Tubs for a pet?

So, right now I have Tali in a ten gallon long. It fits her right now, but I know I'll need to upgrade before too long. I planned on putting her in a tub for her upgrade rather then a 20L for a few reasons- one, I've had a heck of a time with the humidity and keeping it constant, and I've heard tubs can help with that and it's easier to keep the humidity, two it'd be easier for ME. I keep my snake in my room, and I could fit a 30-40L somewhere with rearranging, it'd be easier to fit a plastic tub in there, and I could potentially fit another tub if I felt comfortable with another snake- definitely can't fit another tank.
I went to a pretty well known and reputable shop near my area and was talking about a issue I'd been having and their advice (I have a lamp to supplement heat because my room gets cold and will get colder, but sometimes it gets way to hot, so I don't know if I need a dimmer, timer, or just rig something so it's not directly on the lid).

Guy at the store had two points. One, I shouldn't be misting or worrying about humidity (which I was like '...what?' about. I mentioned the risk of RI's and he was like 'we never mist and its never happened to us, so don't worry about it. uh. ok then') and two, tubs are only used in a breeder set up so I should just leave my ball in a tank, keep the heating, and not stress about the humidity. So, I was wondering, what do you all think for tubs for pets? She's not really a display animal, so I don't care much about her being able to be seen ALL the time.

He asked me where I heard that about humidity, and I was like 'google, and every caresheet or bit of information I've read, and every hobbyist I've talked too' and he just rolled his eyes. Like, I'm a little boggled. Maybe the humidity is up high enough they've never had an issue in store?

Most (not all, I know some very great and knowledgeable places) pet store employees should be listened to with a grain of salt. I had one PASSIONATELY try to talk me out of using a UTH because apparently they always burn the snake,` even with thermostats and if I do I should use 6" of substrate or something. Whatever. :rolleyes:

I say go tub; it has way more benefits if you don't care about display. HOWEVER, the one issue there is with tubs is that you can't use lamps for supplemental heat, so she'd need to be in a warmer room or have her own space heater or something. That being said, there are ways to maintain tank humidity, but tubs are easier to maintain and clean in my opinion, plus way more room.

I would also suggest to use tubs. I don't think you need a rack system for one snake (but you should 'cus ball pythons are addictive). I vote TUBS ! :gj:

If you have the money, get a xpvc enclosure.

http://www.animalplastics.com

A t8 can last a ball python a life time. And is essentially the same price as upgrading tanks.

With xpvc, you won't have to really worry about ambient temperatures OR humidity.

I suggest this instead of a tub just because not everyone can maintain proper temperatures for a tub set up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

If you have the money, get a xpvc enclosure.

http://www.animalplastics.com

A t8 can last a ball python a life time. And is essentially the same price as upgrading tanks.

With xpvc, you won't have to really worry about ambient temperatures OR humidity.

I suggest this instead of a tub just because not everyone can maintain proper temperatures for a tub set up.

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x2, it sounds like a PVC cage will be the best option for you. PVC cages can stack so you can expand vertically if you decide that you want to.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...f.jpg~original

Tubs are easy to maintain humidity in, but if the room they are in drops below 75 degrees F for any extended period of time the tub will be very difficult to maintain proper temperatures with. You really can't use heat lamps with tubs. They require under tank heaters, as well as a thermostat to regulate them. You have to heat the entire room with a space heater to 75 F + year round as well for them to really work.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DestinyLynette

Most (not all, I know some very great and knowledgeable places) pet store employees should be listened to with a grain of salt. I had one PASSIONATELY try to talk me out of using a UTH because apparently they always burn the snake,` even with thermostats and if I do I should use 6" of substrate or something. Whatever. :rolleyes:

I say go tub; it has way more benefits if you don't care about display. HOWEVER, the one issue there is with tubs is that you can't use lamps for supplemental heat, so she'd need to be in a warmer room or have her own space heater or something. That being said, there are ways to maintain tank humidity, but tubs are easier to maintain and clean in my opinion, plus way more room.

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I was just bewildered because it was a really well known, local, not box store haha. If it had been something else, anything else, it would have been less awkward, but thats just such a common thing that it as like '...really?' lol. IDK.
I keep my windows closed in the winter, and I have a UTH and thermostat and I have a space heater I could use for her as well, so getting my room 75+ shouldn't be TOO hard hopefully (that's where I try to keep it anyways), just in the summer its harder because it's 60-70 degrees in the morning then 90 by mid day and back down to 70 by evening, so I don't want supplemental heat on in my room because it will be hot soon, but her tank just gets a little chilly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bobbafett

If you have the money, get a xpvc enclosure.

http://www.animalplastics.com

A t8 can last a ball python a life time. And is essentially the same price as upgrading tanks.

With xpvc, you won't have to really worry about ambient temperatures OR humidity.

I suggest this instead of a tub just because not everyone can maintain proper temperatures for a tub set up.

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Oh cool! I will definitely keep that in mind. That's way cheaper then what I had anticipated, and might be what she ends up in for the long term :) I will probably try tubs just to see how that option works out (ie, I get a snake and need to house it for a bit before I can get the caging), but I will definitely keep that option in mind for the future :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

x2, it sounds like a PVC cage will be the best option for you. PVC cages can stack so you can expand vertically if you decide that you want to.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...f.jpg~original

Tubs are easy to maintain humidity in, but if the room they are in drops below 75 degrees F for any extended period of time the tub will be very difficult to maintain proper temperatures with. You really can't use heat lamps with tubs. They require under tank heaters, as well as a thermostat to regulate them. You have to heat the entire room with a space heater to 75 F + year round as well for them to really work.

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I do have a UTH and thermostat in her tank right now, it's just the ambient temps I have a hard time with. My room can get SWELTERING so in the summer, my windows and fan are on, which is great for me, but her ambient temps get lower (70ish usually) then I'd like, so I turn on the fan in the mornings til I leave, or cold nights so it doesn't get too cold. Usually in the winter, I have my windows shut and a space heater going anyways, so it might work out :) I want to try it and at least see how realistic it is for me for in the future :)

Tanks are for fish, not snakes.

Tubs are perfect for any ball python whether they are pet or breeders. Yes, its not as visually pleasing, but they are great to maintain the snakes in. They hold humidity the best and the smaller space gives them security. And you can still decorate them as much as a tank.

Another plus is that they are cheap. You can spend $5 compared to $60-80 on an adult enclosure.

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The guy didn't want you using a tub becuase the petstore won't make any money off that. and if it's a general type store and not one that is reptile specific, they probly have fish, and that would easily keep the humidity up in a store. And tubs are also fine because even if you make up a really nice looking setup, a BP is still going to spend 90% of its time in its hides anyway. I just get mine out when I want to really see them.

If this pet store sells fish too, then they probably have a ton of fish tanks filled with water in the store, in which case the ambient humidity in the store would be very high, which would probably why this guy doesn't ever have to worry about humidity for the BPs. Just a thought. Everyone's situation is different. I've had my BPs in tanks and I am ready to go the XPVC route.

Humidity isn't as big of a deal as alot of people let on. If your snake is having bad sheds where not all of the skin comes off, then you look at humidity. Alternatively, if there is mold forming you can also consider that it may be too high.

Tub or Tank doesn't matter much. One thing to consider is the ambient temp. I would not recommend trying to have a heat lamp on a tub. If the room is at least 72 or 73 I would say you are fine with a tub and a heat pad. If the room gets below that, I think an xpvc or a tank would be a better option for you.

It's a reptile only store. http://www.house-of-reptiles.com/ They do have quite a few amphibians so the humidity was probably up anyways.

@Lang- it's more a issue of keeping consistent. It's either REALLY humid, or REALLY dry with not a lot of inbetween. I'd be ok if it hovered between 40-50-60% but stayed in that range, but it'll drop down to super dry and then go up super humid and then go back down. From what I've heard, the tub would keep it a little more consistent, which is more what I'm going for rather then keeping it perfectly at 50%. And in the winter, it should be easier. I'm in Oregon, so in the summer it's cold in the mornings but HOT in the afternoons then cold again in the evenings, so I have windows/fan to keep it comfortable (I'm upstairs in an old house- it gets to about surface of the sun in the summer). In the mornings it's a LITTLE cold, so I have the lamp on for a bit for her then turn it off when I leave, and turn it back on in the evenings when it starts cooling off. In the winter my windows are closed and my heater on, so it's warmer and more steady- not fluctuating with the day.