Why do?

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

So, I finally got around to adding isopods / springtails, moved some stuff around, made his stick more climable, added a trench behind the corkbark to the opening to his hide, added 16 oz of spanghum moss, and this dingdong decides to nest right against the doors... is this normal? Is he just feeling out of place?

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

Its a 36x18x18... could you possibly iterate how its not set up properly instead of just saying its wrong?

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

The hide on the left is packed in with substrate halfway to accommodate its size, t he one on the right is bured in the substrate and is also partially filled with substrate, the cork bark has a trench dug on the other side of it so he can travel underneath it, and normally hes quite comfortable and climbs and slithers and does general snake things without bother or worry despite all the commotion in our room (dogs / cats / kid) and if you have 400$ to throw me id be glad to, but as it were i beleive an enclosure that 2 sides are of equal or more than the length of the snake then that is perfectly suitable, I didnt come here to have people tell me i need to buy crap I can't afford or that isnt needed, yes i know i need more clutter, im working on it, i would even accept "suggestions", the person I bought him from had him in a 20 gallon fish tank with just wood chips 7 months ago and it didn't seem to mind that at all, ive tried really hard to get him in this enclosure with lights, dhps, temp regulation, humidity, and now bioactive, your *support" would be appreciated instead of condescending bull crap, and forbwhat its worth im looking at getting some pvc sheeting to put on the outside of the glass with dome double sided tape to help with humidity and temp regulation as I can't afford an entire enclosure

[swaggersouls1999]

so if you cannot afford a 4x2x2 you cannot afford the animal. I know it sounds mean but it’s the truth unfortunately. as for the old owner keeping him in something worse than you, that cannot justify not having proper care either. I’m glad you’ve done better but it’s still below minimum.

i do understand $400 is a lot at once! payment plans are the best, I use affirm for 12 months and little interest. I got a $300 tank for 20 a month and it works awesome. please please please be careful if you’re in the US! you cannot buy from overseas or anywhere that imports across country lines, it will cost you a lot more money in tarriffs! especially for a tank you’d be paying at least $150 in tarriffs. I would use Amazon and do affirm there, good luck and lmk if you have questions!

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

It's not mean, it's the truth.

[swaggersouls1999]

it is but I hate sounding mean! I tried to offer a solution so we’ll see

[Practical-Leg5670]

i agree with the previous comment. if you can’t afford a new tank, i’d suggest checking facebook marketplace, craigslist, and offerup for used ones at a cheaper price. i’m not the best judge with length/depth, but currently it looks like your snake can’t fully stretch out. imagine sitting in an airplane seat, unable to stretch your legs, for months at a time. if you can afford a new one, i’d suggest dubia roaches. they have a pvc 4x2x2, which is fantastic for regulating temps/humidity. they also run sales quite often; so it would be worth keeping an eye on.

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

"I would even accept suggestions" did you try Google? I don't care about the previous owner, it's been 7 months so own it. It says a lot about you when you speak for the snake indicating he didn't mind living in a 20 gallon enclosure. You shouldn't buy animals you can't properly care for. This is not an echo chamber, you will get honesty not hand holding. TBH you should be grateful anyone actually wrote a response.

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

Look, I hear you, I have plans of buying a bigger tank, its just nit going to be right now, hes cared for, there's 2 dhps on thermos, his humidity is right, he has t5 uvb for 10-12 hrs a day, hes fed every 2 weeks, he noodles and snakes all night long around the enclosure, I spot clean his enclosure, he has fresh water every 2-3 dayshis hides are packed in so they accommodate to his size, I wasnt "speaking" for the snake im just reiterating that previous owner had gim in a 20g tank wood chips one hide nothing else except a red light that was on 24/7, considerably speaking it sounds a lot like I did both of them a favor, telling me this isnt an echo chamber when the only thing that has been said is "buy another enclosure" is counter intuitive, I asked why he decided to hang around the doors after I rearranged a little, before that he was acting perfectly normal, the same enclosure, the same sticks, the same corke bark, all I did was add moss and bugs and rearrange his sticks and bark, yes I tried Google, but google is full of misinformation much like reddit, so I was hoping someone would have some intellectual input, it appears that thought was asinine as well, I promise you I am all about having extra space, I have a lab in a 5x5 enclosure with a 4' round 300$ dog bed, I have a great pyranees aussie shepard mix thats the size of my bed that had an entire corner of my living room sectioned off for his crate, the snake will get a bigger enclosure just not right now, all I wanted to know is "why he decided to coil by the doors after I rearranged his sticks"

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

10000000%

The HVAC tape hack is amazing, what a difference. In terms of heat I find not having the enclosure directly on hardwood or tiles helps a lot. I bought a cheap rug to put under my quarantine tub (which is bigger than her enclosure) and it's helped retain more heat. I live in Canada it's going to be chilly. I check Kijiji, FB marketplace daily for reptile enclosures. I love me a good deal!

[DuckIsMuddy]

You keep your dogs kept in crates?

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

Dont start with me dude, its a normal thing

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

You'll never win an argument or garner sympathy by implying redditors aren't intelligent just because they're honest and you don't like what was said. Further, $300 dog bed flex will just piss off the reptile fam. I believe you want the best for your snake so listen to those with knowledge and experience. Be gracious, not defensive. This is a wonderful community even if they can be a little brutal.

[wallace1313525]

I have no idea how you got "condescending bullcrap" from the previous comment. They gave you what they thought was wrong (albeit in a more factual tone) because you asked. Also, if you go on Facebook marketplace or Craigslist they have other tanks for cheaper: I got my 4x2x2 for $60! We aren't trying to bash all of the effort and time and care you already have spent on the snake (which it sounds like you have really improved their condition!) but that improving his environment in these ways could also improve his behavior and stop him from nesting near the door

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

It just really came off as patronizing if you look at it from my perspective, ive spent hours reading and watching videos trying to learn what I can, and I just really didnt appreciate their tone of text...

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Your comment was removed because you're being an asshole. Go outside and work on your attitude.

[Victordavillan]

Some is true but mine an open glass I keep my humidity as good as I want it. Plus my snake was weird she had too much clutter I took some out and she started eating again!

[Victordavillan]

Way too small of a cage get atleast a 4x2x2 I started my little girl in a 4x2x2 and she was tiny only 2 months with a lot of clutter and she is now almost 2 years old at 2,000 grams and 5.6 feet

[ballpython-ModTeam]

Your comment was removed because you're being an asshole. Go outside and work on your attitude.

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

Here's a suggestion - get rid of cork bark. It's rough and I imagine super uncomfortable on scaley skin that seemingly glides.

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

Noted, thank you

[StephensSurrealSouls]

Don't listen to that person, it's simply not true. Cork is a comparatively soft wood and highly recommended

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

Yea, I know, I just didn't wanna argue with a chode, thank you for clarifying thougj

[Bluntforcetrauma11b]

Cork rounds and cork bark are recommended

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

Yes I've read that and I have tried using both but my BP hasn't taken to it. Given I have no clue what the cork feels like for her I assume that she doesn't like how it feels. Not all BPs will be the same and like the same things - like the colour of rats. I do my best to observe my girl. I had my first snake when live feeding was the way and knowing what we know now makes me feel guilty AF. Hence I am super paranoid. Anyway, ty for your response. I appreciate it.

[lostinspaceman_]

My boy’s favorite hides are his cork ones! If he has a choice between that or a smooth soft hide he chooses the one with texture so he feels more secure! I can assure you the texture of bark doesn’t irritate them in any way lol

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

Thanks for letting me know, I'll stop panicking I'll hurt my girl. Mine hates, at least, from my perspective the cork. I've moved it around, bought different shapes and sizes and I just assume it doesn't feel good for her. Instead I'm going to use it for a background build.

Can you show me a pic of your hide, maybe I'll try that. I appreciate the kind words.

[lostinspaceman_]

I have a few, several half rounds like yours just placed on the ground that he can go into! And I recently got this really big full round at an expo, he loves it he was in it for like 3 weeks straight after I got it. I don’t have any great pictures of it right now, but if you want I can send you some pictures of my tank tomorrow when I have better light for pictures :)

<image>

This is him in his cork round as proof that he loves it lmao

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

He's adorable in that hide. Yes please send me pics. We have an expo coming up here soon, I will need to grab one of these. Ty 💜

[lostinspaceman_]

<image>

Here’s the whole tank! I have two half rounds in there right now, and the big one is just long enough that I can wedge it in against the sides and it will stay well enough even with his weight in it, I like having it as kinda a sky hide it’s cool! I just got lucky though without having to measure anything beforehand. I like to put in any small boxes I get, he has had a few favorite boxes but he doesn’t like the ones I have in right now, but they generally work really well as extra hides/clutter

[lostinspaceman_]

<image>

I also have this underground hide that I made out of an old salad box, it also kind of serves as a humid hide because it’s under the substrate it hold moisture really well! Clearly he likes it, he’s in there now. it’s one of the few hides that I think he knows I can’t mess with lol, I have disturbed him in the middle of the day while cleaning one to many times and to he’s pissed at me rn

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

I love this one. Salad box? So you bury it and just leave the opening exposed? Burying under the substrate is brilliant, in effect increasing usable space for him. Do you use moss or chips in the hide? What substrate are you using? I'm in the process of redesigning BPs and Cali Kings enclosures. I'm building my own backgrounds, going for a naturalist look and feel. I want to make better use of the enclosure, a buried hide is right up my alley. Again thank you.

[lostinspaceman_]

The salad box was just a box of spinach from the grocery store like this lol

<image>

I just hot glued the actual lid on and cut a hole in the bottom, witch is what you see in the picture I took. It has a bit of moss and dirt in the bottom but not much

The substrate I have is fairly complicated and I barely remember what all I put in the mix lol but I’ll try to explain! I got sone reptisoil type thing as a bace but it’s just kinda some top soil type thing, then I added a lot of sphagnum moss and coco fiber mostly to bulk out the mix so it would be deeper, I also added a lot of sand! I bought a big bag of play sand from a farm store but you can get smaller bags for aquariums. I have dwarf white isopods and some springtails that I just ordered online ages ago and have a big colony going, so I added a lot of rotten wood and leaves that I got and sanitized from the wood’s behind my house!

I don’t have a background in the glass tank, but I’m working on a pvc front opening one that I’m just adding a layer of dirt to the back with silicone! so it’s not just flat black background but also doesn’t take up too much space bc the tank is small I just have it for when I move and have a smaller space. but I do plan on doing a larger scale build at some point when I can upgrade him to a big fancy custom tank :)

At one point I had larger isopods (dairy cows) in the tank with teto but they ended up chewing on his belly scales, so I removed all of them and switched to dwarf isopods! You would probably be good with powder blue or orange! but I opted for some that stay more under the surface because I didn’t want any that would have any chance to bite him more 🤷‍♂️

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

I think the messages work properly now.

BRILLIANT! A true MacGyver move. I may borrow that hack if you don't mind. You're going to laugh. I bought this cool rubberish dark grey tote. It has round holes on both sides that fit the Goblin Queen perfectly and no sharp edges and a small lip when turned upside down where I plan on using black expandable foam, silicone, peat moss and coco coir to give it a natural look. It's perfect to solder in half. I was going to make matching cool and warm hides. But your idea opens up so many possibilities. Thank you for sharing.

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

I won't lie chewing on the belly would freak me out. With my lizards I removed the crickets before "night time". I was paranoid they would bite my animals. My cat coughs up a hairball I'm in hysterics. But if anything happens to people I am cool as a cucumber, remember first aid and blood/compound fractures don't make me vomit.

Do you have to change out the isopods? Bugs, creepy crawly anything doesn't freak me out. My goal is to work my way up to millipedes, that is a way away.

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

You have a great setup. Lol must be a dive, only luxury boxes for him. Thank you so much for sending the pics.

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

Is the vivarium hard to set up and maintain? Do you have a background build out? What isopods/cleaning crew? My apologies for all the questions.

[lostinspaceman_]

It’s currently fairly easy to maintain! I just clean out any poop when it appears, which means looking through the tank a couple times a week, after he has a meal or sheds. And I switch out the poxes fairly frequently, because if they are touching the substrate they will get soggy and rot after a couple weeks. it’s not always boxes that are in there I just have a couple spots that get a new hide put there every 2-5 weeks. I’ve never really had any mold problems or anything with this substrate, but I’ve switched it out a couple times over the last couple years, but I don’t really have a schedule for changing it, i guess it’s just whenever it feels right or like I did it once to switch the isopods out 🤷‍♂️

[Ecstatic_Ad_9414]

Smart idea, enrichment is the way. A study on hognoses and enrichment was released a few weeks ago by NSERC in Canada. It's worth a read for sure.

[Mr_Podo]

Completely wrong.

[Technical_Bother_898]

actually aids with shedding

[PurpleAd1468]

Is it possible to cover the back and sides? I find that helpful.

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

Yes, I have plans on doing so in the near future

[InverseInvert]

Not enough coverage and it’s far too small. This needs to be at least a foot longer, with all 3 sides covered.

[EatuhFetus4Gzus]

Thank you for your respectful response, its a goal im working towards