Are tanks really unsuitable?

I am new to BPs and have never owned a reptile, but have kept numerous freshwater fish and amphibians and as a result have a plethora of empty aquariums. Originally, I was planning on keeping a potential BP in an old aquarium, but after doing research have come across several sources that say glass tanks are unsuitable due to humidity issues and the lack of security. What type of setup do most people on here keep their BPs in? If there are significant benefits to using a vision-type cage I will absolutely do so.

What is the general rhetoric here regarding bioactive setups? I have a vivarium for my poison dart frogs that works seamlessly but I feel as if something as large as a ball python can't really work in a true vivarium.

Lastly, is there a guideline or calculator for enclosure size? I've heard from several places that a 40B is is standard but I prefer using measurements rather than specific cages.

Seems most people on here are against it but we just put our second glass tank together. No problem controlling humidity with an automatic mister and partially covering the tops with plexiglass. I just like being able to look into their world and neither of them seem too upset about us peeking in on them. They are not in high traffic areas though.

Right now using a mix of coconut and aspen for bedding. We do have to fill the mister daily to keep humidity up for sheds but not a big deal since we check temps and humidity daily anyway...

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I also use a tank for my ball python. It is harder to keep in humidity and stuff for sure but once you get the hang of it, it's really not that bad. I think tanks are fine if you're willing to put in the work for it.


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A tank would be the last thing I use for a ball python. Save yourself the headache and either get a PVC vivarium, rack system, or a stand alone tub.
Too much tweaking unless you live in an area with the correct temp and humidity 24/7.
Now, if we were talking desert species, a tank would be okay but I'm still not impressed. They take up too much room and you cannot stack them.

If set up properly a tank is fine. I used exo terras for 2+ years for neonate boas and ball pythons, and they worked wonderfully. Only reason I quit using them is everyone outgrew them.

I have tanks for mine. Temps are not the issue, humidity is. Totally doable though. I use cardboard over the mesh top wrap that in foil to keep the humidity in. I also use moss to keep humidity up as well. Totally doable if you mess with it and tweak it just right.

I live in a very humid climate to the point where for the life of me I couldn't get the humidity below 90%, until I moved him to a tank. Now even with a fan blowing across the tank and a screen top, I am always around 60-70%. So in my situation, a tank was a good option, but it definitely depends on your climate!


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Originally Posted by Sunnieskys

I have tanks for mine. Temps are not the issue, humidity is. Totally doable though. I use cardboard over the mesh top wrap that in foil to keep the humidity in. I also use moss to keep humidity up as well. Totally doable if you mess with it and tweak it just right.

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Yeah, I do the same thing as well as misting and have a little bowl of water on the the hot side. During their shed cycle I put a little damp towel over the hide on the hot side to bring it up even more. I have also heard that having a live plant in the tank as well will help with humidity but I haven't done this myself. Just some options :P

Tanks are fine in my experience , although currently I'm only using 3 glass tanks/ vivs and 17 wooden Vivs ..

Just need a but of fine tuning and tweaking as already mentioned . They look far better than any plastic tub inho


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Glass CAN work, it just takes a little more time and effort.

It can be tricky to get started, as well as maintain, especially for beginners. But many, many beginners make it work. If you're willing to put in some extra effort and take a little extra time with the trial and error phase you can get things right and then just make seasonal adjustments and follow up with regular maintenance.

That being said, I currently use glass for all of my snakes. However, if my financial situation allowed, I would have all of my animals in PVC enclosures. They are just easier, while still maintaining a good look.

The 36X18 of a 40B can accommodate a lot of snake length, and still leaves head space for some climbing. I like the reptile ones with the slide out screen lid (but not sure how secure that is with more powerful animals). You can also get a very sturdy metal cover with metal clips for many of the basic aquarium measurements off Amazon.

I like tanks, but my North American native snakes tend to hang out in the open much of the time anyway, so they make for good display animals. The next enclosure may be a tub simply for space reasons. Planted tanks work well for my king and corn who need more humidity than we have here in NM. People do the planted set-ups differently, but IMHO you need a good drainage layer and a top screen to keep the substrate from getting soggy if you add plants.

Thankfully I live in a somewhat humid climate so I don't have too much of a battle with humidity but the thing about tanks is they will work, they just take extra care and setup.

The best thing I ever did was block off the back and sides and get coco fiber mulch. Made life a lot more enjoyable for my snake ;)

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Originally Posted by SDA

Thankfully I live in a somewhat humid climate so I don't have too much of a battle with humidity but the thing about tanks is they will work, they just take extra care and setup.

The best thing I ever did was block off the back and sides and get coco fiber mulch. Made life a lot more enjoyable for my snake ;)

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A solid background and sides does tend to improve the display. Plain black, either spray painted on the outside, or just pieced construction paper can be very dramatic in a lit tank, and it hides any stray electrical cords. I have bubble wrap around one, which makes for an interesting play of light, translucent wax or parchment paper can be attractive too. I've always wanted to try Mylar, but never sourced a large enough sheet of it (I suppose one could just cut up a camping gear space blanket.)

I've used both aquariums and wooden (home built) cages for ball pythons. An aquarium works if attention is paid to heat, humidity and security issues. For example, making a top out of 1/8 inch thick pegboard (instead of screen) helps hold heat and humidity. Running a wire or a discarded strap from a packing box around the cage from bottom to top will hold the top down.

Rule of thumb: Minimum cage size is half as long as the snake's length, 1/4 as wide as the snake's length, and 1/4 as high as the snake's length. Or with equal floor area if the cage floor is not a 2:1 rectangle. Bigger is better.

Tanks work great! As long as you black out all the sides for security and buy one with enough floor space since most are obviously made for fish, not an animal that lives on the ground and as long as you live in a place where the ambient is always 80, otherwise you will need heat lamps which suck humidity out and aren't very controllable so hopefully your ambient are very stable also and as long as the humidity locally is always 60%+, otherwise you just have to buy more stuff, like misters and cover all the air flow because soaked bedding/high heat/humidity/low airflow is a recipe for health and success for sure. Insulate the sides too, I hear that helps. Then you'll have yourself a real nice heavy breakable enclosure for your animal that will stay hidden 90% of the time anyways. Don't forget figuring out how how to secure it so your snake doesn't escape or hurt himself trying. I love these threads, they are hilarious. If you haven't guessed, I don't use aquariums for my herps. I have pvc enclosures with RHP.

Tanks are just fine, if you know how to set them up correctly and get the right temps and humidity. Tubs are simply easier to maintain heat and humidity, and the semi-opaque sides provide more security for the snake without having to add black paper to 3 sides.

I don't think anyone here is "against" tanks, just against improper husbandry. If you can maintain good husbandry for the species, it's great however you do it.

Thank you so much for all the insight- this forum seems a lot less hostile than some other pet communities I'm a part of.

I live in southern California so humidity is pretty low and my house is kept at around 65-70 degrees year round, so I think PVC might be a better option. I've seen several companies that make them; is one brand better than the others or are they like tanks and pretty much the same? A 36x24x12 seems to be a standard size so that's likely the one I'll go with.

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Originally Posted by KKM

Thank you so much for all the insight- this forum seems a lot less hostile than some other pet communities I'm a part of.

I live in southern California so humidity is pretty low and my house is kept at around 65-70 degrees year round, so I think PVC might be a better option. I've seen several companies that make them; is one brand better than the others or are they like tanks and pretty much the same? A 36x24x12 seems to be a standard size so that's likely the one I'll go with.

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I can't advocate one brand over another since I haven't switched over to PVC just yet. One common thing I've read about them though is that many people seem to like the 18" height because it's easier to get in and out for maintenance and cleaning.
Just food for thought though.

I have my bp in a glass tank right now. Once he gets too big for it, I might switch to a PVC or something. For now, I don't mind the tweaking and messing around with it. Humidity can be an issue sometimes, and the sides do need blocked out, but I painted a piece of cardboard and put that on the outside of the glass so the tank is blocked off and it has a cool background. I personally like how it looks, even though he spends most of his time hiding anyway. One of the downsides to the tank is having to take the whole top off to pull the snake out, which lets out all the heat and is kinda cumbersome. I would prefer something with front doors instead. It all depends on your preferences though.

I used a converted fish tank for my corn snake and decorated the back and the sides with stick on poster type things on the outside. Its not difficult to convert them - just have a mostly solid lid with a removable glass panel and a smallish mesh area for ventilation. DIY conversions of fishtanks aren't that difficult to do. I've converted a fishtank into a snake vivarium and back to a fishtank without issue. Decorating the sides that aren't the front with posters is easy and makes it more interesting.

I have a 20 gallon long tank that has a locking top and locking feeding door within that top. The humidity stays where it needs to be so far, and the ambient temp is correct because it's been hot and humid. In the winter the ambient temp will be ok because we keep the house hot and have ceramic heat emitters if needed. There are several ways to raise the humidity in a screen tank top like a bigger water bowl, covering some of the screen, adding a second bowl, plus misters and things...

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Originally Posted by GreenTea

I have a 20 gallon long tank that has a locking top and locking feeding door within that top. The humidity stays where it needs to be so far, and the ambient temp is correct because it's been hot and humid. In the winter the ambient temp will be ok because we keep the house hot and have ceramic heat emitters if needed. There are several ways to raise the humidity in a screen tank top like a bigger water bowl, covering some of the screen, adding a second bowl, plus misters and things...

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I really like the reptile tanks in 20 and 40L with that slide out screen, and smaller feeding door. (I may get a third as a permanent home for the new ratsnake when he arrives.) Very quick and easy access. I also prefer to lean over the top of a tank thank to access a snake rather than crouching in front of a swing out door. My Exo-Terras make for prettier displays, but they need to be raised on a high platform so as not to be awkward for my back. That is another issue I would have with stacked AP's or a wall of Boaphiles (spell?) - the lower enclosures would be uncomfortable to access.

Some keepers say that top access with a tank stresses out a snake because predators come from the top. I let the snake know it is me (hook training), so it isn't startled. I find handling much easier from above, so I'm calmer, and the animal is calmer.

Just my experience, so far.