tv stands.

I was hoping that some people would be willing to share their DIY ideas (with photos!) to get me started. We were at a thrift store the other day and saw one of those gigantic tv's-in-a-cabinet, and thought it would make a really interesting home for our future snake. Anybody ever converted a tv? He's really handy, and he thinks he could even wire the tv knobs to turn on/off day & night lights!


Oh, I have a 10(ish) gallon tank sitting in my garage that we could use a temporary home. I belive that it would be quite sufficient for a few weeks if not a few months, until the snake is bigger or the "new" vivarium is finished.

[Billyh]

I just made a nice snake cage out of an octogon end table with glass all around, The main thing is making it waterproof, because there are always accidents, spilt water ect. I used a good coat of kilz oil based primer, and then covered it with a high gloss cabnent and trim paint, let it dry for a week and cleaned it with soap and water, it is a breeze to clean! I also sealed it up good to keep the heat in-but not airtight, so it still gets some fresh air. I also made another out of some scrap plywood and just a piece of glass I had laying around. Both of them together only cost me $75 in materials. I will try fo figure how to get pics on her later. Good luck!

[Billyh]

I am tryin to figure it out, but it don't look like it is going to work

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[Will0W783]

BillyH those are nice-looking cages! They dont' have to be 100% waterproof, just enough that spills wont' warp the wood. Melamine is the best material to work with if you want to use some sort of wood, also plastic sheets work. I have all melamine caging in my snake room, and they stack nicely and really hold humidity. But they weigh a TON! Seriously each cage empty is like 120lbs.

[amandarenee]

The octagon viv is amazing! I totally wouldn't have thought it would turn out that well. Bravo!

[Billyh]

I wanted to use melamine but I am kinda broke right now:confused: and it is 4x as much as the plywood was. But you are right it is the easiest to use. Southerlands also have some 4x8 sheets of rock-looking paneling that would be an awesome backdrop, too bad I have more ideas than money!

[Will0W783]

That's always the case- more ideas than money. You'll be ok. Just make sure you seal the plywood really well with a weatherproofing, waterproofing sealant and let it dry so there's no fumes left and it should be ok.