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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  10:19:45  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Hello,

Ok been looking about on here and the web about different Viv's for small snakes

Ive seen some posts on it but people seem to go on personal pref, so I wanted to get some experts opionions on some different viv's... being my first!

ok a few here and there but all seem to be pointin to a starter set along the lines

Komodo Snake Reptile Starter Kit
Found this one alot over the difffernt web sites

Swell Snake Kit - Beginner
http://www.reptiles.swelluk.com/reptile-supplies/reptile-starter-kits-417/beginner-reptile-kits-461/swell-snake-kit-beginner-151279.html

Snake Beginner Kit
http://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/snake-beginner-kit.html

Triple 8 Reptiles Complete Setup (Oak Vivarium)
http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/productdetails.php?ProductID=2617&ProductGroupID=1286

They all seem to be about the same in size (minus the Exotic kit, a bit bigger) since im looking to get a baby and go from there.

So I wanted to get peoples thoughts etc on what they think or say "no wrong wrong, you should look here :P"

DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3070 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  10:45:53  Show Profile  Click to see DannyBrown91's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
1. If you bought this you would need to add a few plants for cover, a digital thermometer and a thermostat which is around an extra £30 - £35

2. Both good would need digital thermometer.

3. Not ideal, the viv is too big for a small corn.

If i were you i would go for a plastic faunarium if you are getting a hatchling, this will do untill the snake is big enough to go into a larger vivarium or R.U.B.

I have noticed that most of these miss out a thermostat which is a crucial piece of kit.

I think you can actauly order all the things seperately from 888 reptiles and it is still fairly cheap.

The main things you need are a thermostat, heatmat, 2 hides, water bowl + tank. which on 888 reptiles comes to around £45 You would also need substrate.

Getting a faunarium is also cheaper in the long run as you arn't buying to vivariums but a plastic tank were the snake can live temporarily until the snake is big enough for a larger vivarium.

0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky

0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha

Location: Liverpool
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  11:09:45  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Thanks very much,

How long would you say for them to live in a Faunarium? or is it on a snake by snake basis as they grow?

hence why I was thinking about the Komodo Snake Starter Kit, as small etc but you have given me more to think on :)

sorry to keep going over, I just wanna make sure I get it all right befor the lil guy/girl gets here :)

Edited by - Takagi on 22/03/2010 11:12:26
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3070 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  11:22:06  Show Profile  Click to see DannyBrown91's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
It depends on how quickly the snake grows, but with a hatchling i would say they could live a=in a faun for maybe around 9-12 months, possibly more.

It also saves your snake from becomming stressed in a large enclosure. Once your snake gets to around the same length as the length + width of the tank then it is time to move them to a bigger tank. A large falt faunarium will do until your snake is around 2 1/2 - 3 foot long at which point you could move them up to a 3 foot viv where they could stay for most if not all of their lives.

You could get a small vivarium like in some of them offers but it would just mean spending more money.

0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky

0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha

Location: Liverpool
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n/a
deleted

286 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  12:07:24  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
i agree with what everthing danny has said, i have my hatchling in a tub and my larger ones in vivs. spend the money on a decent mat, stat and digi thermometer.

corns
0.1 Maizy, carolina 05
0.1 violet, anery 09
1.0 Smithy, amel 07
0.1 Nessa,amel 07
0.1 Lois normal/hypo motley 02
1.0 Dr Heinz Doofenshmirtz anery 00
1.0 Fry normal 08
0.1 Dora amel aztec 09
1.0 Red bloodred 08
0.0.1 Conker kastanie 10
house bunny
1.0 rex, 09
kittys
2.1 tom,jerry 09 Mittens 10
kids
3.1 Charlie-jane 98, ethan 99,coby 06,adam 07
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Sta~ple
qeeun speler

United Kingdom
6129 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  12:16:49  Show Profile  Click to see Sta~ple's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
I've got hatchlings and they are in microwave tubs at the moment. They have a plastic bottle cap where they can drink from and some very small tubes so they can hide. I would advise getting a wood or any nice viv once they are too big for plastic tubs and I would say the same about toys/hides as they would outgrow them as some snakes seem to prefer cardboard boxes to anything else.

The setups look good for yearlings though and there cheap.



A very special super, duper thanks for K :3
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  14:18:24  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Since you guys mentioned the smaller ones, (also depending on the age of the snake)

http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/productdetails.php?ProductID=3662&ProductGroupID=1702

seems like a good start, and by what danny says (again depending on the age and how it grows) should last a good few months, but will add in a thermostat to help, but should be good at keeping in the warth being small

Also would I wanna look at another tub for feeding? and substraight some kitchen paper till there in the Viv?
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3070 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  14:30:29  Show Profile  Click to see DannyBrown91's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
It is certainly best to take them out of their faun for feeding. I have a spare faun for feeding, but you could use anything from a R.U.B to a shoe box.

With the faun you would need a heat mat around 7x7 inches, i have 3 7x11 heat mats, these come in a starter kit i got and are fine, i just leave some of the heat mat hanging over. You would need substrate, the substrate you use is down to prefference but avoid using woods such as pine and cedar. I use Aspen in mine. You will also need 2 or more hides in your faun. I have a exo terra hide cave and an exo terra snake cave, but again this is completely down to preference and there are things around thee house which you could use as hides, for instance in my smallest snakes faun i also have a toilet roll tube.

You can also get standing and hanging plants for wuite cheap which will amke the faun look nice and creat new hiding places for your snakes.

I draped a hanging plant over a standing plant and over a cave in candies faun and noticed that he likes to hide under the hanging plant but ontop of the standing plant.

0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky

0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha

Location: Liverpool
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  15:26:02  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Ok firstly thanks for the advice,

So im going for the Faun, as its 35 x 23 x 15cm so going by what you guys have said should be a good starter set up while I learn :)
http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/productdetails.php?ProductID=3662&ProductGroupID=1702

Along with a thermostat (ill have a look and find the best one, maby a duel control one?) and also a second heat mat, incase the cooler end ends up too cool. along with some temp monitors, though in a faun I should still follow the temp guide lines in the case sheet? (As I guess it would be easier to keep at temp being smaller)

finally some things in there to keep them happy and to play about on!

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ari
Hatchling

United Kingdom
213 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  15:38:11  Show Profile  Visit ari's Homepage  Reply with Quote
u wont need a dual thermostat or two heat mats mate. a simple on off thermostat or mat stat will do. the cooler side will generally be your houses temp around 21-23C which is fine for the cool end. if the snake gets cold hell just head back to the warm zone. if you can afford one, get a habistat pulse night/day much more accurate than generic on off. but like i say a cheaper on off one will do just nicely. hope this helps. btw no harm in having a spare heat mat if you have spare cash. my latest exo terra burn itself and now the internals are exposed. replacement on its way.
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  15:49:36  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Yea I was lookin at that, but thought I would grab a spare just in case. Also shall look at the pulse day/night one as maby what im after.

At the moment the house temp is not bad, just in winter it gets bloody cold but as you said the snake will just go to the warm end :)

and to be honest with my inital lookin I thought I would be spending about £100 + for the Viv and parts etc heh but prolly just getting over excited about it all so going over each thing and making sure all is well and ready (just need to find a place where they have baby's close to me)
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ari
Hatchling

United Kingdom
213 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  15:55:22  Show Profile  Visit ari's Homepage  Reply with Quote
my general rule is buy good quality stuff itll last longer. good heat mat, digital thermometer and a good thermostat. the rest will all be upgradeable so dont spent too much too early ;)
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Habistat-Pulse-Proportional-Thermostat-Day-Night-600w_W0QQitemZ250582437021QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Reptiles_Spiders_Insects?hash=item3a57e08c9d thats the thermostat i just got. upgrading mine from an on/off system
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3070 Posts

Posted - 22/03/2010 :  16:25:33  Show Profile  Click to see DannyBrown91's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
If i were you i would go for the Large Flat Faunarium which is 46 x 30 x 17 cm and will last your snake for longer than the one you have picked. You only need one heat mat, the cool end will be fine at room temperature aslong as your house isn't very cold.

As for thermostat there are two types you could get a standard on/off thermostat which do the job needed but can take some fine adjusting to get the desired temps.
secondly there are Pulse Stats which keep the temps at a constant temperature which is better but are a bit more expensive.

Don't worry too much about the cool end temps dropping as long as the warm end temps are sufficient your snake can thermo regulate.

Since snakes get their heat through their bellies the heating in a viv and faun is the same even though the faun is smaller.

Remember when you get your digital thermometer thet the probe needs to be at substrate level so it is not reading the ambient temperature.

0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky

0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha

Location: Liverpool
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 23/03/2010 :  07:52:45  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by DannyBrown91

If i were you i would go for the Large Flat Faunarium which is 46 x 30 x 17 cm and will last your snake for longer than the one you have picked. You only need one heat mat, the cool end will be fine at room temperature aslong as your house isn't very cold.

As for thermostat there are two types you could get a standard on/off thermostat which do the job needed but can take some fine adjusting to get the desired temps.
secondly there are Pulse Stats which keep the temps at a constant temperature which is better but are a bit more expensive.



ahh this one,

http://www.888reptiles.co.uk/productdetails.php?ProductID=2623&ProductGroupID=1287

hmm yea not bad on price, will look at a digi thermo but seems pretty nice to me
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3070 Posts

Posted - 23/03/2010 :  11:58:12  Show Profile  Click to see DannyBrown91's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
You could get the starter kit but you would need to swap out the strip thermometers with atleast 1 digital one to measure the warm side. You would also be better off with a medium water dish rather than the small.

Other than that it seems like an ok starter kit. I have never used a komodo thermostat so im not sure what they are like but hopefully they will be better than the microclimate ones, do my head in them things.

You may also wan't to get a hanging plant or two to provide your snake with some cover. They are not needed but makes the tank look a little better, gives your snake something else to do as they can hide in them and slither over them, and they are relatively cheap at around £2-£3 each.

0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky

0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha

Location: Liverpool

Edited by - DannyBrown91 on 23/03/2010 11:59:56
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 23/03/2010 :  12:50:09  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Yea that was my plan, get that starter set add in a digi thermo for the warm end (may grab 1 for cool too to monitor...)

The water dish is a good idea :), and I had planned on lookin into the thermostat to find out what they are like (and ignor the microclimate ones you mentioned heh)

and for the plant, will any from a garden center kinda thing do? (plastic or real) or should I aim to get from Rep store/site?

should i look at a back drop? as the tank will be next to a wall (standard colour whitey brownish) just dont want them feeling to exposed etc
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3070 Posts

Posted - 23/03/2010 :  13:11:25  Show Profile  Click to see DannyBrown91's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Plastic plants are better as they will support your snake better and can be cleaned easier if your snakes decides to poo on them.
These can be bought from either a garden centre or from a reptile shop. I bought a Zoo med one for in each of my fauns but when they move upto vivs will be going too Dunelm Mill to kit the vivs out.
Apparently Dunelm Mill is really good for getting plastic plants and decor which you could then use in your viv or faun.

I don't have anything covering any of the sides on my tanks but could be worth looking into as it would give your snake more security. This could be done with anything from paper to aquarium backing.

0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky

0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha

Location: Liverpool
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 23/03/2010 :  15:25:06  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
brill, ok thanks for all the help :)

now to sort out cash and get order ready
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 24/03/2010 :  15:02:52  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
well stuff ordered... now to wait for delivery :)
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DannyBrown91
Fully Grown Corn

United Kingdom
3070 Posts

Posted - 24/03/2010 :  15:41:20  Show Profile  Click to see DannyBrown91's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Normly takes about a week from 888 so probs be here early next week.

0.0.1 Ghost Corn - Casper
0.0.1 Diffused Corn - Reggie
0.0.1 Amel Corn - Candy A.K.A Baby
1.0 Commom BCI - Rocky

0.1 Japanese Akita - Sasha

Location: Liverpool
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Takagi
Egg

United Kingdom
66 Posts

Posted - 31/03/2010 :  16:52:03  Show Profile  Click to see Takagi's MSN Messenger address  Reply with Quote
Hello,

Well my stuff has finally arrvied :)

So few quick questions on setting up (and yes have been reading the forums just wanna make sure and have it all good and ready)

Firstly the Heatmat I got with the starter set seems a bit big to me
[/URL]

but I think I can just pull it back a bit and should be ok, but wanted to see what people thought and if I should look at a different one? but seems weird they would give me a one too big?? also daft question but it does not matter which way "up" it goes?

Secondly, the thermo and stat placment. After goind though some posts and topics I think I have it right
[/URL]

Yellow is the stat probe under the Faun but on top of the Heatmat and the red is the thermo probe and inside the Faun on the floor. I am going out today/tommorow to get some mats or somthing to place underneath should I worry that the heatmat is touching the plastic Faun??

(sorry for grainy and oversized pics, took them on my phone)

Edited by - Takagi on 31/03/2010 16:53:12
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