Racks, tubs, or tanks - housing questions for Ball Pythons

[sparticus]

Hi there! I am just starting to build up my collection of BP's ... about to purchase 2 more now which will make a total of 4 ball pythons for me! I live in a small one bedroom apartment and the tanks are taking a lot of room... and since I want to keep getting more and eventually breeding I want to move to a rack system or tubs.
For adult size ball pythons what size sterilite containers do you (bp afficionados) use?
I would like to avoid buying or building an actual RACK but am interested in possibly stacking sterilite containers on a shelf... but I have no idea how I would do the heating etc. which is why I want your input!!

I do not treat my snakes as breeders, but rather as pets (I name them, take them out frequently and play with them) that's why I am having a hard time with the thought of moving them to a tub... I feel like they will be so unhappy and bored (my snakes like to roam around their tanks at night and climb on the branches etc)... anyone else have the same feelings about this as me?

Anyway so if I get a bunch of sterilite tubs to put on a shelf (I have one of those metal ones similar to this:


how would I do the heating, ventilation (hole drilling- how many, where, how big) etc.

Also how do you guys measure the temperature/humidity in sterilite containers?

Any/all advice is much appreciated!! Thanks.

[ChadOwens]

Your best bet would be to get a rack setup if you plan on expanding your collection and breeding. A rack is by far the best way to give your animals the conditions they need. These snakes live in holes underground in Africa. They like small dark spaces and would be much more comfortable in a rack setup than in display cages. You can certainly keep these snakes successfully in the type of setup you are interested in but it would not be ideal and your breeding success may be hindered. If you want to use that open rack with tubs just run some flexwatt heat tape along the back for belly heat. I think of my snakes as pets as well but I also realize that what is best for them is a rack setup. I do keep one snake in a display during the off season but the rest are in racks. An enclosed rack offers the best sense of security for the snakes and is easiest to control temperatures.

You will need a thermostat to run the flexwatt.

Get flexwatt at www.reptilebasics.com - they also sell good racks ...

Thermostat - www.spyderrobotics.com

Put holes in your tubs using a soldering iron... this will leave smooth holes that will not have sharp edged for your snakes to rub on.

[nor_cal1980]

Hi there! I am just starting to build up my collection of BP's ... about to purchase 2 more now which will make a total of 4 ball pythons for me! I live in a small one bedroom apartment and the tanks are taking a lot of room... and since I want to keep getting more and eventually breeding I want to move to a rack system or tubs.
For adult size ball pythons what size sterilite containers do you (bp afficionados) use?
I would like to avoid buying or building an actual RACK but am interested in possibly stacking sterilite containers on a shelf... but I have no idea how I would do the heating etc. which is why I want your input!!

I do not treat my snakes as breeders, but rather as pets (I name them, take them out frequently and play with them) that's why I am having a hard time with the thought of moving them to a tub... I feel like they will be so unhappy and bored (my snakes like to roam around their tanks at night and climb on the branches etc)... anyone else have the same feelings about this as me?

Anyway so if I get a bunch of sterilite tubs to put on a shelf (I have one of those metal ones similar to this:


how would I do the heating, ventilation (hole drilling- how many, where, how big) etc.

Also how do you guys measure the temperature/humidity in sterilite containers?

Any/all advice is much appreciated!! Thanks.

When i started keeping snakes i was in the same exact boat as you. I live in a one bedroom also. I started out with aquariums but as my collection grew there was no way to house all my snakes that way. So i switched over to tubs and eventually built my own rack systems. At first i felt bad for putting them in tubs also but the more i've learned about snakes, especially ball pythons they actually do much better in tubs. Snakes feel more secure in smaller areas. Tubs also do a much better job at holding in heat and humidity. The size tubs you are going to want to use all depends on the size of your snakes. I keep mine in 25 quart sterelites with hides on both ends of the tubs. All my ball pythons range from 180 grams to 300 grams so they're still small. Once they're full grown i will be moving them into 41 quart sterelite tubs on a different rack. 41 quart is standard for adult females and 32 quart is usually ok for adult males. Some people keep all there adults in 32 qts but i think they're too small for big females. You can heat the tubs w/ regular under tank heaters but the best way would be with flex watt and a thermostat. You can probably get all the flexwatt and a ranco thermostat for the same or less then buying individual uth's for each tub. I started out w/ a herpstat pro proportional thermostat but recently picked up two ranco's for alot less and they work great for heating tubs. There are alot of different set ups for keeping snakes in tubs. Since you dont want to build a rack your best bet would be to run three or four inch flexwatt in the back of the shelves on the unit you have. Plug in to a thermostat and get some appropriate sized tubs with latching lids. There are alot of good vids on youtube with people showing how to set up exactly what you want to do. I would definetly check that out. Here's a link to my channel .http://www.youtube.com/user/1980norcal
I have alot of vids showing how to set up tubs,simple racks and how to set up and use flex watt, just click on the " see all " tab in the uploads section... Sorry i rambled so
long....hope this helps

[sparticus]

yes that definitely helps out a lot thanks so much. And it does make me feel better about housing them in tubs too! I am having a VERY difficult time with keeping the temp and humidity up etc... is there anyone in Los Angeles who wants to help me with all this lol!!! I'll take a look at your channel for sure! I am getting a pastel male tomorrow (today) actually... so that will make it 3 snakes for me in a ONE bedroom lol tubs will be MUCH more efficient... and I would love to build a rack but the task seems SO daunting considering I am a girl who does not own powertools or have a garage to build something like this in.

what about something like this?


wouldn't that be so much simpler than building a rack? I just don't know about where I would drill holes/put heat source...

[Kesslers Kreatures]

yes that definitely helps out a lot thanks so much. And it does make me feel better about housing them in tubs too! I am having a VERY difficult time with keeping the temp and humidity up etc... is there anyone in Los Angeles who wants to help me with all this lol!!! I'll take a look at your channel for sure! I am getting a pastel male tomorrow (today) actually... so that will make it 3 snakes for me in a ONE bedroom lol tubs will be MUCH more efficient... and I would love to build a rack but the task seems SO daunting considering I am a girl who does not own powertools or have a garage to build something like this in.

what about something like this?


wouldn't that be so much simpler than building a rack? I just don't know about where I would drill holes/put heat source...

Where about in LA are you?? There are tons of us in the area.

[nor_cal1980]

yes that definitely helps out a lot thanks so much. And it does make me feel better about housing them in tubs too! I am having a VERY difficult time with keeping the temp and humidity up etc... is there anyone in Los Angeles who wants to help me with all this lol!!! I'll take a look at your channel for sure! I am getting a pastel male tomorrow (today) actually... so that will make it 3 snakes for me in a ONE bedroom lol tubs will be MUCH more efficient... and I would love to build a rack but the task seems SO daunting considering I am a girl who does not own powertools or have a garage to build something like this in.

what about something like this?


wouldn't that be so much simpler than building a rack? I just don't know about where I would drill holes/put heat source...

Yeah....those type of drawer things don't work out to good. They're not very secure. One thing to remember is that if a snake can poke its head out of a seam or hole it's gone.....roaming your apartment. I've allready experienced that and it sucks. And like you said they're not to easy to heat. I can make really nice plastic racks that are cheap to build and to ship and all you have to do is plug it in and go...i've made a few for people on youtube. i have a couple vids up showing them and how to make them....you really don't need any major tools and they're easy to make.....once you see the vid on how to make them you'll probably realize you can make your own....if not i can allways make one for you and ship it out....im in northern cali so it wouldn't be much to ship. Here's mine just to give an idea....you don't have to make it this big.

[sparticus]

im in downtown LA!
So completely off topic but I've been playing with my bps all night... when I first got my pastel on Craigslist the guy I got him from said it was a male but he ended up having a RI so I too him to the vet and decided to have her probe him to double check and she said it was a female... I was really excited (obviously) and have thought I had a female since june. She was only 2.5 feet then and now she's around 4feet so I was watching all these youtube videos on popping tonight and thought I'd give it a try... and... 2 hemipenes come out!!! it really was a boy! What a worthless vet! lol! now i'm about to sex my regular male now... maybe it's a girl??

where in norcal are you? I am from Sacramento and drive up there sometimes...

thanks for all the info <3 !!

[bsavage]

I agree that tubs are the way to go, don't worry, your BP will appreciate the snugness.

[sparticus]

omg i think HE is a SHE ....

[nor_cal1980]

im in downtown LA!
So completely off topic but I've been playing with my bps all night... when I first got my pastel on Craigslist the guy I got him from said it was a male but he ended up having a RI so I too him to the vet and decided to have her probe him to double check and she said it was a female... I was really excited (obviously) and have thought I had a female since june. She was only 2.5 feet then and now she's around 4feet so I was watching all these youtube videos on popping tonight and thought I'd give it a try... and... 2 hemipenes come out!!! it really was a boy! What a worthless vet! lol! now i'm about to sex my regular male now... maybe it's a girl??

where in norcal are you? I am from Sacramento and drive up there sometimes...

thanks for all the info <3 !!

Wow good job! It took me forever to lean how to pop. Your a natural! Im from Stockton but i just moved out of that hole a few months ago. Now in live in the foothills close to Jackson. About a half hour from Sacramento. If your up this way anytime soon get a hold of me and we'll build you rack to take back home.