It's a start

I just bought a 12 qt container, some plastic bowls, a soldering iron, and a luggage strap! =D I'm on my way to getting my snake! This is exciting.

I was wondering if any one has ever soldered an opening in a plastic bowl or anything else to make a hide before? Do you think it will work or will I have to cut it?

I found the soldering iron at walmart for 6 bucks. =)

Just did a bunch last night! It works well - I get the bowls at the dollar store. Can't beat that!

I've never soldered a door for hides, however I don't see it as impossible. The bowls I've used were either flimsy enough to cut with scissors and then melted with a lighter, or too hard and needed to be cut by a dremmel tool lol.

Mine are pretty hard. I don't think I have a dremmel tool but I need one! lol

I couldn't find any bowls at my dollar store! It was weird. I went there looking for bowls and containers but they didn't have anything big enough and the bowls they had were verrrry flimsy. Almost paper like. So I just got the luggage strap there lol.

Here's a very useful thread on hides: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...0-Hides-my-way

I've used a soldering iron many times to melt doors in bowl hides.

There's no problem with melting door-holes into plastic hides, except the fumes. Do it in a well-ventilated place or outside, it really stinks and I figured it couldn't possibly be good for you. Watch out - different types of plastic have different levels of grossness when melting!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Pickenprod

There's no problem with melting door-holes into plastic hides, except the fumes. Do it in a well-ventilated place or outside, it really stinks and I figured it couldn't possibly be good for you. Watch out - different types of plastic have different levels of grossness when melting!

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On a side note- when you think the plastic is cool, wait a few more minutes. You will touch it, it will stick to your finger (because it's still warm), and it will burn your finger...badly.

lol I WISH I would have read this before I started melting my stuff. I did it INSIDE!! Oh man it stunk. Had to air out the place. Lesson learned though. Do it outside. haha It didn't come out that great, however. The holes in my enclosure did though...just not the hide...

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...A/IMAG0181.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...A/IMAG0182.jpg
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...A/IMAG0183.jpg

How can I fix this:
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...A/IMAG0185.jpg

Will it be okay to just tie the luggage strap like so with a hatchling? I tried to adjust it as much as possible but it wasn't enough.
http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...A/IMAG0186.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y13...A/IMAG0187.jpg

is the luggage strap necessary?