BP Vivarium/Cage/Enclosure newbie

So I'm researching what is the best (many definitions to this) living arrangement for our first 2 or 3 BP's. I'm reading the +'s and -'s for wood, plastic, glass and it gets pretty confusing. Now the misses has dissed the tub arrangement as she (not educated at all with snake husbandry) is convinced that is a cruel way to house a pet. Although she was a bit interested with the tubs that have a clear side to them (does anyone have these?). Anywho I'm trying to obtain anything and everything I need well in advance of their arrival. My first inclination is a couple of 10gl and one 20gl flat aquarium. I can easily cover 3 sides with the front open for visibility. And it seems pretty affordable. I would like someday to have some of the really nice enclosures that seem to run near $200 and up but to start off with are probably not necessary until my boys show that they are really into snakes. Any advice is appreciated.:confusd:

It’s really a personal preference and financial thing.

At the end of the day parameters are parameters and we are all shooting to provide a proper environment for the animal.

Some tanks and tubs make it easier easier to achieve and some folks have found ways to make just about anything work.

Some swear by tubs. They are cheap and easy to maintain temps and humidity. Some say Glass is hard. Others have found simple fixes to make them work.

I have a Mish Mosh of enclosures. Thanks to local sales and hand me downs.

Check craigslist and fauna for people selling them and see what you can find. We all need to stay somewhere so maybe something easy now to get you going and gauge interest then you dump the big bucks in

I started out with tanks. They are nice to look at but quickly become a hassle to keep clean and to maintain temps, humidity. I bought a used C Serpent rack with 5 tubs and I like it much better. Easy to clean, easy to move and it saves a ton of space.

I had the same feelings about the tanks being more humane because they look bigger, but if you think about it, your snake is only going to use the floor of the tank, the rest is just wasted space that you have to heat and maintain. The floor space in my 70 quart tub is the same as my 40 gallon tank so there’s no loss of living space for the snake.

Wild BPs spend most of their lives burrowed in the ground, so I feel like a tub/rack is more natural to them than an open front tank. Just things to think about.


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Originally Posted by Jbabycsx

I started out with tanks. They are nice to look at but quickly become a hassle to keep clean and to maintain temps, humidity. I bought a used C Serpent rack with 5 tubs and I like it much better. Easy to clean, easy to move and it saves a ton of space.

I had the same feelings about the tanks being more humane because they look bigger, but if you think about it, your snake is only going to use the floor of the tank, the rest is just wasted space that you have to heat and maintain. The floor space in my 70 quart tub is the same as my 40 gallon tank so there’s no loss of living space for the snake.

Wild BPs spend most of their lives burrowed in the ground, so I feel like a tub/rack is more natural to them than an open front tank. Just things to think about.


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Good to know. This is my choice also. I'll research C Serpent racks. Thanks

Price,longevity,weight,ease to provide proper husbandry wise PVC cages are the best if you only have a couple animal temporarily until they reach that size the most cost effective way that will allow you to meed their need and still provide the same floor space than a tank, without the weight or aggravation of glass is a plastic tub.

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Good to know. This is my choice also. I'll research C Serpent racks. Thanks

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There are other brands that you can check out that might be better priced. Animal Plastics is one. Make sure you read the fine print on whichever you choose. Some come with tubs and heat while others don’t.


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Originally Posted by Jbabycsx

There are other brands that you can check out that might be better priced. Animal Plastics is one. Make sure you read the fine print on whichever you choose. Some come with tubs and heat while others don’t.


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Who would you go with if you had to choose?

Honestly I can’t give a preference. This is the only rack I’ve had. I’m sure they are all pretty good. Probably just comes down to price like everything else. If there’s an exotic pet store that is local to you, go see the owner and ask if they know of anyone selling a used rack. That’s what I did. I got lucky and found mine with tubs, heat and a Herpstat for $300.


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jbabycsx

Honestly I can’t give a preference. This is the only rack I’ve had. I’m sure they are all pretty good. Probably just comes down to price like everything else. If there’s an exotic pet store that is local to you, go see the owner and ask if they know of anyone selling a used rack. That’s what I did. I got lucky and found mine with tubs, heat and a Herpstat for $300.


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Local? Pet store? Near me?

OK, the local indy pet shop that the high school kids work at is 20 miles away. Petco is 50. Boston is 275 and that would be the largest near city. Maine is in the middle of BFE.

I also would not keep a pet in a tub, but I enjoy watching mine and creating a very natural habitat. I started with a tank, and while difficult to maintain humidity - it was not impossible, just took a little more work. But I had always planned on moving to an Animal plastics cage, and I LOVE IT. They are a great company and can work some customization in as well. They are nice looking and easy cages to maintain.

AP also has sales frequently. Just make sure you add up any custom changes, the base price is for the cage *without* any heating, locks, lights, or other extra stuff. It also can take a while for them to make and ship it - mine took 12 weeks, but it was well worth the wait and I wasn't in a hurry.

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Originally Posted by Crowfingers

I also would not keep a pet in a tub, but I enjoy watching mine and creating a very natural habitat. I started with a tank, and while difficult to maintain humidity - it was not impossible, just took a little more work. But I had always planned on moving to an Animal plastics cage, and I LOVE IT. They are a great company and can work some customization in as well. They are nice looking and easy cages to maintain.

AP also has sales frequently. Just make sure you add up any custom changes, the base price is for the cage *without* any heating, locks, lights, or other extra stuff. It also can take a while for them to make and ship it - mine took 12 weeks, but it was well worth the wait and I wasn't in a hurry.

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I too like how they look. Please tell how they are easier to maintain than a tank? Also how you overcame the humidity hurdle with a tank? I'd guess you had a screen top for the tank?

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Local? Pet store? Near me?

OK, the local indy pet shop that the high school kids work at is 20 miles away. Petco is 50. Boston is 275 and that would be the largest near city. Maine is in the middle of BFE.

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Ouch! Yeah that’s gonna be a tough hurdle to overcome. Don’t get me wrong about tanks, I still have one of my snakes in a 40 gallon tank. I used tin foil over the screen lid and foam insulation sheets on the back and sides. I was able to customize the foam to my liking so that is a plus. After putting the tin on the top and the insulation, humidity is solved. I use a UTH for bottom heat and a RHP for ambient temps. Prices for both set ups is in the same ballpark once you buy all of that so it really boils down to what you want and how much space you have. Here’s a picture of mine while I was setting it up. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...d68a1c4e9f.jpg



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Way cool! What kind of paint did you use on the insulation? Were you worried about it being toxic?

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

Way cool! What kind of paint did you use on the insulation? Were you worried about it being toxic?

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No it’s non toxic acrylic craft paint that is sealed with a water based sealer. I made sure of the toxicity first! So far it has held up good. The sealer is basically a thinner version of Elmers glue. I carved the skull and ledges out of styrofoam that I “borrowed” from work.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...31f7fcbc8e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...9cd9dd6ae3.jpg

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very nice, thanks

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Originally Posted by MR Snakes

I too like how they look. Please tell how they are easier to maintain than a tank? Also how you overcame the humidity hurdle with a tank? I'd guess you had a screen top for the tank?

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So, as for the humidity in the tank, I had to make removable "covers" that were water proof. I had two CHE's on the top as well. What I did was make two panels from cardboard that had 9 inch holes in them (to ensure that the lamps had plenty of space not touching anything). Then I coated the panels in aluminum foil to help reflect heat and used foil tape to make everything look tidy. I used washcloths (changed every 24 hours) that I would soak in hot-ish water and lay on the screen under the panels. The cloths had to be re-moistened about every 8 hours. I was in school at the time and home a lot more.

In addition, I kept a moist hide (made from a terra cotta pot stuffed with sphagnum moss - this needed re-soaked every other day or so) in the tank at all times as well as sphagnum moss in little dishes in each of the back corners. The temps were easy to keep up. The most important thing that I had to overcome was that the tank was only top-opening, I had to removed everything anytime I wanted to take him out, change his water, clean the tank, etc.

To keep in heat, in the winter I stuffed a pillow behind the tank, and duck-taped two pillow (one on each side) to the outside of the tank. Without that I was much harder to keep ambient temps up.

In the AP cage I still use the terra-cotta pot (if you soak them in hot water for an hour or so, they slowly release the humidity over a few days) and when he's in shed, extra moss in the corners to keep up humidity, but its so much easier with front opening cages. I also still use CHE's for his main heat, but recently had to add a UTH. He outgrew his hides and the new ones were much thicker and not getting warm enough on the inside :/ I no longer need to insulate his cage with pillows, and the humidity is often stable for 4 to 6 days at a time instead of 12-24 hours.

Hope this helps :)

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Originally Posted by Crowfingers

So, as for the humidity in the tank, I had to make removable "covers" that were water proof. I had two CHE's on the top as well. What I did was make two panels from cardboard that had 9 inch holes in them (to ensure that the lamps had plenty of space not touching anything). Then I coated the panels in aluminum foil to help reflect heat and used foil tape to make everything look tidy. I used washcloths (changed every 24 hours) that I would soak in hot-ish water and lay on the screen under the panels. The cloths had to be re-moistened about every 8 hours. I was in school at the time and home a lot more.

In addition, I kept a moist hide (made from a terra cotta pot stuffed with sphagnum moss - this needed re-soaked every other day or so) in the tank at all times as well as sphagnum moss in little dishes in each of the back corners. The temps were easy to keep up. The most important thing that I had to overcome was that the tank was only top-opening, I had to removed everything anytime I wanted to take him out, change his water, clean the tank, etc.

To keep in heat, in the winter I stuffed a pillow behind the tank, and duck-taped two pillow (one on each side) to the outside of the tank. Without that I was much harder to keep ambient temps up.

In the AP cage I still use the terra-cotta pot (if you soak them in hot water for an hour or so, they slowly release the humidity over a few days) and when he's in shed, extra moss in the corners to keep up humidity, but its so much easier with front opening cages. I also still use CHE's for his main heat, but recently had to add a UTH. He outgrew his hides and the new ones were much thicker and not getting warm enough on the inside :/ I no longer need to insulate his cage with pillows, and the humidity is often stable for 4 to 6 days at a time instead of 12-24 hours.

Hope this helps :)

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Very much so. Thank you.