Adorning your corn snake’s enclosure is probably going probably the most pleasurable sides of the snake-keeping experience.
It’s sometimes sensible to keep up your pet’s habitat comparatively simple at first, nevertheless if you’re sure he’s established and has settled into his new digs, there’s nothing unsuitable with sprucing his dwelling up a bit. In fact, some sorts of decoration are obligatory for the nicely being and well-being of your pet.
We’ll talk about all these decoration, along with some which you would embrace for purely aesthetic causes beneath. We’ll even set up a few of the proper decorations obtainable, along with store-bought and custom-scavenged varieties.
Decorations for You; Decorations for Your Pet
It will likely be vital on the outset to understand that your pet’s desires for adornment differ from yours. Your corn snake desires points like darkish, confined hiding places and climbing options; nevertheless he does not care what they seem like, or within the occasion that they match the other objects in his habitat.
Within the meantime, you probably do care about the best way through which the decorations look collectively, if the aesthetic theme is wise, and when you occur to merely get pleasure from making an attempt on the enclosure.
Fortunately, these differing desires are totally applicable. Nevertheless it is best to start by satisfying your pet’s desires first. Then, you’ll begin specializing within the seen attraction of the decorations you’re using.
The ten Best Corn Snake Tank Decorations
There are scads of assorted points you need to make the most of to brighten your corn snake’s tank, nevertheless the subsequent 10 are among the many many most worthy of consideration.
1. Cork Bark
Personally, I take into consideration cork bark to be the proper single enclosure decoration for any forest-dwelling reptile. This not solely consists of corn snakes, nevertheless inexperienced tree pythons, leaf-tailed geckos, and area turtles, amongst others.
Cork bark is the bark harvested from cork oak timber. It not solely seems to be like precise (because of it is), it has a cork-like texture (subsequently the determine), and it’s vitally lightweight, making it pretty safe for use in your pet’s habitat. In fact, because of it is so gentle, you’ll affix it to the partitions of your enclosure with a little bit of Velcro or pet-safe adhesive.
Cork bark can be utilized to create hiding places, introduce seen limitations to the habitat, or simply current further of a three-dimensional look to the aesthetics. You may additionally use it to supply elevated perches or basking spots. When you select “rounds” (versus “flats” – cork bark is accessible in two elementary varieties), you’ll assemble faux timber in your pet to climb.
2. Dwell Crops
It’s a bit troublesome to incorporate ecologically relevant crops in your corn snake’s habitat, as most house crops inside the yard center are from tropical lands, whereas your corn snake is from the southeastern United States. Nonetheless, this isn’t strictly obligatory; your snake acquired’t care regarding the ancestral homeland of the crops you make the most of.
Crops like golden pothos will sometimes thrive in a corn snake enclosure, and they also’ll not solely improve the air prime quality contained within the habitat, nevertheless they’ll moreover elevate the humidity and provide hiding places in your pet. There are quite a few completely different crops you need to make the most of too – as long as the plant doesn’t produce harmful spines, thorns, or sap, it must be safe in your pet. Merely keep on with those that’ll thrive in low-light circumstances for the proper chance at success.
Some keepers prefer to put in keep crops instantly inside the substrate, nevertheless it is less complicated to keep up them of their pots. Merely use a little bit of cork bark to obscure the pot or arrange the leaves so that they provide just a little little bit of camouflage.
3. Farm Artifacts
This one is just a little little bit of an inside joke amongst expert keepers, as it seems that evidently every corn snake enclosure at every zoo on the planet depends on a farm motif. It’s wise, as corn snakes are, in reality, frequent friends to agricultural areas. However it certainly’s merely been accomplished, and accomplished, and accomplished, which has turned off some keepers.
Nevertheless I nonetheless suppose it’s a fairly neat idea, with tons of room for creativity.
You can assemble numerous completely completely different cupboards or “lofts” in your snake. You can embrace 1,000,000 completely completely different devices or completely different widespread objects, ranging from earlier pots and pans (which could moreover perform hiding places) to rakes or shovels (which might moreover perform climbing branches). Your creativeness is de facto the limit.
Merely you need to undoubtedly protect your pet’s safety on the forefront of your ideas. Don’t use one thing that would cut back or puncture your snake, and guarantee that one thing you introduce is obvious, free of dangerous residues, and unlikely to “lure” your snake in any methodology.
4. Climbing branches
I just about take into consideration climbing branches to be vital husbandry objects for corn snake maintenance (given their tendency to climb), fairly than decorations. Nonetheless, they really serve every capabilities.
You can really purchase commercially prepared climbing branches, nevertheless you’ll be able to too harvest them your self. Freshmen are best served by selecting enterprise varieties, and it’ll merely present you find out how to avoid a bunch of problems (resembling bugs dwelling contained within the wood). Furthermore, most climbing branches provided commercially are each “self-supporting” or outfitted with {{hardware}} to make mounting simple.
You can even cowl the climbing branches with keep or artificial crops. This is not solely an effective way to reinforce the aesthetics of the enclosure, nevertheless you’ll be able to too obtain this as a technique of camouflaging the {{hardware}}.
5. Shells, Bones, and Skeletons
Bones and bone-like points often aren’t everyone’s cup of tea. They could conceivably be considered a bit macabre, and even juvenile. Nevertheless as well as they supply some really attention-grabbing options.
The “go-to” methodology to utilize bones in a snake cage is to throw a cow skull on the underside of the tank. Cow skulls are pretty simple to accumulate and they also current some seen curiosity. Nonetheless, there are increased decisions, in my ideas. As an example, an earlier area turtle or slider turtle shell can perform a unbelievable hiding place, and every these species keep alongside corn snakes inside the wild.
Seashells aren’t pretty as ecologically relevant, nevertheless they’re pretty environment friendly too. Merely you need to undoubtedly avoid using any sort of shell which can lure your snake inside.
6. Enclosure Backdrops
Certainly one of many greatest strategies to supply your pet’s habitat a very new actually really feel, with out having to stress regarding the husbandry implications of doing so, is by affixing a photographic or painted image to the once more wall. Most keepers choose a realistic-looking image, nevertheless there’s no function you’ll’t select one factor further ingenious – your snake acquired’t care each methodology.
In fact, sometimes speaking, there’s a ton of room for creativity when using backdrops. You should purchase such a commercially produced background or do the entire legwork your self. You may additionally put it on the pores and skin or inside your tank (assuming you’re using an aquarium for an enclosure). It’ll usually look increased when you occur to position the backdrop contained within the habitat, nevertheless that technique has some obvious drawbacks.
For starters, it’ll placed on out further shortly if positioned on the inside of the once more wall. You’ll even have to find out a snake-safe approach to attach it to the glass. And ultimately, your snake would possibly repeatedly set off it to fall when climbing and crawling spherical near it.
7. Mirrors
Mirrors aren’t primarily decoration per se, nevertheless they’re typically very useful in altering the aesthetics of the habitat.
Mirror-backed enclosures are in type with many keepers – considerably people who protect elaborately planted enclosures. The mirror not solely “multiplies” each of your crops and completely different decorations, nevertheless it moreover makes the enclosure “actually really feel” greater (to observers, not your pet).
You may additionally arrange small mirrors your self. One attention-grabbing chance is to utilize mirrors near your snake’s hiding spot. With just a little little bit of experimentation and ingenuity, you’ll most likely arrange the two in a technique that permits your snake to cowl, whereas nonetheless allowing you to see him clearly. In numerous phrases, your pet would possibly crawl into a bit of cork bark that blocks your view totally from the entrance. Nevertheless, by placing a small mirror behind the cork bark, you would presumably see him whereas he hides.
8. Artificial Crops
You don’t have to go to all the problem of placing in keep crops when you occur to don’t have to; merely use artificial crops instead. No, they do not look just about nearly as good as keep crops, nevertheless they will nonetheless make your pet’s enclosure look further attention-grabbing. And the factitious foliage will nonetheless current hiding places and visual limitations that’ll help improve your snake’s prime quality of life.
Artificial crops will even forestall a bit of money over time (considerably when you occur to wrestle to keep up your crops alive). Plus, you’ll sometimes uncover artificial crops that resemble species that’d be exhausting to care for in keep kind. Pine timber, for example, are generally not attainable to develop in a typical corn snake tank. Nevertheless there are numerous artificial “pine timber” obtainable, which will contribute a neat actually really feel to the habitat.
It’s moreover worth noting which you would combine keep and artificial crops. You would possibly, for example, place a keep plant in a conspicuous, “center stage” spot inside the enclosure, and use artificial crops to help fill in numerous the bare spots. If accomplished with finesse, this might create a fairly realistic-looking affect.
9. Artificial Vines
Vines current a unbelievable approach to interrupt up the enclosure inside and introduce a little bit of “three-dimensionality” to the habitat. They’re moreover pretty fairly priced and might be utilized in many alternative strategies. Lastly, vines – if adequately secured – current additional climbing options in your pet.
The one troublesome issue about placing in artificial vines is that it could generally be powerful to mount them. My preferred approach is to attach them to wooden climbing branches with screws or completely different {{hardware}} (merely guarantee that no sharp surfaces are present). You presumably can use a eternal (and pet-safe) adhesive, nevertheless this may make it powerful to keep up the vines clear.
10. Custom-made Pretend Backgrounds
When you occur to’re ready to invest the required time and effort, faux enclosure backgrounds can really elevate the aesthetics of your pet’s cage. There are a variety of how you’ll be able to achieve this, nevertheless there are two widespread approaches.
One makes use of huge objects of robust, carved foam, which might be then lined in pet-appropriate paint or grout to supply texture. The alternative fundamental technique contains using rising foam. As quickly because the froth has hardened in place, it could be lined and embellished further.
Many events, all these backgrounds are designed to resemble rock work. Nevertheless, for corn snake maintenance, tree-like backgrounds are further ecologically relevant. As quickly as as soon as extra, this may solely matter to you – your snake acquired’t understand or care whether or not or not you’re attempting to create faux rocks or faux pine timber. So, let your tastes and desires data you.
Frequent Corn-Snake Cage Adorning Concepts
Whether or not or not you choose numerous the decorations talked about above or offer you points to spruce up your pet’s habitat by your self, you’ll have to protect a few key points in ideas. This consists of:
- Maintain enclosure hygiene in ideas when selecting decorations. It’s important to understand that you’ll have to wash one thing you place in your snake’s habitat. This means – amongst completely different points – that you simply simply’ll should each select points that could be modified merely and economically, in any other case you’ll wish to select sturdy objects, which is ready to stand as a lot as repeated eradicating and cleaning. Furthermore, it is sometimes sensible to pick decorations which have as few nooks and crannies as attainable.
- Ponder searching for two of each factor. One fantastic maintenance observe is to purchase two of every cage decoration you intend to utilize. That methodology, you need to make the most of one contained within the enclosure, while you’re washing and drying the other one. Furthermore, by leaving decorations to “air out” away from the enclosure periodically, they’ll most likely preserve up increased and harbor fewer micro organism and fungi.
- Select decorative water bowls with care. Many keepers are drawn to the decorative water bowls that are so widespread within the market. Nevertheless whereas a couple of of those water reservoirs are good choices, others will present powerful to wash or protect over time. On a regular basis you need to undoubtedly select water bowls with simple interiors, and protect the burden of the dish in ideas, as you’ll have to elevate it steadily.
- Simply make sure you protect elementary husbandry guidelines in ideas whereas adorning. You don’t have to arrange decorations that’ll block your pet’s entry to his basking spot, nor do you might want to have to disrupt the temperatures in your habitat by together with massive, heat-retaining objects (at least, not with out making any obligatory modifications).
- Be acutely aware that your snake’s habitat is warmth and barely damp – some decorations will deteriorate shortly. Usually speaking, you’ll have to avoid placing in decorations which can rot or perform meals for micro organism and fungi. In numerous phrases, lean in route of points manufactured from plastic, bone, seashell, or ceramic, and avoid these points that will not last as prolonged.
Conclusion
Adorning a corn snake cage is often pleasurable, and – if accomplished appropriately – it could improve your pet’s prime quality of life too. Merely just remember to solely use decorations that are safe in your pet, and that you simply simply don’t overcrowd his habitat by turning into overzealous.
With just a little little bit of observe and some experimentation, it is best to be succesful to rework your pet’s habitat from a boring, plain-looking enclosure to a sensible recreation of a southeastern forest.
Closing exchange on 2025-01-05 / Affiliate hyperlinks / Photos from Amazon Product Selling API
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