Screen Cover Lock

I have a 30 gallon aquarium with an adjustable screen cover. It has 4 clips with wing nuts to tighten and secure it so that the ball python cannot push it off. Eventually I will be keeping Regi ( the snake ) in a school. I need a way that I can lock the aquarium not to keep him in but to keep students out. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks. :snake:

I would say go for something such as a critter cage. They are made in many different sizes and have a sliding locking lid which will keep the little buggers out. You can put a small lock on the front of the lid and no one will be able to get in without your supervision. They are made by a couple different companies but the two that come to mind are Zilla and All-Glass Aquarium.

If you have to use that particular tank, you could make a "harness" that would fit around it, and put a lock on that. It would not be foolproof however.You would end up building a wooden frame around the upper edge, and adding an hinged flap that would fold across the top, then locking that.
Easiest to get a All-Glass sliding lid tank. We always used small padlocks on ours, never any issues. Ours were locked for the same reason, keep people out, not to keep the snake in.
Good luck

Thanks for the ideas. I just dont really have the money to buy a new cage. I didnt know if there were any lockable covers on the market or not. I havnt been able to find any. I just figured if anyone would know the people on the site would. I will just tell the students that it bites even though he doesnt lol.

You could also make a wrap around locking board thing, that way they couldn't get TO the thumbscrews to undo them.
Just trying to think.

Thats a good possibility. I wonder if there is a way to make an easy hinged cover for it that would be tight enough fitting to keep the snake in but also have a pad lock on the front or something?

Hey! What if you merely glued the hasp for the lock to the glass and to the lid? I'm pretty sure that there are a million glues to glue a metal to glass.
That way you could undo the lock, THEN easily undo the screws to remove the lid as normal.
??

I understand your concerns about keeping unsupervised people out. However, my daughter's ball python lived at her high school for 3 years. The students were allowed to take him out with my daughter's or the teacher's supervision. I don't know how many, but I'm sure that there are quite a few young people out there that are no longer afraid of snakes because of this. My daughter graduated this last year, and the snake graduated with her (metaphorically speaking) and he now resides at my house. Ask most people who have graduated in the past two or three years from that school if they know who "Dutchap" is, and they'll tell you "Yeah, cool snake!"

Steve

Ya im studying to be a high school biology teacher which is why I bought my little guy. I only have one more year of college after this year hopefully if all goes well. I just remember how boring and dull my high school biology class was and thought that a snake would be a really cool visual aid to get students excited about my class and biology. I am also thinking about getting a leopard gecko in the near future. Does anyone know how expensive they are to keep on a day to day basis? I already have a 20 gallon tank for one. Just want to make sure I can afford one before I get it. I think I found a good way to keep the screen top locked. The Zilla company has made clips that can be attatched to the screen top and they also sell combination locks that can be used with the locking clips. I just ordered some online for $25 shipping and all. Ill try to remember to make a post to let everyone know how well it works when it comes in.

That is awesome! And from my experience, yes, your snake will make a wonderful addition to your classroom! The teacher that housed Dutchap also had a hairless rat that ran free in the classroom, turtles, guinea pigs, hissing cockroaches, and I'm not sure what else!

Steve

Wouldn't it just be far easier to go hit a used furniture type place (Salvation Army, Goodwill, even a garage sale type thing), grab yourself a little cabinet and just put a lock on that. Then when you are there, the cabinet is open and the snake accessible and viewable. When you are not, lock up the cabinet and your snake is secure and tucked away. Various holes drilled into the cabinet should allow for proper air movement, etc. Most of those shops have stuff for $10 or so (heck you may have something in your own house that would do).

I dont mean to be a party pooper, but i just dont like the idea of a ball python in a 30 tank in a classroom with children i assume. But anyway when i had one bp in a tank i used velcro straps from homedepot. It worked pretty well.

What I did for our school was went and bought baby refrigerator locks. They are designed to wrap around the fridge and lock the door shut. I glued them to the glass (plastic to glass glue is easy and secure), they have a wing nut that locks the 2 pieces together that I put a pad lock through - worked like a charm.


Maybe this could work for you. :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by juddb

I dont mean to be a party pooper, but i just dont like the idea of a ball python in a 30 tank in a classroom with children i assume. But anyway when i had one bp in a tank i used velcro straps from homedepot. It worked pretty well.

---

What is the problem with a 30 gallon tank in a classroom? I plan on teaching high school so I think they are mature enough. Unless you had another reason in mind? At least I hope lol. The youngest children I will ever teach would be 7th graders and even then I think they would be mature enough to handle it.

Thats a really good idea with the baby refrigerator locks. That might just be my back up plan if the locking clips I bought do not work.

I would get some clear acrylic hinges and clasps, and make a custom lid. It would be better to humidity, and the clasps can be pad locked. They are about $1.50, or you can get the 12" piano hinges. They glue right on and look nice, while keeping people out.

In my biology class we had a giant, loose iguana. I don't think he helped rid anyone of any predisposed fear of reptiles. He lived on a counter near the windows.

I had a bio teacher in high school that 2 pythons. there were a little big to be BP's so im not sure what they were looking back... but i was the only one who wasnt afraid to hold them. that was the one class i would be early to so i made sure i could get the snakes out and hold them before class started. They would sit with me for my 45 min class and i would put them away right after. I loved it!

I really want to try to have my class full of different reptiles that the common everyday person doesnt get to experience to help get students excited about coming to class. Showing up and being excited is the first part of learning. Im also thinking about putting up a donation jar for the students to help pay for the cost of keeping them. The more money they donate the more to have in the classroom. Give rewards such as extra credit for helping with the cost and the care for the little guys. Hopefully it will create a good learning experience for them. But I have to finish college first.

Does anyone know how to put pictures into the post cause I cant figure it out. I clicked insert image but it wont let me browse my computer documents to insert the picture from my computer.

Hi Ringo,


Here are a couple of links that should help you post pictures.

Video tutorial.

Sticky thread.


dr del

Thanks the thread was helpful of how to post pictures but it still wont let me load them. When i try to load them and click process it takes me to a blank white screen so i dont know what is wrong with it so i will try again later.

Hi Ringo,


Sounds like your trying to upload images that are way too large for it to handle.

Remember the biggest you can post as a picture is 800 x 600 and I have found that if your pictures are really large the server cannot resize them for the gallery and you get the blank page error you describe.

I would try resizing a couple as a test to see if that is the problem - it also means you can gat a lot more images into the small amount of gallery space available.

You can also try using somewhere like image shack if you want to try that as well.


dr del

Thanks Dr Del. I kinda thought that might be the problem I tried cropping them but they are really big pictures so ill just try taking some new pics.

Since I have this thread of randomness going I am curious to know if anyone has a good idea of how to make a more natural looking environment for my 30 gallon tank that isnt too expensive. Ill try to post some pics of my setup asap. Im using aspen bedding now but im thinking of switching to cypress mulch. Think it might help with the humidity as well. I have 2 large Exo-Terra caves but im more interested in what kind of artificial plants and vines to use and where to get them. I just kinda feel that the setup is a little too open for him even though he doesnt seem to be stressed and is eating fine. Lets see how long we can keep this thread going im shooting for a new record lol.

Hi,

I'm trying to find the old posts where I had a guestimate of the limits.

I know the filesize limit is around the 2 meg mark.

I seem to remember the actual pixel dimension limits were 1601 x 1200 or something - but the second figure is more of a guess than anythign else.


dr del

Hi :) As far as decor goes, first make sure you have a good background around the back and sides of the tank for looks, and for the snake to feel more secure. In a HS classroom, this is even more important :D

Vines and plants should be fake fabric or soft plastic. Make sure there are no sharp edges or heavy plastic smell. You can get them at any petstore, but I prefer the cheapness of getting them at WalMart. You can also add fully cleaned driftwood pieces (best purchased from pet stores) for him to slither over.
As for bedding, just my experience: I was using cypress, and it kept the humidity well, a bit too well at times, but the pieces are usually so sharp. When a piece got caught against my girl's mouth (she got it away and was not hurt), I switched to aspen.
And yeah, pictures of your setup as it is now would really help us to help you with suggestions...and we want to see your snake and stuff anyway. :)

Should I put background backing on both sides as well or just the back? Right now i just have a white poster board backing that i cut to fit the back. Right now i think it looks more like a dessert type setting. I really think it looks like a good place to find a rattlesnake not a ball python lol. The only thing i dont like about the aspen is its light color. Im trying to find a good dark colored substrate that is cheap like $10 range preferable under $10. Something that i only have to change out once a month not counting the daily spot cleaning of course. If anyone has a good suggestion for a darker substrate please let me know. Ive just heard cypress mulch mentioned alot and is good for humidity. Im also interested in hearing about coconut bark for substrate too. I know all of these have been posted and i will check those substrate posts again. Ill also run in to walmart and check out some prices on artificial decor plants. Petsmart is the closest pet store but the one locally for me doesnt seem to keep very many good decor items in stock such as good vines or drift wood. I do have a piece of driftwood but it doesnt look very natural lol. I sprayed it with Deft so it would be water resistant and easier to clean but i may try to get a better piece eventually. But i will definitely get on those pics tomorrow to help all you great people give me better suggestions.

As already mentioned, Walmart will have inexpensive fake plants to use for decor. You may also find some in a dollar store. A craft store such as Michael's will have a bigger selection, and the plants may look more realistic, but may be more expensive too.

For backgrounds, your petstore probably sells laminated backgrounds designed for this purpose. Behind that you could put a layer of cardboard or something to add more insulation. You could also make your own background. I am planning on buying foam posterboard and decorating it. I may do stickers or stencils (again Walmart or dollar store for cheap, or craft store for better selection). I am also considering buying fabric with a pretty leafy print and gluing it flat on the posterboard.

I think having live animals in a high school biology classroom is excellent to get the kids interested and I bet at least some lose their fear of snakes or at least learn to understand them better even if they don't learn to like them.

Something to think about is your plan about donations towards buying & taking care of the animals. One year you may get some students who donate a lot. But the next year a different group of students may donate little or not at all. Be sure you have a plan on how to deal with this and definitely don't get in a situation where you need the donations from the students to be able to afford proper care for the animals.

EDIT: I forgot to say that I have seen pics of setups with coconut bark and I think it looks attractive. It is darker than the aspen.

Thanks kc thats some really helpful info. Im gonna try to run into walmart soon to check things out. Not sure if I could make my own background or not. Im not very artistic in that area even with stencils lol. I might have an uncle that is interested in making one for me though since he likes to draw and stuff. About the donation thing I would definitely make sure I could afford to keep them myself. Just use the dontation money as a supplemental way to pay for everything and as an incentive to get more specimens.

Here is the pic of my setup that i promised. I also made a new thread called Tank Improvements. Please check it out and leave me some suggestions on how to make it better. I will go ahead and post my pic here too though.

Click here for picture.

Hmm, looking pretty good, but definitely cover the sides as well and get some nice jungly theme going with vines and background. I didn't mention craft stores before because the stuff there can be really pricey. That driftwood piece is the same type of structure as the one I have in my tank and Nagini loves it. :)