# Colubrids > Hognose >  Ventilation holes

## Sophieg

So I just bought a plastic tub for a 3month old western hognose that I'm going to be getting soon, how big/small do the ventilation holes need to be? I'm scared I'll make them too big or small haha x

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## Craiga 01453

I'd actually dry run it for a bit before drilling holes. Depending on the relative humidity in the room you may not need to drill holes. A dry substrate will probably be all you need since Hognose don't require higher humidity.

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Sophieg (10-17-2019)

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## wnateg

If you're using a drill, I recommend going pretty small, so you don't split the plastic.

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*Bogertophis* (10-17-2019),Sophieg (10-17-2019)

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## Sophieg

> I'd actually dry run it for a bit before drilling holes. Depending on the relative humidity in the room you may not need to drill holes. A dry substrate will probably be all you need since Hognose don't require higher humidity.


Oh okay! How big would they be if I DID need some? X

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## Craiga 01453

> Oh okay! How big would they be if I DID need some? X
> 
> Sent from my SM-J600FN using Tapatalk


I honestly don't know. I'm not a tub guy. I'd just hate to see you drill a bunch of holes just to tape over them.

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## Sophieg

> If you're using a drill, I recommend going pretty small, so you don't split the plastic.


Could I melt them? X

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## Craiga 01453

> Could I melt them? X
> 
> Sent from my SM-J600FN using Tapatalk


I do know many people use soldering irons to "drill" the holes.

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Sophieg (10-17-2019)

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## Bogertophis

> Could I melt them? X
> 
> Sent from my SM-J600FN using Tapatalk


Yes, you bet!  I don't house snakes in plastic tubs, but I have used them only for brumating snakes in the past, & yes, I used a very cheap & 'basic' soldering tool with a 
fine tip to melt holes in the plastic for ventilation.  Best I recall, the soldering tool was under $10 available in hardware stores, or maybe even a thrift store if you're lucky.

This is better (IMO) than drilling, as often drilling can split (crack) the plastic instead, & the drill bit slips around too (plastic is slick) so between the 2 methods, I say "melt".

BUT BE SURE YOU DO THIS OUTSIDE (LIKE ON PORCH OR IN GARAGE) WITH GOOD VENTILATION...since the melting plastic gives off toxic fumes, OK?

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_ballpythonsrock2_ (10-18-2019),Craiga 01453 (10-17-2019),_Luvyna_ (10-17-2019),Sophieg (10-17-2019)

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## wnateg

Yes, I recommend the soldering iron approach. I drill the holes and you will split the plastic even with a small bit guaranteed. Plus it can really be a pain if you have to drill a lot of holes like me.

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Sophieg (10-17-2019)

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## Bogertophis

If your budget is really tight, you might even be able to get a nail hot enough to melt holes one at a time, but much harder that way & not much to hang onto.

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Sophieg (10-17-2019)

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## Luvyna

I think the size and number of holes depends a lot on what size the tub is, as well as the humidity level where you live. I have a 32 gallon Sterilite tub for my juvenile BP and it has 12 holes on each long side and 6 on each short side. Each hole is about 0.4" across. This always keeps the humidity in the 60% range. 

I personally prefer drilling over soldering but that's probably because I have the right tools to do so. A drill will definitely be more expensive than a $10 soldering iron but it never hurts to have one around. I like drilling more because it gives really clean holes that don't have any jagged edges like holes made by soldering irons do, and you can avoid the toxic fumes that are created from burning plastic. 

Cracks in the plastic from drilling are caused by drilling incorrectly. First what you need to do is mark off where you want the holes to go in a zig-zag pattern like this: 



Then you need to get a thick and flat block of wood (preferably at least 1 foot across). It needs to be thick enough that you can't drill through it by accident. Put the tub down on its side over the wood so that one of the places you marked to drill is over the center of the wood. Then you need to drill from the inside of the tub into the wood. Remember to hold down the drill button so that the drill head is moving when you pull it back out.

I hope this makes sense!

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Sophieg (10-18-2019)

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## Danger noodles

> I think the size and number of holes depends a lot on what size the tub is, as well as the humidity level where you live. I have a 32 gallon Sterilite tub for my juvenile BP and it has 12 holes on each long side and 6 on each short side. Each hole is about 0.4" across. This always keeps the humidity in the 60% range. 
> 
> I personally prefer drilling over soldering but that's probably because I have the right tools to do so. A drill will definitely be more expensive than a $10 soldering iron but it never hurts to have one around. I like drilling more because it gives really clean holes that don't have any jagged edges like holes made by soldering irons do, and you can avoid the toxic fumes that are created from burning plastic. 
> 
> Cracks in the plastic from drilling are caused by drilling incorrectly. First what you need to do is mark off where you want the holes to go in a zig-zag pattern like this: 
> 
> 
> 
> Then you need to get a thick and flat block of wood (preferably at least 1 foot across). It needs to be thick enough that you can't drill through it by accident. Put the tub down on its side over the wood so that one of the places you marked to drill is over the center of the wood. Then you need to drill from the inside of the tub into the wood. Remember to hold down the drill button so that the drill head is moving when you pull it back out.
> ...


Yes this makes sense and is good advice. If u do melt holes of any kind I suggest going outside so the fumes dont effect anything

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Sophieg (10-18-2019)

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## ballpythonsrock2

> Cracks in the plastic from drilling are caused by drilling incorrectly. First what you need to do is mark off where you want the holes to go in a zig-zag pattern like this: 
> Then you need to get a thick and flat block of wood (preferably at least 1 foot across). It needs to be thick enough that you can't drill through it by accident. Put the tub down on its side over the wood so that one of the places you marked to drill is over the center of the wood. Then you need to drill from the inside of the tub into the wood. Remember to hold down the drill button so that the drill head is moving when you pull it back out.
> I hope this makes sense!


I drilled mine and like you say even reaming the drill bit back and forth once in the whole helped make the holes smoother so I had less sanding to do on the edges.
It's been a while since i did it (and the empty tub is sitting behind me with snake supplies in it) but I found if you push into the plastic with the drill running it helped, if you put it on the plastic and then start it will move around (unless you made some nail holes maybe).  But I would hold the drill with 2 hands and get an adult to help stabilize the tub or maybe get inside it with your knees to hold it from moving around. Then run the drill and hit the plastic. But be careful above all.

And I did Bogertophis suggestion with the nail, but boy did it hurt when I held the nail. :Razz:  ( Just kidding )   I held the nail with a pliers, it actually worked pretty well if I remember right. I put scotch tape on some of the holes with the edges folded over for easy removal.

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*Bogertophis* (10-18-2019),Sophieg (10-18-2019)

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## ballpythonsrock2

> I put scotch tape on some of the holes with the edges folded over for easy removal.


Put a pic in my gallery of my old tub.

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Sophieg (10-18-2019)

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## Bogertophis

> ...And I did Bogertophis suggestion with the nail, but boy did it hurt when I held the nail. ( Just kidding )   I held the nail with a pliers, it actually worked pretty well if I remember right. I put scotch tape on some of the holes with the edges folded over for easy removal.


 :ROFL:  I really didn't think anyone would try to hold a hot nail in their hands, but I'm glad you cleared that up.

Just wanted to add that when I melted holes in plastic, they were smooth, not rough as someone posted?  I dunno what we did differently? 

For best airflow in containers like this, remember that warm air rises & cooler (fresh) air is lower, so if you want better cross-ventilation you can make holes on one side that are lower than on the other side, where the air will rise up & out.  And IMO it's easier to make a few more holes than you think you need than to have to come back again, & you can easily cover them (on the outside only) with a bit of tape, as also suggested above.

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_ballpythonsrock2_ (10-18-2019),Sophieg (10-18-2019)

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