Do you have your BP in a tank or tub?

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Originally Posted by starmom

I have reptile cages from RBI and they are way easier to clean than the tubs and here's why: there is no space in tubs for the snakes to move around and get out of their own feces. I feel bad for them that they are trapped in their own waste for the night until morning when I clean them (7am).
My snakes in the cages never lay in their own waste and always go to the other side of the cage and into the other hide, away from the waste- 3 feet away. My snakes in the tubs have nowhere to go and are always just laying in it.

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Hi,

Mine sit on top of their hides if the p is too much for the paper to absorb (well most of the time - the male seems a tad "special" on occasion :rolleyes: ).

Do you get the same problem in larger tubs with a more absorbent substrate? My adult tubs are 3 foot long so there is a fair bit of space for them to move away from things most of the time. Do you get a lot of spread when using aspen or does it stay fairly well contained when they go?


dr del

Hi Derek~
I use 60# indented kraft paper for the tubs and it's pretty thick and absorbent. I have the 32qt tubs for the snakes and they each have one hide in them. Since my snakes are older and larger, when they pee- they pee!! I haven't seen the snakes lounging on the top of the hides but remain in the hide and in the pee. And, like I mentioned, this behavior is very different from the behavior of my snakes in the cages.
I have also noticed activity level differences in my snakes in cages versus tubs at night. The one's in cages cruise around and check things out and, in my opinion, display behaviors that, in my mind, would be the behaviors displayed if they were living out in the open. I don't feel that the amount of tub space permit the movements that snakes do at night... And again, I throw in the disclaimer that snake age and individual uniqueness disallows for any blanket statements on this topic ;)

Starmom, I'm so glad you brought this up. I love me some tanks. And I use tubs too. Probably the single biggest difference I notice is difference in activity level. All my snakes in larger tanks are not only way more active at night (compared to the tub snakes) but even more so while being handled!!! My snakes kept in tubs tend to just lay in my lap or move about very slow, whereas, the snakes kept in tanks are a real handful to hold.

I currently have mine in an Exo-Terra tank that I bought from the same guy who sold me my ball. Luckily it was purchased second hand, in mint condition for $100. He said I can return it at any time for the same $100, which I am going to do within the next week or so as I'm about to walk out the door to go buy a few things for a tub set up for Ruth.

I have one ball python whom I bought with the tank but if I get more, I may switch to tubs... We'll see! :)

Started of with a tank, had WAY too much trouble! I won't ever got back to a tank.

My BP is in a tank. I built a custom hood for my tank, and I am having minor issues with humidity because I put in too much venting. This can be fixed simply by cutting a piece of plexi to block one of the vent holes. I think I may also change the substrate to aspen, as I think it would help with the humidity. I currently use milled peat moss (I use it in all my enclosures), and I have noticed (both now and in the past) that unless the peat moss is moist, it sucks moisture from the air. I am also using heat lights rather than an UTH (for various reasons), so that also contributes to the humidity issue I am having. It isn't too low for my BP, and I'm not terribly worried about it atm, because I know I will get it under control soon. It took me somewhere around a month to stabilize the humidity in my CWD tank, but once I did, I have had no trouble, and I rarely have to mist anymore. You can also make a type of infuser to put in a tank to keep the humidity up, just by putting an airstone in a bottle of water and running a tube from it into the tank. If you put a valve on it, you can regulate the amount of moisturized air entering the tank.
I too think that tubs can be good, but I would only want them if I had a large amount of snakes. I am VERY into building custom vivaria, so having a pet in a simple plastic tub isn't very appealing to me. Also, while I have read that keeping them in a larger tank/tub is not recommended, I believe that as long as there are plenty of properly sized hides, they should have the opportunity to roam around and choose where they want to be, instead of having to choose between warm and cool. It doesn't take much to make a large tank look small and secure if you set it up right. I also agree about getting a piece of plexi cut to fit in the top of the tank. One thing I don't recall seeing mentioned is a plexi tank, which holds in heat better than glass (tubs are basically made out of the same thing, acrylic, aren't they?) Thinner plexi will warp over time when exposed to heat, but the thicker stuff should be perfect. I think that wood and glass/plexi enclosures would be perfect for these guys, with the back and sides (and possibly the top) wood and the front (and possibly the top) glass or plexi. You could have it open from the top or from the front. Really what I am saying is that while I feel that tubs are very functional (in my admittedly very limited experience), there are many options that with a little bit of work can make you AND your snake much happier.

I use a tank for the look, but it is a pain. I'll switch to reptile basic or boaphile cage soon enough.

The number one reason why I don't like tubs: Lack of Space! I use them, don't get me wrong...but I only use larger, taller tubs. Snakes in short, cramped tubs just don't have enough room to move around like they should. I have my biggest female in a 41qt for QT and she's miserable in there. She loves it when I take her out and give her room to roam. The rack I just built to save space holds three 90qt tubs to give my adults plenty of roaming room, but still give them secure snugness. :)
I still have 4 tanks going for corns and younger BPs and intend to keep things that way. :D

The RBI cages are awesome... but just too expensive for me. :(

Ive had my reptiles in tanks ever since I started. I love being able to see clearly into them. A wall of nice setup tanks with beautiful snakes, lizards and frogs make for a fine art gallery. I do have to say, a tub does provide the reptile with a much better sence of security.