Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Good Day all!! boy we are finally getting some rain down here in Texas! WOOHOO!!
but anyway my cal-king is growing at an amazing rate! when she was young I used a simple paper towel roll for her to get some privacy, borrow ect. well she is growing at such an incredible rate that I’ve had to "upgrade" to a wrapping paper roll (for gifts)
well she soiled the last one today, so I tried to wash it(did not work all that well-ha ha) so could you all please offer some advice
to an alternative, something practical, washable and large and long enough? I’m going to go to home depot, McCoy’s type place
and try to find something? how about PVC? she is 2.5 foot and within the next month I will move her into a 29 gallon tank where
I hope to have her live out her adult life,
Thanks! any advice will be greatly appreciated,
DJW

PVC would be just dandy, just make sure any rough edges are sanded down nice and smooth like. Personally I give my kings cereal boxes to hide in. I leave them completely open at one end with a small square hole cut in the other. They seem to love them and rarely soil them, but when they do they're easily replaced from the multitude my family has managed to collect over the last couple years. They're also very lightweight and fit nicely without taking up too much room in the rubbermaid sweater boxes I house the majority of my adult snakes in. I use toilet paper and paper towel rolls for my hatchlings and juvies.
Best of Luck!
-----
"Klaatu...Verata...Nicht--cough, cough, cough!"

I just use cardboard boxes. Sure sometimes they turn them upside down and what not but they will often use it as a hide. I try to keep the box cut short so it is only an inch or 2 above the surface of the tank. They seem to feel more secure that way as opposed to still being pretty much in open view. If the box gets ruined from water or poop just get rid of it and make a new one. Are you going to the Waco show? I reserved myself a table and I will most likely be right next to my Herp Club lending a hand with that display too. Tom

oooh yea, I’ll most likely use cardboard temporarily, but I’m looking for something super permanent ,a fixture of sorts ,relative to what the zoo's do with a tunnel system, I’m shooting for a tunnel that will sit a(q)inch off the bottom of
the tank and yet be almost submerged under the sand,
spanning the entire length of the tank(warm to cool)
should I drill a few holes in PVC if that's the material I go with? for circulation, or will the pvc reject the heat from the
under tank heater?----just trouble shooting,
and I will visit the Waco show, it's looking like there will be quite a turn out , I should not miss ya,
DJW

PVC works perfectly. You can even cap one end (no glue) for added security. It can be cleaned, etc. (Heck, put it threw your dishwasher...lol.) I'm slowly going that way with all of my snakes, too.

We used to do this with our research animals at LSU since you could put the PVC through the cage washing machines.
KJ

I use large round plastic plant trays for mine. Turn them over and bore a hole in the center big enough for mine to climb in. You can put one in the warm end and one in the cool end and it can use either. The other thing you can use is a long planter box tray. In either case they would be strong enough for you to cover with the substrate so they are less obvious and very easy to clean, since they are plastic. And they are fairly inexpensive.

I went to Petco and bought several of the larger dog water dishes. They have a space underneath the bowl. I then cut an opening on the side to let the snake crawl underneath. It works great. It holds water and gives a nice cozy hide. Now the problem is that my snakes like it so much I don't seem them as often!

I haven't read all the responses, but I use clay flower pots.
They come in many sizes. You have to drill out the bottom drain hole to fit your snake. My snakes love them and will have their heads out resting on the edge. You just place them upside down. They are also easy to remove the snake from when you need to. Buddy.