BP Glass Housing

Since I am adding up more BP's, I am planning to make stackable glass tanks. Glass is cheaper than wood here. I don't need heat lamps because our temps in the Philippines are just perfect. No light fixtures will be placed inside.

My question is what is the perfect comfortable size tank for an adult BP?

will a 2.5ft x 2ft x 1ft (LxWxH) glass enclosure with front sliding glass do? I mean I see some people with tubs that are just about this size. I want to make a rack of that will stack up about 4 on each side (left and right) Of course each tank will have a hide and water bowl. There will be air vents at the back as well. The hatchlings and adults will have the same size housing.

Will this be ok?

I saw an advertisement once that said it best. It said something like "you wouldn't keep a cat in a bird cage, why keep a snake in a fish tank?"

Well technically this won't be a fish tank, it will be a Snake tank made out of glass with front opening doors :) Put a fish in this and surely it won't survive :)

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Originally Posted by muzikfreakah

Well technically this won't be a fish tank, it will be a Snake tank made out of glass with front opening doors :) Put a fish in this and surely it won't survive :)

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lol well played sir.

If you plan on making a Ball Python enclosure out of glass I recommend that you paint the glass black or hang black paper. Do something to black out all but the door in order to give your Ball Python a feeling of security.

I keep my adult females in CB-70 tubs (http://www.reptilebasics.com/iris-cb-70-rack). These provide them with room to move around and thermoregulate while also providing a feeling of security and concealment.

I recommend designing your enclosures to a similar size.

I would also recommend checking out http://rickysreptileenclosures.com/ to get an idea of a appropriately size BP enclosure.

I plan to put a removable board system to cover the back and two sides and in betweeb areas :) to make it darker inside.

Thanks for the links, I will follow te dimension of your tubs and make a little higher.

As for rickies tanks, he mentioned that his tanks are big and you can fit more the one BP inside them, is this true? Is it safe to keep more than one BP , adult and adults hatchlings and hatchlings or adult and hatchlings together? What's the
Minimum, lets say if you a 40-50gal tank could you fit four snakes then? Wouldnt that stress them out more?


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Originally Posted by muzikfreakah

, lets say if you a 40-50gal tank could you fit four snakes then? Wouldnt that stress them out ?

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I want to know the answer to this question.
I have a 100 gallon enclosure, (6 ft by 2 ft and 1.5 ft tall) how many adult BP's can be kept together?

Harry

No it is NOT generally recommended to keep multiple animals inside a single enclosure. The general rule of thumb I use is the length of the snake should not be longer than the two short sides and one long side combined. I like to go a bit bigger myself, and say one short side and one long side. I suspect you will not have much issues with heating and humidity where you are so this seems like a great plan. Black paint on the outside of glass makes a really nice glossy black interior. It scratches easily if you mess with the outside much however.

Question were you the person ages ago whom was planning on feeding chicks due to the difficulty in getting rats? If so how is that going?

That's what I was thinking why Ricky recommended this, check out his reviews videos, the one where he was in Florida. He said that his tanks are big, and they are made to fit more than 1 BP.

How many ball pythons CAN you keep together? as many as you want.
How many ball pythons SHOULD you keep together? Only one. Snakes don't want company, and "friends" will stress them out.

Adults and juveniles are actually fine in a transparent glass tank as long as you provide several hides. I find the animals I keep in tubs become more head shy and startle more easily at the sight of humans than the animals who come out every night and see them.

For an adult I recommend at least 30 gallons. But note that the standard tub size is closer to 15 gallons--but it has more floor space.

All I can tell you is very few house multiple snakes together and few recommend it. If he is recommending it you had better ask him. Most people her do not recommend it as wise. I just read his page he has duplex enclosures two enclosures stuck together the snakes do not have access to each other it isn't huge 20x24 personally of my adults (4) I have only one is of a size I'd be happy placing into that space.

24x24 is about the smallest I'd like for a 4 foot adult if you have larger adults to my way of thinking it is too small. I have a large female and she is in a 36x24 enclosure, but then she is over 5 foot long and tips close to 4000 gm.

It is NOT ok to keep multiple snakes together in the same tank/tub. They will compete for the same hotspot, the same hiding spots, food, etc. They will stress and invariably one or both will eventually stop eating and/or begin to show signs of illness. If anyone says they keep 2 or more snakes together and they are fine, they simply aren't seeing the ill effects YET. I know I'll probably get flamed for saying that - please I am just stating facts that are for the good of the SNAKES.

Ricki isn't recommending that the snakes LIVE together. He is showing cages that are big enough that, with a divider seperating the sections, will be capable of housing more than one snake per whole unit - 1 snake per seperate section.

There is no reason why you can't use glass. Done right, glass is easy to clean and holds humidity well. I agree that blacking out the sides and/or back will help the snake feel more secure, but I keep my female in a 40 gal breeder sized tank with the sides open all the way around and she's fine, but the tank is against the wall so that takes care of the back and she has 2 dark and secure hides. But I would make sure that the panes are thick enough that they won't break easily - don't skimp on this. The last thing you'd need would be shattered glass mixed in with your snake's substrate.... :O

I agree, my bearded dragons are the same, worse things could happen if you keep two dragons together, like missing limbs and all that.

Thanks for clarifying what Ricky meant. Dividers is a good way to separate them too, I agree.

What about height, will 12" height do? Or should I make it 18" to be safe.

Larger females, when I get to that point will be kept in separate tanks :)

Currently my spider is also on a glass tank open all around with a nice dark hide. He eats regularly which is a sign that he is comfortable right?

12 inches should be plenty on height. Most tubs are shorter than that and Ball pythons do well in them.

Great then, 12" it is then about 30" in length out do with a depth of 24" that should be big enough room right? :) might convert from glass to acrylic to be more safe :)

That is fine, I have one exactly that size and a second slightly taller.

Great. Just came from the Glass company yesterday to get a custom rack designed. Hopefully I will get my quote today :)

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Originally Posted by Rat160

I saw an advertisement once that said it best. It said something like "you wouldn't keep a cat in a bird cage, why keep a snake in a fish tank?"

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Same could be said for anything. I wouldn't keep my child in a crate, but I would a dog thats being crate trained. I wouldn't keep a frog in an open room. I wouldn't keep a cat in a bird cage. I wouldn't keep a fish outside. Advertisements sell things they want you to buy, not teach you whats best for you or your pets. Hell I would never keep a ball python in a rack. To me thats cruel.

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Originally Posted by muzikfreakah

That's what I was thinking why Ricky recommended this, check out his reviews videos, the one where he was in Florida. He said that his tanks are big, and they are made to fit more than 1 BP.

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Just to clear this up - When I was talking about keeping more than 1 BP in the same enclosure I was talking about the showcases with dividers. Ball Pythons should be separate at all times (other than breeding of course).

Cheers,

Ricky

Wow, hey Ricky, it is an honor, thanks for the reply. I wish your enclosures were available here in the Philippines. They look awesome! It would just be impossible for me to import them, the cost would just be ridiculous! :(

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Originally Posted by muzikfreakah

Wow, hey Ricky, it is an honor, thanks for the reply. I wish your enclosures were available here in the Philippines. They look awesome! It would just be impossible for me to import them, the cost would just be ridiculous! :(

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One day! We're working on some international distribution - just takes time (LOTS of rules)