Things You'll Need
- Aquarium
- Warming pad
- Newspaper, potting soil or reptile carpet
- Heavy water dish
- Climbing branch
- Enclosure
- Thermometer
- Humidity gauge
- Tight-fitting lid
Instructions
Choose an appropriate substrate. Snakes that like to burrow need potting soil or sand. Other species can have newspaper shreds, reptile carpeting or large gravel as the substrate.
Place a heating pad on the bottom of the aquarium, but only on half of it. This gives the snake the ability to control its body eat by moving between the warm and cool halves of the aquarium.
Use two thermometers in the tank--one on the cool end and one on the warm end. Research the preferred temperature for your snake species. Keep the temperature constant by positioning the tank away from windows and other drafty spots.
Put a store-bought climbing tree or log into the aquarium for the snake to climb. Give the snake an enclosure so it has a place to escape from the light. If the aquarium will hold more than one snake, give each one its own enclosure.
Place a large, heavy dish of water in the tank on the unheated end. The snake will use this to drink and soak in, so only fill it 1/3 full.
Install a humidity gauge in the tank to measure the humidity in the air. Make sure the habitat is humid enough for the species of snake you are keeping.
Place a lid on top of the aquarium, and make sure it is escape-proof. It must latch in place and have no small spaces for the snake to fit through. However, it should not be air-tight, because the snake will suffocate.