Switching to tank

hey again peoples i have some news... as you know i have a baby ball python(pheobe) and she is about 17 inches long and 74 grams. She is in a 18qt tub and she has been since i got her. she loves to roam around both in and out of her enclosure. she is just sooo cute and curious and the nicest girl ul ever meet. but watev onto the news.

i decided that i am going to switch her to a tank. i live in los angeles and the humidity is fairly high in the tub(because they hold humidity well).. i sware ive drilled 200+ holes in that damn thing and the humidity is stil at like 75%. so i realized i am working a job tomorow for a freind and the pay is 60$ :D. so then i thought i could buy a tank for her(both to help with the humidity and give her more space to roam). i am deciding on whether to spend the extra money and buying a 20 gallon long tank, then when she outgrows that, id get her a 40. oorrr save the extra money and go ahead and buy the 40gal. the thing is, if i bought the 20 gal, i could give it to my leopard gecko as a little gift :) when she outgrows it. i am going to hav 2 hides and a bunch of plants and stuff to help her feel secure. can i get some advice on what to do? ive had people tell me to get the 20 gal because shed get stressed in the 40, and ive had some ppl tel me to get the 40. wht shoudl i do?

if you would like to see updated videos on her check out my youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/bamf64 . there are feeding videos, handleing vids, and preetty much anything you could think of. and if you want to please subscribe.

sorry for making this soo long i am bored and i usually like to write on this forum because its nice to get peoples opinions when i need them. thanks in advance!

-Ian rolleye2::banana::rofl::taz::snake::):D:taz::banana::gj::rolleye2::snake::rolley e2::gj::bow::banana::taz::salute::salute::salute::salute::salute::salute::salute ::salute::rolleye2::rolleye2::gj::rolleye2::gj::snake::snake::snake::snake::snak e::snake::snake::snake::snake::snake::snake::snake:

That would all depend... the reason I am chiming in on this one is because I am just a few hours north of you b San Fran .. and seem to have humidity issues. So in all retrospect... as long as you have temps, humidty, and multiple hides to a T then there is noghing wrong with a larger tank.... My 21 inche 115 gram is in a 55 gallon.... but there is also six hides, three bushes, two water bowls.... the whole nine yards in that tank.....

a 40 is too big for a young BP. that's my opinion, take it or leave it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by k2l3d4

That would all depend... the reason I am chiming in on this one is because I am just a few hours north of you b San Fran .. and seem to have humidity issues. So in all retrospect... as long as you have temps, humidty, and multiple hides to a T then there is noghing wrong with a larger tank.... My 21 inche 115 gram is in a 55 gallon.... but there is also six hides, three bushes, two water bowls.... the whole nine yards in that tank.....

---

DAMN HAHA THATS A HUGE TANK AND A LOT OF STUFF LOL!!!! and i figured out the way im gona do it is that im going to put black paper around the tank, a load of bushes, 4 hides, and a big water bowl.

but if i cant afford the 40 gal tomorow then il go with a 20 or 25 haha. and then in aout 5 months or so i can get her a 40. it all depends. life is full of surprises :D ill let uk how it goes though. subscribe to my youtube channel while ur at it lol

Yeah... i will check it out..... Yeah. Rios can get from one end of the tank to the other and back again..... I would never see him :) and I figured that I would go with a 55 so that way in a year I would not be having to get another tank.... I am one that believes in letting my snake grow as he will and if he is stuck in a small tank , then his growth will be stunted....:( that and I feel bad for snakes that are kept in small tanks and enclosures.... I saw a rack system for the first time this last weekend and four year old snakes were kept in tubs that had a water bowl and a hide and that was it.... I guess I get too emotional about it, but I want my snake to have plenty of variety in textures, and stuff to climb on and around, ect

Or you could increase the air flow around the tub with a fan. It worked for me.
By buying a tank, you're going to have to keep fueling it with money to get it to work. I think they're too much trouble.

But if you're insistent, go with the 20g. You'll never need a 40g, as bp's love tight spaces. Snakes don't care what their in, as long as their husbandry requirements are met. Extra stuff is for our satisfaction only, not theirs.

Our li'l one is about 22" long, 150g, in a 10gal tank (20" long). We already have a 20gal long (30") tank that we'll use when Patriot is ready for it, but I can safely say that right now, that big size would probably scare him more than anything. He really uses the security of the 2 hides.

mrshawt, you changed your avatar and I almost didn't recognize you, LOL! (What was in that prior picture? A cell phone? Looked kinda like the AcuRite.)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Patricia

Our li'l one is about 22" long, 150g, in a 10gal tank (20" long). We already have a 20gal long (30") tank that we'll use when Patriot is ready for it, but I can safely say that right now, that big size would probably scare him more than anything. He really uses the security of the 2 hides.

mrshawt, you changed your avatar and I almost didn't recognize you, LOL! (What was in that prior picture? A cell phone? Looked kinda like the AcuRite.)

---

Yeah, it was my girlfriend's old Razr, back when Wes was a wee snakey snake. :snake:

A 40g is too big for the largest of ball pythons. A 20g is too large for a hatchling. A 10g will last you until the snake is around 600 grams.

Your ball python may be "curious" but ball pythons are not active animals. They spend 90% of their time hiding. They don't "enjoy" extra room. People enjoy extra room.

I would also go with the fan idea. The high humidity is because of lack of airflow. Just stick a fan by the tub and that should help you out.

Go with the 40 and decorate it real nice..... Give it a hot and cold hide, some bushes and stuff so it looks good to the eye. Once your snake settles in, it will never come out anyways. I never understood how an animal that is hiding all the time could possibly get stressed in a big enclosure....they basically live in the hides... The only time they really ever come out is at night, if even that, and the lights are off and everything is quiet.....how is that a stressor to have more room to move? Im probably thinking to logically here

I don't know how they don't have a heart attack with all the stress of living in the wild. The wilderness is even bigger than a 40!:banana:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ssballow

I don't know how they don't have a heart attack with all the stress of living in the wild. The wilderness is even bigger than a 40!:banana:

---

It is not! Wilderness is small like a 10g tank!

But seriously, the larger the tank, the more difficult it is for you to keep the husbandry requirements met and the more money you have to dump into it to get it to where you need it. A BP doesn't need that much room because they aren't very active snakes and don't move around a whole lot, usually the only time I catch mine out of her hide is when she is hungry. But really, I don't think that the extra space will stress the snake out at all if you have it decorated properly with fake plans, rocks, hides, waterbowls and the like.

When she gets bigger I'll move her to a 30g, but thats for my pleasure only, not for hers, I'm sure she won't really make use of the extra space. I just enjoy the decorating and bringing a little bit of the wild into my home. I would never do anything over 30g for a BP because the husbandry requirements will get more difficult to meet, the cages keep getting more expensive, it requires more bedding, more decorating and quite a bit more money.

I had a 40g at the beginning of the summer. Little did I know then that her cruising every night was a sign of stress. I thought she was exploring. And I don't mean coming out for a couple minutes, then returning to the hides. I mean all night cruising. Then she started doing it during the day. And then she stopped eating for over a month. I dumped a ton of money trying to heat the thing and insulate it. So I downgraded to a 20L. She stayed in her hides, but I sstill had to struggle to heat the thing.

Then I switched to a tub.

Easy to heat, clean, lift. She eats now, cruises for a couple minutes at night. Seems like a perfectly satisfied bp.

Relating a 40g tank to the wild is comparing apples to oranges. Our bp's are not wild snakes. They are captive bred. Plus, even if they were wild, bp's spend all their time wedged in termite mounds. They don't explore their big world besides looking for food, and they don't enjoy stretching over all the extra space. By getting a huge tank, you are only satisfying a human thought that snakes need a lot of space to be "happy."

But, despite all that, if you really need to have a 40g just to look at it, I give you my blessing. Just be ready to fund it, and deal with the frustration when the bp refuses food. Big tanks come with big responsibilities.

Ok, guess I ought to chime in here. :D

Tanks can work just as well as, if not better than, tubs if you're willing to do the bit of extra work to get them there. I agree with the OP that tubs are just more frustration then they are worth. :)

For a young BP, a 20 gal LONG tank should be just right. You want long and low, since extra height just adds extra problems with heat and humidity control. When and if you decide to upgrade, make sure you get a breeder tank since they are long and low.
Another option, of course, would be to buy or make a display cage for them once they're grown. :D

I guess I just dont understand the tub thing, you cant see in them and they arent very asthetically (sp?) pleasing at all. I guess if you keep your snakes under the bed or you have to many to spend time with a nice display piece then it makes sense but i couldnt just look at a tub with the bare minimum necessities, not that the snakes care.... to each their own though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by STEW

I guess I just dont understand the tub thing, you cant see in them and they arent very asthetically (sp?) pleasing at all. I guess if you keep your snakes under the bed or you have to many to spend time with a nice display piece then it makes sense but i couldnt just look at a tub with the bare minimum necessities, not that the snakes care.... to each their own though.

---

You can't see a happy bp anyways.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by STEW

I guess I just dont understand the tub thing, you cant see in them and they arent very asthetically (sp?) pleasing at all. I guess if you keep your snakes under the bed or you have to many to spend time with a nice display piece then it makes sense but i couldnt just look at a tub with the bare minimum necessities, not that the snakes care.... to each their own though.

---

I like looking at my awesome snakes that I spent hundreds of dollars on, not a bunch of petsmart fake plants that I spent hundreds of dollars on.

They don't often come out of their hides so having a display tank for a BP is pretty counterproductive. Might as well just decorate a pretty cage and put the BP in a cage elsewhere. No one would know the difference.

YOU know the difference. :D Also, unless the opening of the hide is really small you usually can see the snake all curled up happily inside. Even that is nice to see, since it reminds you of your sweet friend. :)

I'm always checking on my snakes, making sure they're clean with fresh water, and I prefer being able to just glance in the enclosure to check rather than disturbing them by having to remove a tub lid or pull a tub from a rack shelf. :) I also can NOT get tubs to stabilize for me no matter what, whereas all my tanks and display cages stabilize fairly quickly and stay there. :) But that's just me.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Argentra

YOU know the difference. :D Also, unless the opening of the hide is really small you usually can see the snake all curled up happily inside. Even that is nice to see, since it reminds you of your sweet friend. :)

I'm always checking on my snakes, making sure they're clean with fresh water, and I prefer being able to just glance in the enclosure to check rather than disturbing them by having to remove a tub lid or pull a tub from a rack shelf. :) I also can NOT get tubs to stabilize for me no matter what, whereas all my tanks and display cages stabilize fairly quickly and stay there. :) But that's just me.

---

Where is the +1 smilie at? I dont even need to respond

This post is worded properly and makes a few points I failed to mention.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mrshawt

Or you could increase the air flow around the tub with a fan. It worked for me.
By buying a tank, you're going to have to keep fueling it with money to get it to work. I think they're too much trouble.

But if you're insistent, go with the 20g. You'll never need a 40g, as bp's love tight spaces. Snakes don't care what their in, as long as their husbandry requirements are met. Extra stuff is for our satisfaction only, not theirs.

---

what do you mean by feuling?

and im just gona go with a 20. put alot of plants and rocks and branches and hides so it feels tighter.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bamf64

what do you mean by feuling?

and im just gona go with a 20. put alot of plants and rocks and branches and hides so it feels tighter.

---

The only way to keep a tank properly warm is to start a fire under the tank using money. :rolleyes:

No, what I mean is unless you have pretty nominal house temps that don't change too often, you have to do a lot to keep a tank's husbandry in check. Sometimes, it requires an investment in money/time form.

just wanted to let everyone know i appreciate your help and advice. i decided i am going to buy a 20L tank for my BP. put some plants and branches i already have in my reptile closet.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bamf64

just wanted to let everyone know i appreciate your help and advice. i decided i am going to buy a 20L tank for my BP. put some plants and branches i already have in my reptile closet.

---

Craigslist it up!
Trust me, you'll end up saving money.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mrshawt

Craigslist it up!
Trust me, you'll end up saving money.

---

ok il do my best

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bamf64

ok il do my best

---

That was what i did... that is how I got a 55 gal for 50 dollars... steal of a deal.

:) Cool.

Oh, and just to clarify something - you do NOT need to keep pouring money into a tank to keep it working.
I live in Denver, CO. The weather here is crazy, the humidity is never really high, and the temps have a wide fluctuation from season to season. I keep my apartment at 80 in summer and 70 in winter.

I have three tanks currently running that keep temps and humidity BETTER than the three tubs also running. The tubs and one tank are on the same t-stats (Herpstat/Johnson) and the probe is under the lowest tub. The tanks all have very stable temps and humidity, the tubs are always all over the place.

My tanks were not expensive to set up, nor do they take any work to keep stable. They all have the foil treatment on the screen tops and blue foam insulation board over backgrounds on the backs and sides. Bedding is aspen over a single sheet of newsprint paper. That's it. :)

Just wanted to put that out there, since so many folks think tanks aren't worth it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Argentra

:) Cool.

Oh, and just to clarify something - you do NOT need to keep pouring money into a tank to keep it working.
I live in Denver, CO. The weather here is crazy, the humidity is never really high, and the temps have a wide fluctuation from season to season. I keep my apartment at 80 in summer and 70 in winter.

I have three tanks currently running that keep temps and humidity BETTER than the three tubs also running. The tubs and one tank are on the same t-stats (Herpstat/Johnson) and the probe is under the lowest tub. The tanks all have very stable temps and humidity, the tubs are always all over the place.

My tanks were not expensive to set up, nor do they take any work to keep stable. They all have the foil treatment on the screen tops and blue foam insulation board over backgrounds on the backs and sides. Bedding is aspen over a single sheet of newsprint paper. That's it. :)

Just wanted to put that out there, since so many folks think tanks aren't worth it.

---

For my climate in New England, keeping a tank was the hardest thing for me. Each to his own I guess. But regardless of what choice you make for an enclosure, you have to be willing to go the full distance (i.e. don't skimp on basic necessities even to make it look nice). That doesn't advocate one method over another, just make sure you know the responsibilities with each choice.