Zoo Med Laboratories SZMNTS21 Reptihabitat 20 Long Snake Starter Kit

This is the first review I've have written for Amazon in a long time, and it's a shame that it's so negative. Firstly, I have to say, props to Amazon. Their customer service really pulled through for me today. They offered me a full refund for the product and didn't have me send anything back. Not to say that it would be worth sending back in the state that it arrived in, but still. Now onto the actual product review.DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT IF THE SELLER IS "FAT HAPPY PETS". Even though it is fulfilled by Amazon, it will most likely come broken, no fault of Amazon or the shipper. When I received the box, I was slightly weary. There was already a jingling inside the box which already lead me to the belief that the light bulbs were broken. If only that were just the case. Upon opening the box, you could see that the whole tank was busted. It looked like someone kicked in all the sides of the tank. Now many would say that it might be due to the mishandling by the shipper, but let me tell you, it's not all their fault. This tank never stood a chance.There was literally the thinnest layer of bubble wrap I have ever seen wrapped around just the sides of the tank. There was literally less than a cm of bubble wrap that was "protecting" the tank. There was nothing on the top, and nothing on the bottom. Someone literally took bubble wrap that was barely thicker than a few pages of paper, wrapped it around the tank, and put it in the box. On top of that, the bag of sand was busted and was leaking EVERYWHERE. It got all over my carpet and stained the carpet real bad. Fortunately, I pulled out the handy dandy carpet cleaner, and took care of that. I think my next review will probably be for the Bissel carpet cleaner that I recently purchased last year. Really took care of the stain :) Anyways, I digress.The strangest thing about this poor wrapping (besides the busted tank, bag of sand, and light bulb) was the fact that there was a piece of dog food and a chip of wood underneath the cardboard label on the lid of the tank. This was worrisome as this is a reptile tank. Reptiles are known to be pretty hardy, but judging from the "extras" that came with the tank, I believe this tank was mixed in the back with other stock from animal products. This just reinforces that one should wash any tanks you purchase carefully before putting your reptiles in to make sure no contaminants are left that may harm your pets. It's better to be safe than sorry.Now if the tank didn't come in the abysmal state it arrived in, I'd say this kit is actually pretty good. I just purchased a new baby bearded dragon from a breeder who will hopefully be arriving in good condition to my home tomorrow (it's been bloody freezing up here lately), so this 20 gallon tank would have been ok for it for the first few months. I would not recommend purchasing this tank with the intention to keep a bearded dragon in for longer than that. It is simply too small. You should be putting older beardies in a tank that is at least 50 gallons( and not a 50 gallon fish tank, but 50 gallon reptile terrarium that is breeder sized). This is a good tank though however, when you have a baby or young juvenile as they can sometimes be overwhelmed when they have too much space. Later on, you can use it a tank to feed your older beardie in, or for a temporary spot while you're cleaning out their bigger tank when they are older (although they will most likely prefer to just hang onto your shoulder at that point).Now I noticed there were a few comments in regards to the UV lighting. A few years ago, two major reptile supply companies had some really faulty UVB bulbs that did prove to cause damage to young beardies eyes. That has since been fixed. The lighting that comes with this tank in specific is not as dangerous as everyone is stating as the bulb is only a 5.0 bulb instead of a 10.0 bulb. The 5.0 bulb is the perfect bulb to use with the overhead light that comes with the kit, and it is not close to strong enough to hurt a beardies eyes. I personally prefer to use the longer ones for my bigger tanks, but for a small tank like this, it is perfectly fine. In regards to the other bulbs included and the lamps, the day bulbs are good, but have a short life span. Small price to pay, but they are the brand I find to provide the best light. Sucks that they don't last as long as others. The lamp is good, but DO NOT USE THE RED "NIGHTTIME BULB". Firstly, it's a lie that reptiles can't see the red light. I mean have you tried getting your beardie to chase a laser pointer. If you haven't, it is ten times better than watching a cat. Leaving that light on at nighttime for your reptiles is the same as if you went to bed with your bedroom light on. It's not comfortable, and it stresses them out. Also, unless your home falls under 65 degrees F at night, you DO NOT NEED HEAT. If your home does get chilly, please invest in a nice ceramic bulb and lamp to use at night. An under the tank heater is pointless for beardies and can pose a danger as they need to heat themselves from overhead heat, not underbelly heat. They run the risk of overheating as they won't move away immediately from the UTH if they are getting too warm.The other stuff in this kit that is ok for your beardie is the calcium sample. You should have a bigger supply, but it's nice to have a little sample sized one if you lose track of keeping stock of beardie supplies and supplements. The food sample is also not bad. Some will eat it, some won't. It's not terrible for them, and can provide a nice supplement to their diet if they like it. The thermometer is pretty worthless. Go an buy a better in tank thermometer and a separate humidity gauge (not a two in one, they are not as accurate). You will also need to buy a digital infrared thermometer as well.The most important thing to know about this kit however, is DO NOT USE THE SAND. I REPEAT, DO NOT USE THE SAND. All the reviews about sand causing impaction are correct, ESPECIALLY with young and baby beardies. They don't mean to eat sand when they eat, but their little tongues are so derp, they can't help but grab onto sand when snagging their food. Beardies in general also like to lick their stuff. Like no lie, they lick everything. It is best to keep them on non particle based substrate, so basically something a carpet, slate, linoleum, etc. Nothing that is in pieces. One thing to watch out with carpet however, is that you need to watch your older beardies claws when it comes to carpet and make sure you toss you carpet if it starts to look ratty. Older beardies can get their nails stuck in the loops of the carpet. Overall, please do not use the sand if you buy this kit. It's cruel to take any kind of chance.I hope this review was helpful to anyone thinking of purchasing this kit. You can purchase this kit in many major pet stores, which is what I winded up having to do as I am out of spare tanks and needed one for my latest baby beardie. It may be best to do that until Amazon can work out the issues with this particular seller and their shipping practices.

Everything came in perfect condition and works perfectly. No cracks, no broken bulbs. Everything is perfect! Thank you!

This item came and the glass was broken. We didn’t continue to open it to see if anything else was damaged we just put back in box. Please be care when ordering this because this really put me in a bind. My sons ball python now only has a small enclosure and I have to wait 7 days to be refunded and I needed that money to get him a new enclosure.

I LOVE this habitat. It is perfect for my Corn Snake. It has lots of room and I love the fact it has pins in the top to keep the screen top shut. It for sure comes with almost everything you need. You need another cave or hiding spot because you should have two, one on the warm side and one on the cold side of the habitat. This is great for beginners like me. I also bought a vine to give the habitat a better look. The snake loves it. It is a secure habitat.

I am useing this product for a ball python snake for my son for his birthday. I paid $174.00 for this and it shouldn't have any cracks in it at all. Im disapointed in it. All though it did come with what it said it would with inside of it. Which may have been how the cracks got there since the items inside where not secured down they had been bounceing around inside of the glass.

Everything inside is great! I was sooo excited that it almost made it in one piece.. Until I opened it... all the sides were intact because it was carefully packed with bubble wrap. The inside parts and bottom was not considered, it was completely shattered. The goodies that come with it weren't secured well, pair that with poor handling = very broken glass.. Nothing on the outside packaging to indicate that it was glass either.. I'm still debating on whether to send it back or not because my baby corn gets here tomorrow and living in remote Alaska makes it problematic to get everything I need for her. I'm hopeful I can find a new aquarium or terrarium but definitely not everything else. I would definitely caution buying this if it has to go a long distance.

I should have listened to the reviews. The tank arrived shattered in pieces and I sliced my finger on the broken glass. Terrible experience and I don’t recommend it. Now I have to return a shattered purchase.

Got this for my ball python I am getting, I'm not personally using the aspen bedding that comes with it cause it can get in the snakes mouth, and the 100 Watt Iight bulb needs to be replace cause that's way to high of a heat and can slowly cook a snake I would get a 40watt for mine but all snakes are a little different so talk to your breeder or pet store if your new to this, or look it up online. The water dish and hiding box are to small for mine but great for others. Under tank heater and thermostat and cage are great and got it at an amazing price ... so that's fantastic! Got it in great condition and received this really quick