RubberMaid Cage?

I've heard a lot of people recommend rubbermaid set ups. I remember when looking at the MgReptiles site Matt also had set ups for sale. What perplexed me about these is how do you get a heat source on there w/o it melting the plastic, and how the very small enclosure (with no headroom, not that balls are climbers) also was curious to me.
Why do people recommend them?

Thanks!
Shelley

well first let me say good to be back up.

now the tubs can handle the heat tapes that are out there as long as you use a thermastast(sp) which you should always use anyway. and as far as the headroom ball pythons do better in tight setups and then theres less light in there tubs if you use a rack setup which is less stress for the as we now that light can and does stress them out.

Its alot easier to maintain temps and humidity and less stressful overall as the rubbermaid is like one big hide.


Jeremy

People who use them recommend Rubbermaids, Sterilites, Iris tubs, and "Reptile Tubs" because we've found that there is no easier way to maintain proper, consistent heat and humidity. The tubs I use are a little taller than the ones used in rack systems, so the BPs do have a little extra headroom (a few of my juvies seem to enjoy a good upward stretch now and then). Another bonus of plastic is you never need a heat lamp if you've got a heat source (pad, flexwatt, etc.) underneath the container. Thermostats are highly recommened. I've never had a plastic tub melt on me yet.

a light or uth would have to get pretty hot in order to melt a rubbermaid. The most I have ever seen was the rubbermaid buckle a bit under a heat lamp. All I will ever use is a rubbermaid enclosure. they are cheap and easy to build and heat, what more could you ask for? I have built several different setups. I used to have a large rubbermaid about the size of a 30 gallon long tank. Now I have 3 shorter versions in a rack. I have even built mouse houses out of rubbermaids. Like I said before....If I had fish, they would probably be in a rubbermaid. If you want to set one up and need some help let me know.

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

If I had fish, they would probably be in a rubbermaid. If you want to set one up and need some help let me know.

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Hey man you could go into biz with that idea.."fish tubs" or "aquatic compression"..lol.. 99% of the time a ball will eat better in a smaller cage.. And your element will not work itself to death trying to keeps the correct temps...

i just built my first rubbermaid and i am so pleased i would recomend anyone to try it....easy to heat, easy to clean, easy to build, and its CHEAP!!

All but two of my boogers are in rubbermaids (or similar)

I have my columbian rainboa boa in a rubbermaid but I cant seem to keep the humidity as high as it needs to be

humidity should not be a problem in a rubbermaid. How do you have things set up? i.e. what type of ventiliation did you put in the rubbermaid and how much? When building a rubbermaid it is good to do a basic setup with no ventilization then add ventilization until the humidity is right. Thats just one method but it works.

Well i have a 90gt rubbermaid...it has a wire mesh cut out on top for a light heatsource...there are about 10 small holes on each side for ventilation...i have a heat pad underneath.....with a large bowl of water inside...i tried using a makeshift humidifier using a soda bottle but it was more of a mess then a help

Quote:

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

humidity should not be a problem in a rubbermaid. How do you have things set up? i.e. what type of ventiliation did you put in the rubbermaid and how much? When building a rubbermaid it is good to do a basic setup with no ventilization then add ventilization until the humidity is right. Thats just one method but it works.

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Humidity can be a problem in a rubbermaid, when using a heat-lamp.
Lamps dry out the air.

yep lamps dry out air. :) Thats why I asked the specifics for his setup. Rubbermaids generally do not have humidity problems if set up considering humidity as you build.

eeyore, what is your current humidity? I had a 90 qt setup that sounds rather similar to yours and the humidty stayed at about 55%. That is generally ok for a ball python or boa but a majority of people raise humidity during shed. I use humid hides which do not require a change in my general setup and work great. How big of area of wire mesh do you have on the top ( i only had about a 6 in X 6 in section , just big enough for a lamp)?

Don't you have a problem seeing your snake? I've only seen ones that are sort of cloudy looking. And should you have a thermostat on a UTH? or just the tape heating?

Brandy

You don't see your snake like you would in a glass aquarium. I don't sit and watch my snakes all day, so it doesn't matter to me.

ALL UTHs/flexwatt needs a thermostat or a dimmer, otherwise you can burn your snake.. or even your house down! I have burn marks on my floor to prove it.

you can see a snake just fine in a rubbermaid.....you just have to use the right one. I can post a picture of one you can see in just fine if you would like. I like to watch my snakes :)

can someone explain how to set up a rubbermaid, 'cause the person who gave me my BP gave it to me w/ this HUGE glass cage with a screen top, it's got to be like 100 gal. and keeping humitity is a lot of work. The thing doesn't hold humidity well, nor heat. serious pain.

My rubbermaids are REAL simple. I just clean and disinfect it first (just to be safe) then I get my power drill and drill ventilation holes in the sides (if you put them on the top humidity leaves quicker)

Depending on the snake species, I put more or less holes. You can experiment and see what works.

Anyway, then I put the lid on, and I use pieces of duct tape to secure the lid (there has got to be a better way, but I don't know what it is.. either way, it works). Then I just set it halfway on a piece of flexwatt.

Inside I just use paper towels as substrate.

I love my iris container since it's so clear. I have my male rat in another iris tub and can see him very well also. I use two heat pads underneath Amani's tub so it will keep the proper temps(temps are steady at 93-94/84). The humidity stays between 50-65% depending on how full the water bowl is. It was very easy to set up: clean the tub, drill or use a soldering iron(be careful) to make a few holes in the long sides(maybe 5-10 on each side) and go from there. You can always cover up holes or make more depending on the ventilation and the humidity needed. Lamps just dry out the air and aren't really necessary when using a tub. I use newspaper for substrate and sometimes use papertowels just for variety :). There are two hides, one on each side. I modified one hide(it is a plastic pot bottom with a hole cut in the side) and placed one of those coconut fiber planters upside down on top of it, cut a hole in the side of the coconut planter, and *poof* you have a humid hide/normal hide combo. I'll have to take a picture of it to show ya'll.

Well, that's about it for setting up a plastic tub. Just be sure to use a digital thermometer to measure your temps. A digital hygrometer is also a good idea since the stick on analog hygrometers are always off. Hope that helped a bit. If anything is sketchy, just ask. We're always here to help :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Shelby

ALL UTHs/flexwatt needs a thermostat or a dimmer, otherwise you can burn your snake.. or even your house down! I have burn marks on my floor to prove it.

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I started another post on this topic, but I'll mention it here too if that's ok. ... Do you plug your UTH into the thermostat? how do they work and can I get one at my local hardware store? I have no idea what they look like.