I really need some help here...

Ok so I have a single BP....I'm not having the greatest luck with humidity and it's time to move up his enclosure size but I know they do better in tubs but the thing is I only have 1 so I can't build a rack...although I do plan on getting a blood sometime soon....what do you think I should do? Build a small rack and fill it over time? I've never heard of just keeping 1 in a tub and it not being in a rack....can you do that? What do you suggest? Thanks in advance!!


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You can buy a pvc cage if that's what you like but I have found, over the last 3 years, that one leads to two leads to three, etc, etc... If I were you I would build/buy a rack system. You can get a three tub adult ball rack for around 300. Or you can build one and save the scraps for another build when your collection grows. Fighting space is always a battle when you fall in love with your animals and rack systems are the best way to maximize space. Start planning ahead so you don't do what I did and go from one tank to six then realize that you would have saved money by just buying or building a rack in the first place.
I hope that helps.

Racks are not always the be all end all. They have limited heating options and in rooms at or below normal room temps (68ºF or below) it is very often that some sort of secondary heat is needed. The common method is just to heat the whole room to the correct cool/ambient air temp of 80ºF. I find them very hard to clean as well. Personally I disinfect surfaces my enclosures in side and out. The rack I do the same but where the enclosure has only 12 surfaces the rack has per tub 24 narrow difficult to access surfaces. It takes me about 1/3 longer per tub in the rack than a fully decorated enclosure. I actually disinfect during a full clean and follow the instructed methods on my disinfectant I have encountered many here who do not. Personal choice, I am 100% confident of my enclosures after a clean, the rack I am not so certain, too many nooks and crannys to get at.

Never trade humidity issues for heat, heat is critical, humidity is not nearly as much. The easy solution to humidity issues is usually just adding a humid hide during at the beginning of a shed cycle. Most of my enclosures are in a room that I have a humidifier so it is usually 60% or so. There is one not in that space that is usually at 45% or so I just add a humid space at the beginning of the shed and that is it. I have one piece sheds and no other issues. The only issue related to reasonable humidity (40-70%) is too much and too little air flow which is linked to Respiratory issues in snakes and mammals for that matter. (sick building syndrome...)

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http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?137453-Aquarium-Solution

another option... PVCx enclosures are awesome BTW the best of all worlds. My personal pick for the optimal enclosure, the only downsides are cost and space.

If you don't plan on your collection growing very much more(yeah right) then you could build a bookshelf type multi-terrarium. I plan of starting one up soon.

Here's a great example of one. Let the planning begin

http://i1058.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0e1a6614.jpg

I too would go ahead and build / buy a rack. We started off with one BP as a pet and now we are a full fledged business with well over a hundred BPs and several colubrids and lizards. Better to have extra room now, so that when you do expand you are completely set. Just my opinion.

I built my first rack when I only had 2 snakes. I filled it within the year and now I'm looking at buying another.

If you like the display option a little more, go with pvc enclosures from boaphile or AP.

I bought a xpvc enclosure for my first. I love how easy it is to keep his humidity up. I don't have to mist, and it stays at 50%.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/12/10/11/u6ymyqeb.jpg

If money is a concern, you can go to your local Walmart or Target and find a plastic tub with a locking lid of the appropriate size until you figure out what you want to do. I have a couple of them that I've used in the past for when the snakes temporarily outpaced the snake housing. You'll still need a heat source and temp control. I drilled a few holes in the "cool" end of mine for ventilation. Not only are they good temporary housing, but I now use them for quarantine housing for new snakes.

They're very easy to disinfect between snakes. I've got two of them running in my spare room sitting on a table with large heat mat under one end and hooked to a thermostat for two snakes I bought last week that I'm keeping in quarrantine. They keep temps and humidity well--they really do make good temporary/quarrantine housing. Mine are Sterlite 25 quart 24"x15." There are plenty of other good choices out there if you want larger or smaller.

if you build a rack you can always use one of the shelves for storage. until you fill it in. I set my rack(s) so that i can only plug in as I need it.

I use tubs and dont have a rack.

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