How to save money & have fun

[infernalis]

Many folks keep a garter or two around since they are really inexpensive as pets.

Here is things I have found over the years to save money, and still keep your animals healthy and sound.

Sturdy glass or otherwise washable ash trays work great for water bowls, and can be found at any rummage sale for a quarter.

Fish tanks are all over the place, and leaky ones often free, since we use them dry, who cares if the seams leak?

Hides need not be purchased at all, small cardboard boxes are free, and can be used just fine, stripey won't think your cheap, I promise.

If you are creative, and want to build an enclosure, most glass stores will sell you a panel that was mis cut or never picked up for next to nothing to get it off the rack.

I have used clean soil from outside and planted grass in the tank, it is handsome, and free!

toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes and cardboard shipping tubes make fine places to hide.

clamp lamp domes are $5 at Lowe's, fake vines at the dollar store, if you look around and really think, an awesome Viv can be built for next to nothing.

for the more resourceful folks, I have found some great framing at a local scrap yard for pennies, look around it's out there!

Enjoy,
Wayne

[Stefan-A]

Sturdy glass or otherwise washable ash trays work great for water bowls, and can be found at any rummage sale for a quarter.

I use stainless steel and plastic food/water bowls intended for dogs, and plastic food containers. Cheap as hell and you can always throw them in the dishwasher. The plastic food/water bowls I use have holes in the side, so they double as hides. Especially handy when it's hot, because then they're practically water cooled.

Plastic VHS tape cases also work.

Fish tanks are all over the place, and leaky ones often free, since we use them dry, who cares if the seams leak?

Stackable plastic containers (rubbermaid, hammarplast, smart store and whatever the hell they're called), cheaper than faunariums and most old scratchy aquariums. Did I mention that they're stackable?

Hides need not be purchased at all, small cardboard boxes are free, and can be used just fine, stripey won't think your cheap, I promise.

I've bought one, a coconut hide. It's the least popular hide among my snakes.

edit: sorry, I've bought two. The second one is made out of hay or something. Not quite as impopular.

I have used clean soil from outside and planted grass in the tank, it is handsome, and free!

Dry leaves make a nice addition. But I am a bit skeptical about using soil without at least heating it first.

toilet paper tubes, paper towel tubes and cardboard shipping tubes make fine places to hide.

This turned out to be a nice solution:



I have also used a cardboard air rifle target, with the sides bent down. Worked just fine and I have thousands of those lying around.

clamp lamp domes are $5 at Lowe's, fake vines at the dollar store, if you look around and really think, an awesome Viv can be built for next to nothing.

Have been doing that since forever.


Good advice, Wayne. I'm not just saying that because I've been doing those things. You can find almost everything you need outdoors.

[Zephyr]

I use old nightcrawler containers for water bowls and newspaper for substrate. Also, you can buy a 10 pack of sun-light filtered incandescent light bulbs for about $6. They heat up the same as the reptile bulbs do. :P
Also, you can use old cream cheese, plastic coffee cans, and whatnot as hides.
I dunno where I heard it, but you can put freshly cut tree leaves, still on the stem, in a certain solution and they'll absorb it and become preserved.

[anji1971]

I love the dollar store for tank stuff!
I use their plastic containers for water dishes, after buying far too many expensive stone-look ones that get all scuzzy after a while. The cheap plastic responds well to boiling water for a cleaning.
I get all the vines and plants there too. And I make hides out of anything I can find, however, a few weeks ago my local pet store was clearing out all kinds of hollow log hides and I grabbed a few for just a couple dollars each.
I didn't know about the glass companies selling unwanted panels cheaply. Now that's something I'll have to look into in the near future!

[infernalis]

Anji - Simply walk into any glass & window store, tell them you are looking for blims, canceled orders or mis-cut panels.

I purchased 3 panels of safety glass, a yard long each for $10 from a local glass company.

Here is one I made from it, took $30 and 3 hours to complete total. I had home depot pre-cut the wood, assembly was quick.

dollar store bulb, box for a hide, old Tupperware bowl for water, and this snake was in heaven compared to where he was before.

Wayne

[infernalis]

this box cost $25 to complete, the glass was a top from a living room table, $5 at a rummage sale, and the table had 2 panels on it.



This set up was all of $30 to complete, and has the second panel from that table, turned up sideways.





Wayne

[anji1971]

Pretty cool, Wayne!
Now I have a project to look forward to in the fall and winter, when the gardening and outdoor stuff is over!

[Snake lover 3-25]

this is what i did for Sooty's upcoming babies... i went to the local craft store and bought some very cheap drink insulators... i cut part of the bottom off to make them shorter and buried them in substrate... i also picked up a bunch of tiny clay pots and drilled holes in them... i took the extra drink insulator tops and cut a hole in the side and placed a clay pot water holder on top.... i'll post pics!!!

[infernalis]

all very useful and creative ideas

Wayne

[el lobo]

Only problem I have had with cardboard, is that if your viv is humid, they can get soggy and mouldy.