Corn Snake Terrarium Setup 2021 

glad you like the style! At some point I would like to change the substrate and maybe add a live plant or two, but for that I would probably have to change the terrarium itself because the weird construction style of the current model doesn't allow for a thick layer of substrate

@@CatharticOutlet nah just put plastic on the bottom mesh or soemthing like that, its pretty easy to do

​@@hylaarborea1090 true, that could be an option... I would just have to find a way to make it aesthetically pleasing as it would be visible from the outside 🤔

@@CatharticOutlet if your good with wood make a wood cover for the bottom sand and stain it using good wood not ply wood

thank you!

I know, I was really shocked as well! Her former owner had three other corn snakes that were also kept without heating... Sadly, it appears a small subset of keepers seem to think that because corn snakes are hardy enough to survive in those conditions it's okay to keep them like that.

@@CatharticOutlet it's not justified at all though because information these days is more accessible than ever

@@samuelnaidenov totally agree! It is quite appalling how ignorant people can be when it comes to animal welfare

thank you!

nice, Happy belated Birthday!

@@CatharticOutlet Thanks!

@@Iknowyouknowleeknowishottie .... it's late but happy birthday 🎂🎉🎉🎉

@@jameandthegiantpeach2273 lol thank you!

Thanks! I will try, but I have a other planned videos to work through first

Thanks! I actually added the hammock back into the terrarium after making this video (just positioned it differently) and have since observed her using it a few times!

Bioactive has its place but not for cornsnakes and most commonly kept colubrid species. These snakes should not be subjected to damp conditions 24/7. Ambient humidity is fine, localized humidity is fine, temporary damp substrate is fine, but not a bioactive setup that looks like a forest and wet enough for frogs. Cathartic Outlet did a great job of having a cage look like she wanted but not keeping the snake as if it is a tropical treefrog.

@@6strings735 it's clear that you have a very limited understanding of bioactive and likely no actual experience with it. Bioactive does not mean, nor require a moist environment. It means biologically active soil. As in soil that is alive with microfauna, mycelium, and beneficial bacteria. This can be achieved in anything from a desert or grasslands type of enclosure right up to a rainforest enclosure. My corn snake bioactive has been running a few years now and is thriving, as is he. I even have my hognose snake in a bioactive. Humidity sits between 35-50% and there's plenty of clean up crew which you see come up to the surface whenever I water the plants. Its about understanding the system you are trying to emulate and choosing the invertebrates and plants accordingly. Species like Porcellio scaber, or Porcelliondes prunosus do just fine in lower humidity setups as long as they have a moist place to retreat to when they need hydration. Morior worms and darkling beetles also thrive in moderate humidity enclosures and make fantastic CUC. But I'd also suggest you look more into the native habitats for Pantherophis guttatus as average humidity through much of their native range is actually ~65-75%. They don't come from dry habitats where aspen shavings and heat mats grow wild

@@moetthepoet I like the details of your response - thanks for the info. Heat pads in the wild.. yes, they do exist in a sense. Kingsnakes, milksnakes - they specialize in using mass heat to thermoregulate. Mass heat being warm ground, burrows, crevices. Cornsnakes typically live where exposure to the air does not dry them out, so they are more apt to not need to use mass heat as much. I know little about bioactive - I thought it had to be super humid. Learned something. I do have lots of field experience with mainly western kingsnakes and montane kingsnakes. Masters of thermoregulation while exposing none or very little of themselves to the direct sun, and they are able to avoid dehydrating conditions this way.

@@6strings735 Thanks! I I agree that constant dampness is worse than a set up that is a bit too dry, but I do think it is possible to maintain a relatively arid/non-tropical bioactive set up (also as corn snakes can be native to Florida they are likely more tolerant of higher humidity environments than some of the other colubrids)

Aw, thanks! As mentioned, I recommend buying the enclosure and equipment second hand as you can get good quality terrariums for a much lower price. I am quite happy with the set up in this video, although I would have preferred a terrarium that allows me to add a thicker layer of substrate so the snake can do more digging. I would always aim for a terrarium that is as least as long as the snake so it can stretch out. Regarding the snakes, I always try to adopt or buy mine "second-hand" as there are many pet snakes of varying species and morphs looking for new homes. In France, corn snakes were very common. If you are lucky you may find someone selling their animal together with a decent terrarium, so you will not need to make too many modificaitons. I would ask the previous owners or breeders (if you buy a "new" snake) about the animal's behaviour. Is it more shy or very outgoing and easy to handle? I didn't know anything about my snakes' behaviours when I adopted them and my corn snake turned out to be very shy while my ball python was super active. I think it's good to know what you can expect, as they can have different personalities. I hope this helps! For care tips, I recommend checking the website reptifiles (dot) com. They provide very detailed, science-based care information so you can be sure you will give your snake the best possible environment based on the latest standards.They also have care sheets for leopard geckos.

@@CatharticOutlet Thanks!

interesting, I never considered fig tees and rosmarin! I am eventually planning to change her terrarium to one with live plants, in which case I will check them out.

I actually used blue tack (well in this case, white tack). It lets me detach and reattach the probe and so far it’s been holding the thing in place for over two years. The snake doesn’t seem to push it off or get stuck to it herself. For my ball python this wouldn’t have been stable enough so I ended up drilling a small hole into the side of the hide and wedging the probe in.

Oh that's brilliant. That would most likely work for my cornsnake in her future enclosure. Thanks for the wonderful video.

The corn snake is doing quite well! I am planning to post an update video on her next actually! Too bad about the adoption, but I'm sure you will be able to find your dream snake soon!

Yes, I am currently using the Arcadia ShadeDweller ProT5 UVB 7% for my corn snake and my ball python (I think they may have changed the name of the product - it also used to be 6% UVB, but I don't think that matters much). I don't know what the arboreal version is, do you mean the coiled bulb instead of the long tube? I would use the tube as that is more naturalistic and what is recommended for snakes. As long as you have the mesh between the lamp and the snake it should be fine, they don't get as dangerously hot as heat lamps, and snakes seem to know when they did enough basking will actively move away from the light by themselves.

Hi, I put the links in the video description! I know you can get them from the French and German Amazon stores, hopefully they also ship to other countries.

Hi, I bought the terrarium second hand from leboncoin (French craigslist) so I don't know if the model is still available. It seems to have originally been from a website called reptiles-planet(dot)com - they still seem to be making terrariums with wooden frames . Hope this helps!

@@CatharticOutlet Im french so reaching Leboncoins clearly isn't a bad idea ! I looked on the website but didn't seem to actually find something that would please me. Do you perhaps know your model's name ? And have you ever had any problems since its a wooden one ? kind of it like degrading & maybe making your snake in danger? im not sure if i should get a wooden one for a cornsnake or a glass one.

@@loopi9919 Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be any kind of model name or number on the terrarium... Regarding the wood, I think it's totally fine to use for a corn snake terrarium. In this one, only the frames are wooden, but the base and the sides are made of glass, so it is easy to clean. The overall humidity in the terrarium generally doesn't surpass 60% which means there is no real danger of mould on the wooden bits because they don't really get wet. I actually have my ball python in a terrarium where everything is wood except the front panel. There, I used sealant (un produit d'étanchéité) to waterproof the base, and I've had no issues with it so far. I can imagine a wooden terrarium being a problem if you have a species that needs tropical humidity levels (70-90%), there, I would use a plastic, aluminium or glass terrarium. Hope that helps!

@@CatharticOutlet Thanks a lot for the replies!! now last question. Do you perhaps remember what kind of budget you've put in the decoration itself,? I really want something that looks rather realistic like yours but i'm scared that i wont have enough money. i can still try to save a bit, that's not the problem, but im a type who prefers to get everything in a one-run.

@@loopi9919 you're welcome! I bought the big terrarium + most of the decorations you see (the wooden branches and the plastic plants) along with lamps and heat mats (and some other accessories including a background I didn't end up using) off the same person from Leboncoin for 150 Euros - buying all of that new would have taken longer and been a lot more expensive, probably more than twice the price. I did buy the current background myself and also added three hides and a climbing vine which together cost around 100 Euros on top. Again, I can really recommend Leboncoin (or another second hand platform), because you can find people selling fully equipped terrariums in good condition for much less than it would cost you to buy all the things new. You can also find all sorts of cool decorations on there (like cool looking plants or hides for like 3-5 Euros each). If there are parts of the set you don't like you can always sell them off or donate them and replace them with other things like I did.

good luck! one thing that saved me a ton of money was to buy the terrarium and most of the equipment second hand, I would have probably paid twice as much had I bought everything new

@@CatharticOutlet wow, that’s actually a good idea. will definitely keep that in mind, thank you!!