The wheat snake (Pantherophis guttatus) is one of the most common snakes used as a pet. Sometimes mistakes are made when taking action to create an environment for your snake. Here is a guide on how to make a vivarium for your wheat snake!
Steps
Step 1. Get a vivarium
For the young wheat snakes, a vivarium of about 40 liters or even 80 liters is sufficient. If the snake is an adult, most recommend a approximately 160 gallon vivarium, where the snake will happily live all its life. A glass vivarium will be perfect as a home for a grain snake.
Step 2. For bedding / substrate, NEVER use cedar bedding, it is toxic to ALL snakes
Many snake owners prefer a newspaper because it is inexpensive, efficient, and easy to clean. If you prefer something more natural, many snake owners recommend Aspen. It is 99% non-toxic, low cost, looks beautiful and natural, and is virtually snake safe. To protect your snake if you use a UTH (heat source under the vivarium), it is recommended that you purchase two reptile mats. They are cheap and fit the bottom of the vivarium. This allows the snake to curl up for extra warmth without the risk of UTH burns.
Step 3. Insert the mat into the bottom of the vivarium (it should be replaced and cleaned every 1-2 weeks
That's why you should have two so while one is being cleaned the other is in use).
Pour about 1.5 - 2.5cm of substrate over the mat and spread it evenly over the entire floor of the vivarium
Step 4. Give your snake places to hide
The grain snake needs hiding places to feel safe and secure. The grain snake prefers to have a tight hiding place that touches it from all sides, so it avoids using something too large. If you use a hiding place that is too large, try filling it with balled up paper napkins, it works quite well!
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Put a hiding place on the warm side and one on the cold side, you can also put one in the middle. For small snakes many owners prefer to give many hiding places, placing one on the warm side, one on the cold side, and one in the middle.
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If the hiding place is too large, pad it with paper towels. REMEMBER: You can always make hiding places at home instead of buying them! A roll of paper napkins, glued together with a popsicle stick (use a hot glue gun), plastic containers, etc!
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Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 5 Step 5. Get plants and vines
Wheat snakes are partially arboreal, and providing artificial and climbing plants will ensure stimulation, comfort, places to hide, etc.
Step 6. Get the right kind of fake plants
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Artificial plants, tendrils with leaves and other artificial foliage can be placed throughout the vivarium, on the warm side, on the cold side and in between, against the back walls, on the sides, etc. Wherever you want, but remember to supply more than one plant. This will give your snake a number of places to climb, relax, warm up, cool down, etc.
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Get a climbing branch for your snake. You can make your own or buy it at your pet store. These can be placed anywhere you like but remember to check that:
Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 6Bullet2 - The snake may rise up and down.
- It can support the weight of the snake.
- It is not so thick that it prevents the snake from coiling around.
Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 7 Step 7. Equip the vivarium with other elements / decorations:
ALSO: Plastic / artificial logs, stones, etc., which you can find in pet stores and are designed for reptiles / snakes, can be placed in the vivarium to give additional forms of stimulation, to encourage exploring, for climbing and for provide other hiding places
Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 8 Step 8. Place climbing objects and other 'decorations' in the vivarium
Place these decorations / objects in different areas of the vivarium, do not concentrate them all on one side.
Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 9 Step 9. Provide a heat source
Grain snakes require temperatures of: Hot side: 26-30 degrees C and Cold side: 22-26 degrees C. Warm side at night: 24-26 degrees C and cold side at night: 21-24 degrees C. The most common solution to heat a grain snake vivarium is a UTH, also known as a radiator under the vivarium.
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How to insert a radiator under the vivarium: (1) UTH placed on the bottom of the vivarium in the part intended to be the warm side, making sure it DOES NOT COVER MORE than half of the vivarium. (2) Buy a thermostat and use it to regulate UTH temperatures.
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Other heat sources: You can also use a heat lamp to provide extra heat, because in some areas in the winter months a UTH will not be able to provide enough heat. Using a lamp with a Full Spectrum or UVA bulb also provides a night and day cycle. Approximately 12 hours for the day and 12 hours for the night are recommended.
Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 9Bullet2 - Set the heat lamp: (1) Insert a Full Spectrum or UVA type bulb into the lamp to bask in the day. (2) Orient it in the center of the warm side of the vivarium (do not orient it on the cold side or in the middle of the vivarium). (3) Connect the lamp to a RHEOSTAT to check how hot the bulb gets. (4) Connect the RHEOSTAT to a timer which will provide the day and night cycle for your snake. 12 hours for the day and 12 hours for the night are fine.
Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 10 Step 10. Find a solution to provide moisture
We recommend a humidity between 35-60%. Not more than 60%, not less than 35%. 50% is ideal. Heat lamps take away moisture, and some recommend taking a tea towel and moistening it, squeezing it and hanging it over the middle of the vivarium, but there are many other solutions that are listed below:
Ideas for humidity: (1) You can spray the cage every day or every other day, if you prefer. A recommended method suggests using distilled water, so it doesn't leave the traces of the drops on the glass. (2) A wet tea towel over the middle of the vivarium (squeezing it before inserting it). (3) You can also make a moisture box with a small plastic container with a lid with holes in the sides and lid, but make sure they are not large enough for the snake to pass through. Put moist peat moss inside the container and put the lid on. Place it on the warm side of the vivarium
Create a Corn Snake Vivarium Step 11 Step 11. Find a method for controlling temperature and humidity
We advise you to buy a rheostat to control the brightness / dim light / heat of the bulb in the heating lamp, a thermostat to control the temperatures of the UTH, a thermometer / hydrometer to detect the temperatures of the two sides and humidity as well.
Note on Thermometers / Hygrometers: To put it simply analog thermometers / hygrometers can be very inaccurate. Most snake experts recommend getting a digital thermometer / hygrometer that has a good rating and reputation
Advice
- Always make sure the snake has fresh water
- Always remember to close the lid of the vivarium
- Check the temperature and humidity every day
- Make sure the lamp is connected to a rheostat and your UTH is connected to a thermostat.
Warnings
- NEVER use heating stones, they are known to severely burn snakes and can even kill them. They also don't provide heat all over the place.
- REMEMBER: Too much heat means death.
- If your UTH and lamp are not connected to a rheostat / thermostat there is an increased risk of overheating, which can cause your snake to die.
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