Concerns with setting up tubs. Please help.

I bought several morph BP's online that will be coming in next week and I want to house them all in tubs. I've only used tanks for my reptiles in the past, so the whole idea of tubs is totally new to me. I've done a lot of research, but I still have a few questions.

1. Security? Do you do anything extra to the lids to ensure that they are escape-proof? If one of my snakes gets out, then my dog will get a tasty treat :/

2. Heating source? I assumed you would just use the average ZooMed UTH, but they are about 20$ a piece! Is there anything cheaper that you can use? I read something about heat tape, how does that work? Does it still need a rheostat/thermostat?

3. What's the deal with racks? I get that you want to save space, but couldn't you just use a regular shelf? My snakes have their own bedroom so space isn't a huge issue (right now). Is there some other benefit to using racks?

4. If you are buying stackable tubs, can you stack them on top of one another? If so, I assume you'd use some type of divider so other tubs' heat sources aren't touching the tub below, yes?

5. I also read in another thread about getting Prevent-A-Mite and using it on all new snakes? Where can you buy that?

6. Is Repti-Bark okay for BP's as substrate? It's made out of fir bark. No idea what that is...is it safe?

THANK YOU SO MUCH. Any feedback you can guys can provide will be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get all this stuff set up this weekend.

-Kate

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Originally Posted by elevenphoenix

I bought several morph BP's online that will be coming in next week and I want to house them all in tubs. I've only used tanks for my reptiles in the past, so the whole idea of tubs is totally new to me. I've done a lot of research, but I still have a few questions.

1. Security? Do you do anything extra to the lids to ensure that they are escape-proof? If one of my snakes gets out, then my dog will get a tasty treat :/
Some people clamp them down, but most use tubs in a rack system so the shelves act as the "lid". I use the tubs with the locking lids, 4 of them are in the rack itself and my top shelf doesnt have a top so that tub has a lid on it. You can use a havy object or bungee cords or a belt. Something along those lines.
2. Heating source? I assumed you would just use the average ZooMed UTH, but they are about 20$ a piece! Is there anything cheaper that you can use? I read something about heat tape, how does that work? Does it still need a rheostat/thermostat?
Flexwatt tape from beanfarm.com or reptilebasics.com They can prewire it for you or you can do it yourself. IT absolutely requires a thermostat.
3. What's the deal with racks? I get that you want to save space, but couldn't you just use a regular shelf? My snakes have their own bedroom so space isn't a huge issue (right now). Is there some other benefit to using racks?
You can use a regular shelf but rack are used to save space as well as not worry about lids and all that other stuff. Racks also act as a hide on their own so no hides are necessary.
4. If you are buying stackable tubs, can you stack them on top of one another? If so, I assume you'd use some type of divider so other tubs' heat sources aren't touching the tub below, yes?
Yeah you'd wanna space it out. Heat tape as well as UTHs require air flow.

5. I also read in another thread about getting Prevent-A-Mite and using it on all new snakes? Where can you buy that?
just google prevent a mite and it should be one of your first results.

6. Is Repti-Bark okay for BP's as substrate? It's made out of fir bark. No idea what that is...is it safe?
It is safe but aspen is cheaper. There is aspen that is sold in the reptile section, and aspen that is sold in the small animal section. The bigger bag from the small animal section of your local petco is actually cheaper, but use the pam on it.

THANK YOU SO MUCH. Any feedback you can guys can provide will be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get all this stuff set up this weekend.

-Kate

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Originally Posted by elevenphoenix

I bought several morph BP's online that will be coming in next week and I want to house them all in tubs. I've only used tanks for my reptiles in the past, so the whole idea of tubs is totally new to me. I've done a lot of research, but I still have a few questions.

1. Security? Do you do anything extra to the lids to ensure that they are escape-proof? If one of my snakes gets out, then my dog will get a tasty treat :/

2. Heating source? I assumed you would just use the average ZooMed UTH, but they are about 20$ a piece! Is there anything cheaper that you can use? I read something about heat tape, how does that work? Does it still need a rheostat/thermostat?

3. What's the deal with racks? I get that you want to save space, but couldn't you just use a regular shelf? My snakes have their own bedroom so space isn't a huge issue (right now). Is there some other benefit to using racks?

4. If you are buying stackable tubs, can you stack them on top of one another? If so, I assume you'd use some type of divider so other tubs' heat sources aren't touching the tub below, yes?

5. I also read in another thread about getting Prevent-A-Mite and using it on all new snakes? Where can you buy that?

6. Is Repti-Bark okay for BP's as substrate? It's made out of fir bark. No idea what that is...is it safe?

THANK YOU SO MUCH. Any feedback you can guys can provide will be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get all this stuff set up this weekend.

-Kate

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1. Get tubs with the locking handles. I think the 32 qt has neon green handles, but they may also have different colors. No escapes here.I personally just have a single sheet of newspaper over top of the 2 stand alone tubs that I have at this time. Both have fed very consistently and have shed perfectly.

2.Flexwatt...either wire it yourself or have Rich at RBI do it for you, either way, its cheaper than those UTH's...oh and make sure you have a thermostat that can handle whatever wattage you need. Rich can also help you with that.

3. Many racks have heat built in. It's also about insulation as an enclosed type rack, like RBI or Boaphile will help hold heat better than an open shelf.

4. I wouldn't stack the tubs, but mainly for a matter of having to unstack them all if a snake at the bottom had to be cleaned or fed.

5. www.pro-products.com

6. Some people use repti-bark, but newspaper or shredded aspen or cypress mulch is easier IMHO. Cheaper and comes in bigger bags.

HTH

Ok, lets see here... (Ah, I see someone beat me to it. :))

1- Yes. When not in a rack, you need either clips or bungee cords (better IMO) to secure the middle of the tub.

2- Heat tape is cheaper, but it still adds up fast when talking about multiple enclosures. And you would want to get all that you need in one order since the tape can heat differently in different 'batches'. It NEEDS thermostats, in fact only the UltraTherm pads could be run without thermostats, everything heat related should be controlled.

3- A rack is a space saver, since it goes up instead of out, but it also serves as a way to secure tubs (since the space above each is only 1/8"), give security to the snakes, and regulate temps better (being enclosed). Even I, who hates tubs, built a rack for my snakes since they were taking up too much space otherwise.

4- Stackable tubs work for rodents, but not snakes. Since the heat sources would interfere, you would need to separate them...and for that you might as well have a rack. :)

5- PAM should be available in most reptile pet stores, but if you google it you should find some good vendors.

6- Aspen and newsprint paper are the best and cheapest substrates for BPs, especially in tubs. Repti-bark is known to mold and harbor bacteria if you don't change it often...and that's just an extra hassle. :)

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Originally Posted by dreese88

1. Get tubs with the locking handles. I think the 32 qt has neon green handles, but they may also have different colors. No escapes here.I personally just have a single sheet of newspaper over top of the 2 stand alone tubs that I have at this time. Both have fed very consistently and have shed perfectly.

2.Flexwatt...either wire it yourself or have Rich at RBI do it for you, either way, its cheaper than those UTH's...oh and make sure you have a thermostat that can handle whatever wattage you need. Rich can also help you with that.

3. Many racks have heat built in. It's also about insulation as an enclosed type rack, like RBI or Boaphile will help hold heat better than an open shelf.

4. I wouldn't stack the tubs, but mainly for a matter of having to unstack them all if a snake at the bottom had to be cleaned or fed.

5. www.pro-products.com

6. Some people use repti-bark, but newspaper or shredded aspen or cypress mulch is easier IMHO. Cheaper and comes in bigger bags.

HTH

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Do you have the Flexwatt all connected to 1 thermostat?

And sorry, what is RBI?

RBI is a brand of pre-made rack. Some people build their own. And yes, the flexwatt can be run off of one thermostat as long as the flexwatt is all the same size...you can't put 4" and 11" flexwatt on the same thermostat because they heat up differently.

Is it possible to somehow use the same thermostat for all of the Flexwatt even if the tubs are not used in a rack system?

Im not 100% sure but I dont think so. The tubs would all have to be set up identically, another reason people use racks. If you had the tubs sitting on your bookshelf side by side and what not then I believe you could.

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

RBI is a brand of pre-made rack. Some people build their own. And yes, the flexwatt can be run off of one thermostat as long as the flexwatt is all the same size...you can't put 4" and 11" flexwatt on the same thermostat because they heat up differently.

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How does running the flexwatt to the same thermostat work? Do I need to buy it all at the same time?

I'm really embarrassed by my ignorance on this subject. I really appreciate any input into this.

Youre good I never thought about Flexwatt or racks until I built up my collection. Embarassed is the last thing you should be, youre learning to better handle your snakes and that is highly commendable.

Now...if you have 5 Ft of Flexwatt, you'd place the thermostat probe in the middle(2.5ft mark) on the flexwatt and set your thermostat to 90 or so. If youre running 5 ft in parallel[ 5 12"x11" sheets](whole nother animal, tackle that subject when you come to it) then you pretty much move the probe around until you find the spot that keeps your temps stable for all of your tubs and keep it there.

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Im not 100% sure but I dont think so. The tubs would all have to be set up identically, another reason people use racks. If you had the tubs sitting on your bookshelf side by side and what not then I believe you could.

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Well, I guess I'm going to try to get either dad, brother or boyfriend to help me build a rack this weekend (this is going to be super difficult). I had intended on getting/building one eventually, but there's no point in spending so much time&money to set up a temporary shelving unit.

So after I know the dimensions of the rack I'm going to build, I order the heating tape and thermostat from RBI? How long does shipping normally take?

I research and obsess over everything to the point of insanity and exhaustion. I thought I had just about everything covered until this rack business. I have no idea how to build a rack and I already ask so much of the males in my life (brother, father, bf) I feel bad asking them to help me start on yet ANOTHER project.

I'm going to try to find a good instructional post on rack building from the DIY forum and then start begging for help with the construction...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elevenphoenix

I research and obsess over everything to the point of insanity and exhaustion. I thought I had just about everything covered until this rack business. I have no idea how to build a rack and I already ask so much of the males in my life (brother, father, bf) I feel bad asking them to help me start on yet ANOTHER project.

I'm going to try to find a good instructional post on rack building from the DIY forum and then start begging for help with the construction...

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There are some AWESOMEEEEE diy racks in the DIY section. Depending on your size of tubs you might want different FLexwatt. I use 11" for 34qt tubs. Order the Flexwatt and Thermostat now, just guesstimate how much you need, you can't go wrong with a little extra. I used BeanFarm and it took about a week.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

There are some AWESOMEEEEE diy racks in the DIY section. Depending on your size of tubs you might want different FLexwatt. I use 11" for 34qt tubs. Order the Flexwatt and Thermostat now, just guesstimate how much you need, you can't go wrong with a little extra. I used BeanFarm and it took about a week.

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Okay, I don't know what to order! I can guess on the length of the Flexwatt, but what other components go along with the Flexwatt?

I'm not really even sure what size tubs to base my rack on. I am getting 3 male BP's next week and 1 female. Boys are 2-3years old, ranging from 600-1500grams and girl is 500grams. I plan on expanding that collection within the next few months.

How big are the snakes that you fit into the 34qts?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by elevenphoenix

Okay, I don't know what to order! I can guess on the length of the Flexwatt, but what other components go along with the Flexwatt?

I'm not really even sure what size tubs to base my rack on. I am getting 3 male BP's next week and 1 female. Boys are 2-3years old, ranging from 600-1500grams and girl is 500grams. I plan on expanding that collection within the next few months.

How big are the snakes that you fit into the 34qts?

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all you need for flexwatt is an extension cord and a soldering iron.

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Originally Posted by Buttons

all you need for flexwatt is an extension cord and a soldering iron.

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Even for someone mechanically inclined?

How do you attach it to the thermostat?

If you order the flexwatt from RBI, there is an option to have it already wired and completely assembled/ready to plug into your T-Stat. It gives instructions on how to order it that way on the website. I think you have to add a clipset/cord option and leave instructions. I bought two- two foot long pieces of 11 inch flexwatt to use in incubators and ordered this option. Just taped the heat tape down and plugged it in.

As for how you attach it to a thermostat, the thermostat has a probe that will go on the flexwatt, and the flexwatt plugs right into the thermostat. (Or into a power strip plugged into the thermostat if you are running more than one heating element off the same t-stat.

I think I sort of get it now....beanfarm had some good instruction sheets, I think I can figure it out as soon as I figure out the size rack I want.

THANK YOU!

This is just one link of many that will help you understand how to build one. Do a search around using "melamine snake rack" as some key words.

http://www.strictlyballs.ca/snakerack.html

Check your local Craigs List for snake racks. I have purchased two of my racks from there for WAY less then it would have been to buy new or to build my own. One rack even came with a Johnson control.

I'm with you on I have already asked the boys in my life for so much...I can't ask them to build me a snake rack right now. So I'll just resort to buying them. :)

Animal Plastics also sells an "Economy Rack" for $180 (+ shipping) that includes heat and can fit either 6 32qt tubs or 12 15qt tubs (or a combo of the two sizes). The 15 qt tubs can be found at Target and are $3 each. The 32qt tubs were $5-6 each, also at Target.