Hi people, just wanted thoughts and tips on our new vivarium set up for our corn, Cinnamon, also swipe through for some of her exploring
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I absolutely would not have a corn that small in an enclosure with those mesh lighting guards. Seen one too many horror stories where a baby squeezed partially through, got stuck, then cooked.
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I thought this, but we’ve purposely not hung any of her plants near enough for her to reach the guards, unfortunately the picture makes them look a lot closer than they really are.
Is there another guard type you’d recommend to make it even more safe? It would be appreciated
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Really nice setup! Yeah, you can even see the gap at the bottom of the bulb cage. I’d either secure the cage with zip ties or something, or consider starting the baby in a Sterilite tub with a heat mat. But I think I’d still want to secure that cage better for a bigger corn too.
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I agree with @noodlehaus, those light/heat guards need to be moved. If they can’t be relocated maybe look into a finer cover. Stainless steel fly screen(?).
Snakes can/will climb into places you wouldn’t imagine. If they, the light fixtures, are anything less than a full body length away, the snake will find a way. Err toward caution. Rat snakes, among others, are great climbers even scaling up brick walls, tree trunks etc.
I would also add clutter. Lots of sticks, branches, more plants, more hide areas, including moist hides for shed cycles. Don’t get too crazy because you’ll need to clean occasionally.
If you can move the fixtures outside then you will be able to add climbing furniture so she can use the vertical space as well.
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Thanks all for the advice, will definitely be looking to sort those light fixtures for cinnamon, as wouldn’t want any unfortunate events.
Much appreciated advice 
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As @gabonica1 said, they can reach quite far, so if there’s anything within body length of those guards, they can get to it. I’d be worried your little one would use the vent covers, thermometers, probe cord, etc as a way to reach those fixtures. Anything you put around the heating is also going to heat up, so even if they can’t get in, there is still the potential for burns if they can coil around it for any extended period of time.
I’m not exactly a fan of these types of enclosures because they require the heating to be contained inside. I don’t have any additional suggestions as I’ve no personal experience of other heating methods for them.
More clutter and climbing enrichment is a good idea. I’d suggest maybe some cork flats and smaller hides. Snakes, especially young ones, will seek out small, tight spaces where they feel safe. You’ll also want to check any of the spaces where cords enter the enclosure, as young corns are exceptionally good at squeezing their way out of holes you wouldn’t think they could fit through.
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I’ll take this on board, I’m looking into either moving the heat sources into an in reach able distance, or finding a way of getting them external to the Viv. Now that it’s been pointed out I’m going to sort the heat lamps cage out, I didn’t notice it had such a gap at the opening.
I appreciate these ideas as I’m new to reptile enclosures
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@taylor-m2609 Hey Taylor! Great first try with your viv but as others have mentioned, there are a few traps in it. You seem to be going for the visual effects which are great for adult corns but babies need to be protected from themselves. They need to feel safe and secure and are much better off in way smaller enclosures, even in sterilite tubs, with belly heat and escape proof lids. Lighting is nice but not an absolute necessity.
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You could cut a hole in the top of the enclosure, cover the hole securely with screen (just make sure everything is sealed up with no gaps!), and put your light and heat on the outside. Alternately, you could swap to using a heating element like a radiant heat panel, which doesn’t get hot enough to burn and is safe to use inside the cage.
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Btw, if you use galvanized steel screen you will never be able to grow any moss. Just a thought. Zinc is moss’s kryptonite.
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