set up question

okay, so i bought a tank and some hides for my new snake that will be here on thursday.
i just want to make sure everything looks good before she gets here

here is a picture of what the tank looks like so far..
its a 20g long, the substrate is aspen

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...d/DSC03476.jpg

there are 2 hides, on each side (the UTH will go on the side without the leaves).. and leaves over half of it. i haven't bought a water dish yet because i'm waiting to see how big she is before i get one.

any suggestions to make it better?

It looks nice, but those 1/2 log hides are horrible hides for a ball python. They are too open. It's a shame you spent money on a tank, you had mentioned that you keep your insects now in rubbermaids, and rubbermaids are perfect for ball pythons, especially young ones.

Here's a picture of the types of hides they really prefer. Cost - $.25 each. They are a set of four bowls from Dollar Tree with entrances soldered out. You want hides that they can "just" cram into with little to no wiggle room.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...aEnclosure.jpg

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...Tub/Setup1.jpg

She won't need a big dish, no matter her size. Also, you'll want to get a thermostat to control your UTH, as without one, they can exceed temps of 120 degrees and burn your new baby. You can get a good wired Ranco here: http://www.reptilebasics.com

Also pick up a good digital thermometer/hygrometer from Walmart for about $12 like this, as the pet store thermometers are pretty much junk.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...mageloader.gif

Sometimes they are a bit iffy about using those half log hides as they leave both "sides" unprotected. You might want to consider putting black paper around the sides and back of the tank so only the front is open for viewing. This will help the snake feel less exposed when it moves about to thermoregulate. Something I find works beautifully for a water dish is a small white ramekin. These small ceramic souffle dishes make excellent water dishes as they are heavy and very easy to keep clean. BP's do not need to soak (in fact it can cause them problems if they oversoak) so a small, clean water dish they can't constantly tip over works perfectly.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ewaterdish.jpg

I didn't notice anyway to monitor temps or humidity. Acu-Rites from Walmart (about $12.00 plus a AAA battery) are an excellent solution.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g/Acu-Rite.jpg

its okay that i got the 20g, my corn snakes do well in them and i have a baby corn i was going to have to move into one eventually so i needed it anyways :)

i have read about you guys keeping them in rubbermaids. my only concern is how do i keep temps. up in one of those? and is it okay to use aspen in one?
and how about adults? do you keep them in the same type of setup?

i have cats too, do you think they would be able to open the tubs?

Well, tubs work with eiter a UTH or flexwatt same concept as a tank basically but its alot easier to maintain temps/humidity. Also Aspen is fine to use, careful not to go to thick with it, because it will block out heat etc. * because in the picture above it looks too thick, stick with about an inch or a little more*

My cats are older (14 and 15) but they have not tried to get into the enclosures, they're more intrested in the "rat tv" that they have here! LOL


Yes, adults can be kept in tubs as well. This is an adult female in her tub, the same size as the one with the juvie in it, which is a 41 Quart Sterilite from Walmart, model 1986 (about $8).

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e9...hexploring.jpg

I heat mine with a 1 foot section of 11" wired flexwatt that is controlled with a Ranco thermostat. You can get both of them here: http://www.reptilebasics.com.

Solder some ventilation holes in your enclosure (mine are about 3/4" spaced around the top edge and some going vertically at the corners), add aspen (although I've switched to newspaper), hides, water dish and snake (after you've allowed the set-up to run and temps to stabilize) and it's much less worry than the fluctuating temps experienced with glass.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Acu-Rites from Walmart (about $12.00 plus a AAA battery) are an excellent solution.

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g/Acu-Rite.jpg

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Which department carries these? I couldn't find them on the Walmart website.

The Hardware section I believe. If you have a lowes, or home depot in town they may carry them also.

Can someone explain the usage of flex-watt tape? Do you use it under the tank or on the sides? Will it melt the plastic on those tubs? The more I read the more I'm thinking i want to do a tub set-up and I'm not sure how you all are doing it without the plastic melting...

Also, where do you keep the tubs? Under your beds? haha (joking)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

Can someone explain the usage of flex-watt tape? Do you use it under the tank or on the sides? Will it melt the plastic on those tubs? The more I read the more I'm thinking i want to do a tub set-up and I'm not sure how you all are doing it without the plastic melting...

Also, where do you keep the tubs? Under your beds? haha (joking)

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It's used under the tank...and it will not melt the tubs if you have it on a thermostat....a thermostat is a MUST. Some people build or buy racks with Flexwatt already in.

but even with the thermostat, the temps supposed to be at about 92, isnt it? I figured that would melt the plastic.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mindibun

but even with the thermostat, the temps supposed to be at about 92, isnt it? I figured that would melt the plastic.

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heh 92 is barely warm to the touch. It will take a lot more to melt the plastic. I was fooling around with some heat rope and got it to 106 before unplugging it. these tubs are tough. Can't underestimate them ;)

and then, can someone explain HOW to install the flex watt? What size should one get, how many feet, where on the tub should it be placed (several places?) etc.?

For us noobs out there. Or maybe just me. :P

AND I'm still dying to know where the tubs are kept if not in a rack. what about people with only 1 BP? I keep envisioning them under people's beds with the old shoes and junk mail. -lol-

:) some people do it...or even in closets.

Check this link out:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/flexwatt_faq.htm

I went with 1 foot of 11" flexwatt. It's simply placed under what you intend to be the warm side.

You can get like a 6 ft extension cord from Wal-mart and cut off the end that you plug stuff into (opposite side that you plug in), and then you split the ends, and attach the ends to the Flexwatt. It's a little more complicated than I can explain. You have to see it to understand it. If you're in Orlando any time soon i'll show you how it's done.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NCSU_Casey

Which department carries these? I couldn't find them on the Walmart website.

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i just went to lowes and picked up that exact one

people keep saying flex watt is the way to go.. i think it sounds really complicated though.
are the zoo med UTHs okay to use?

I like Zoo Med's, I have flexwatt and Zoo Meds and prefer Zoo Med for my cage. As long as you have a T-stat with any heat element your good to go.


Mike

Flexwatt on a tstat won't melt plastic, believe me hon literally 1,000's of snakes are kept in plastic tubs in racks with flexwatt heating. The best advice I can give you is to get hold of Rich at Reptile Basics. You can order your flexwatt & tstat there and he'll wire it for you (the wiring is free of charge) so it's basically plug and play. Just let him know you've never used a tub/flexwatt/tstat before and they'll help you out. Let him know what size tub you are working with. Here's the link to his website contact page (tell him the folks at BPNet sent you lol)....

http://www.reptilebasics.com/store/h...us&mode=update

Now as far as tubs go you can literally get them in all sorts of sizes. What you want though is dependent on the snake you are getting. For a small baby you only want a small tub as they get nervous in big open areas. You don't need much "head space" as BP's don't use that, they are ground dwellers. Think floor space more than height. You want a tub with a good clip down lid (not just snap on) plus you buy some clamps or big black binder clips for extra security. The lid must have NO give as a snake can escape anything more than 1/8" give. You will also need something to either drill or melt vent holes into the plastic. I use a small soldering wand ($6.00 from WalMart). I start all babies on plain white papertowel so I can monitor for mites, check fecal/urine output, etc. I have ball pythons from small 06's up to a mature female well over 3,000 grams in plastic and they are all doing beautifully.

If you have an Office Max near you I would recommend the Iris brand tubs over Rubbermaid or Sterlite. Iris makes a glass quality clear tub, they are smooth inside so no areas to trap pee/poop therefore easier to clean.

Here's some typical tub setups I use for examples...

Adult female in large tub with aspen (we've since gone to all newspaper substrate for the BP's)....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...nnaghinTub.jpg

06 in his clear Iris baby tub.....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ordanFeb07.jpg

Juvenile female in her midsized tub (this one is a Sterlite, note the difference in quality/clarity of the plastic to the Iris above)....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...MoragFeb07.jpg

Typical setup for another juvenile/bigger baby (note placement of Acu-Rite in this pic)....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...MuirnesTub.jpg

Closed tub showing binder clips (hard to see in this pic but there are four of them - one per side)....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...yTubclosed.jpg

Closed juvenile tub showing clips closure (please note we also add clamps to the long sides for extra security on these lids)....
http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...iTubclosed.jpg

Hope this helped somewhat.

thanks for all the information frankykeno, i'm going to pick up my snake now and when i get some more money in a couple days i'll get a tub set up for her