Need quick hide ideas...

Okay long story short I ordered new cave hides online. They finally arrived but they are not going to work. Barely big enough and the opening is wider than in the picture (rock/cave type hides).

BP girl is obviously very unhappy, she is using them but it is not a good fit. Plus she is in shed so she is already hissy and refusing to eat and basically having bad pms.

Any ideas on the best short term solution until i order new ones? I think dark plastic of some sort would work but if anyone has ideas that are easy to pick up at home depot or a craft shop or whatever that would be great. I tried to switch her to blue plastic bowls but that did not go over well, i think maybe too light colored, maybe light leaking through the sides.

Black plastic flower pots are easy to come by for free. You can cut them to the height that you need and cut out a hole in the middle of the bottom which now serves as the top of the hide. Terra cotta pots are easy to come by also if you want something more solid. I have used the plastic ones in a pinch and snakes love them.

do they sell black plastic flowerpots at regular nurseries?

And terra cotta would be great but I would need a saw to cut through it?

You could find a black plastic pot being thrown away anywhere. Look in a dumpster at a nusery. People use different ways to score through a clay (terra cotta) pot. An electricians knife or box knife should work.

I use old hats laying around.. But when I have time I use the hard plastic dog bowls and cut a big hole for em.

Depending on the size of your BP you can use anything from plastic bowls to plastic flowerpot saucers to kitty litter pans.

This is what I use http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ighlight=hides

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Sonya610

do they sell black plastic flowerpots at regular nurseries?

And terra cotta would be great but I would need a saw to cut through it?

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Nope, you need a hammer - but I never perfected the technique:

http://www.proexotics.com/FAQ2.html#47

Two video clips in that link.

I've used the cheapie plastic bowls at Walmart and soldered entrance holes bc it's easier than trying not to crack it with a drill (making sure there are no sharp plastic edges left!).

i use wicker baskets the kind from ikea, easy to cut and snakes seem to like and they look decent

i love the cave hides! but if you want to mod something i find a dremel tool works great for cutting through alot of stuff.also leaves a smooth cut,not jagged like chissling

Thanks for all the great ideas!! I will be looking today, probably for bowls or flower pots. Baskets sounded like fun and easy but I don't wanna try to get the poo/pee off of them (we were using coconut shells before this, and that was a problem and she doesn't like to use a hide that has traces of poop/pee).

And the dremel tool...excellent idea. I do have a dremel tool (for doggie nails) and with the right tip yeah, it could grind through all sorts of things. I didn't even think of that!

i like using a dremel tool to make an entrance in a plastic dog bowl, the have many sizes and there very cheap at wal-mart.

well I went to walmart, they didn't have any flower pot type saucers that would work but I did get a couple of nice wooden bowls. Drilled out side holes with the dremel tool.

The only thing I am wondering about is the bowls were made in india and there is NO mention of waht kind of wood. I hope they aren't cedar, but they don't smell like cedar and at $1.98 each I would expect they are a cheaper wood.

i use clay bonsai pots and cut away a portion for their entrance.
they usually stay inside. if i want to the humidity go higher i spray water unto the clay pot. they shed perfectly when i used this kind of hide.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...n/P1010721.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...n/P1010722.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...n/P1010725.jpg

Mobster, what do you use to cut those clay pots like that?

Mobster nice hides. I would have gotten terra cotta saucers like that but the store did not carry them.

Do you use a dremel tool to cut those openings?

yes i use dremel tools

I use the critter igloos from any local pet store, they're plastic and MUCH cheaper than buying "decorative hides" from zoo-med or any reptile supply company. (they cost bout $5-10 each depending on the size) They come in light colors, but I just cover it with black spraypaint, and in 10 minutes I've got a hide to accompany a 4 1/2 ft bp girl, instead of spending $30 for a decorative hide.