Question for those of you with large collections

No, not one of those industrial systems. Picture a 5 gallon tub or so that you pump to build air pressure. Like what an exterminator would carry around.

About rats - I know a lot of people breed their own. I wonder if the time is better spent on the snakes. If you're ordering enough, the economics might work out to the point that breeding rats just isn't worth it.

I use a sprayer now and only have 30+ snakes. Way easier.

I started all my notes on index cards, moved all record keeping to a binder now. Made up my own record sheets and printed them out.

Having extra tubs and bowls would help.

The best thing is to find what works for you.

This kind of helped...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ttyIEmD9htg&feature=plcp

I only have 4 snakes right now but I keep records on them in Excel spreadsheets. I'm an archivist by trade so I often get to wondering how large breeders manage their records, which I'm sure must be voluminous!

I've never sprayed a tub down yet and my snakes have one piece sheds every time they shed.
I'm personally not a fan of spraying tubs, there's no need to jack the humidity up and have it fall just to jack it up over and over in a cycle of too high then too low of humidity.
Don't put too many holes in the tubs and if needed slide the water bowl back over the hot spot also works really well for shed period.

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Originally Posted by swansonbb

I recognize that I've gone from 0 snakes to 12 within 6 months, but I'm really enjoying it. I love how much my kids have gotten into it - my 9 year old daughter wants a corn for Christmas.

I realize I've yet to hatch my first clutch, but I'm thinking scale (I've got grandiose ideas). Watching the Snakebytes videos has got me thinking. Managing husbandry for a collection my size isn't that tough. But what about when you have several hundred (or thousand) animals?

Efficiency has got to be the key for bigger breeders. Feeding, cleaning tubs, changing water all seem relatively straight forward, even for large collections.

How do you keep the humidity up for the animals when in shed? I use a spray bottle now, but no way would that work with a larger collection - there has to be a better way. Maybe some sort of pump sprayer (I'm envisioning the type of sprayer used for pest control- that type of thing)?

How do you manage your records? Like who shed when, who ate when, etc...

I'm nowhere near ready (and may never be) for a several hundred animal collection, but these are the types of issues I think about. I blame the MBA.

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Ive only owned a BP for about 3 weeks now...but as for records go...the day after I got him I went to walmart and bought a spiral notebook....I listed his named, morph type and date of purchase on the front and have been keeping weight/feeding/viv maintainance/shedding notes in it chronologically as I go...my future snakes will each have their own spiral notebooks.....also I have noted any issues...like him not eating for a scheduled (every 5 days) feeding...(I am a scientist by education and trade so the whole notebook thing was very much second nature i guess)

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

Don't put too many holes in the tubs and if needed slide the water bowl back over the hot spot also works really well for shed period.

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Worked like a charm for me. The tubs aren't much maintenance humidity wise, but the one BP we keep in a tank has perfect sheds with this method.

My breeder has a long water bowl in every tub. A tub in a tub essentially and it holds water and helps with humidity but we live in Cali so it gets a little dry here :P

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Originally Posted by snakesRkewl

I've never sprayed a tub down yet and my snakes have one piece sheds every time they shed.
I'm personally not a fan of spraying tubs, there's no need to jack the humidity up and have it fall just to jack it up over and over in a cycle of too high then too low of humidity.
Don't put too many holes in the tubs and if needed slide the water bowl back over the hot spot also works really well for shed period.

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My thinking is that usually humidity would be 50-60%. When they go into shed i usually give them a shot or two on the hotspot and it makes the humidity go up. I mist once a day while theyre in shed. Im not sure how high that misting makes the humidity go up but ive never had a bad shed using this method. Next time a snake goes into shed ill try your method of moving the water bowl and see what happens.

I keep the whole room humidified with 1 humidifier at 55% or so, which keeps my snakes shedding perfect on paper towels without misting.

For feedings I have an excel sheet with a column for each animal. When I feed I enter the date on the side and go across and mark in pen who ate what, refused, weren't offered.

I have another sheet that I make random dated notes on; things like sheds for my females getting locked, weird behavior, full cleanings, etc. are there.