Been awhile, back this time with a housing question

[Tray]

Sorry it's been awhile since I've stopped by, so I'm not sure if this is the proper place to post or not.

Anyway, my male BP is currently pushing over four feet in length. I had some feeding issues with him a few months ago, but after I discovered he only eats live rats in his cage, everything has been going smoothly. (Yes, I take the neccesary precautions before putting a rat into his domain, and no I don't have any qaulms about live feeding. So please no lectures. )

Anywho, its gotten to a point where I'm afraid its time for a cage upgrade. Right now he's in a glass terrarium with 36x24x12 dimensions. The poor guy can't even stretch all the way out and / or up fully.

So what size cage dimensions would be good to fit his needs for the rest of his life?

Also, does anyone have any good reccomendations on whether I should stick with glass terrariums or perhaps try something else? I'm all about his comfort first and foremost. Price really isn't an issue to me. I would like something thats easy to clean and at the same him keeps temp / humidities proper.

Anyway thanks for your input in advance.

EDIT: Almost forgot, my BP loves to climb is seems. He's always slithering up branches I put in his cage, and I'd like something that would give him more height as well.

[green_man]

hey tray, what do ya say?
(hehe sorry you must hear crap like that all the time)
I am a firm believer in steralites!
ALL HAIL STERALITES!
check this site out:
reptile tubs
Look at model VE 175. Looks like a good one.
And for 30 bucks ya cant lose!

[Tray]

OoOoo Looks nice, couple of questions though.

Where would the heat lamp be placed, and I wonder if they come in a more clearer complexion? (I like to watch my bp =p )

[First_time_herp]

Well heat pads work best sterilites or tubs. But I guess is you really wanted a heat lamp you could cut a hole in the top.

[green_man]

check out our do it yourself section steralite do it yourself
It explains it all pretty well. First time herp is right on heating pads being your best bet. BP's need under body heat to help with digestion. Depending on the temps of the room though you may need a light to add to your ambient temp. The do it yourself section explains lighting.
Good luck!

edit: oh yeah, those are about as clear as Ive seen them. If you really wanted to get inventive though, you could cut out a large section of the side and replace it with plexyglass.

[Tray]

Actually I checked out the VE above the one you showed, and they're both somewhat opaque enough I can see inside.

As for lighting, I use a red bulb during the day and have an undertank reptipad on 24/7 (hot side).

Looking at that set up it really didn't mention anything about overhead lighting unless your specific reptile needs UV.

I think you kind of sold me on the tub. If you use one, what kind of undertank heater do you recommend that would keep the right temps? I notice they list a huge undertank strip, if you have something similar do you have it on 24 hours a day? Thanks again for you help!

[green_man]

You dont need UV for BP's but if your temps arent high enough you should add a light for heat. Just cut out a hole big enough for the lamp (and a couple of extra inches so you dont melt the plastic) Then put mesh on the hole and your good to go.
The first things I would do are get the tub, go to wallmart or taget and buy a human heating pad (make sure it doesnt have an auto turn off). The human heating pads come in different sizes and have 3 different settings so you can usually get your heat right. Once you have your tub and heat, put in a water bowl and measure your heat and humidity. Then start drilling holes accordingly. Once you have enough holes to where your humidity and temps are where you want them, you should be good to go. Keep in mind before drilling that lights lower humidity and you can always drill more holes, but you cant undrill holes you've already made
Hope Ive helped...

ps I keep my heat on 24/7. I let my house drop a few degrees at night so their heat drops as well.

[Tray]

I know they don't need UV. The do it yourself just mentiones UV lighting for general reptiles.

Sounds like this will be a doable project. I'll try ordering from them on Monday. (Or just head to wally world and do it myself)

I understand about the auto-turn off, that would be annoying.

Thanks a lot for your help, I think this is just the thing. Honestly I didn't want to go buy another huge glass terrarium and haul it all the way back to my house if I could avoid it. But I figured I check into what best for my BP first.

Thanks again for your help!

[elevatethis]

(Yes, I take the neccesary precautions before putting a rat into his domain, and no I don't have any qaulms about live feeding. So please no lectures. )

A rat isn't much of a threat to a full grown BP, even during constriction. The smaller BPs are more vulnerable to being bitten during constriction. However, most feeding injuries occur when an owner leaves a live rodent alone with an uninterested bp, and the rat does its damage at that point. Regardless if its right or wrong to feed live, it must be done under close observation.

(I'm not really addressing you Tray, just making a statement for those out there that read all of the live vs. f/t debates on here.)

[Tray]

I really would like to feed him F/T, about four months ago I did try. He ate one, after that it all went downhill.

I tried f/t, and he wouldn't bite. I tried mice, he wouldn't bite. I went a month trying everything I could think of. He used to eat outside of his cage in a rubbermaid I had set aside, then one day he just stopped.

Now he did shed during this time, I figured that might be the reason. One day he was just slithering around all crazy like, so I bought him a small rat and put it in his cage. Within ten seconds it was all over with. No matter what else I try, he will only eat live prey in his cage. It boggles my mind. It's been four months, now he eats every two weeks at 8 pm on thursday's. Hasn't skipped a meal yet. I figure if it works, who am I to argue.

But don't worry, I always watch him when I put a rodent in with him. I've seen pictures of bitten BP's and I swear that I won't let that happen to him. I do get a tad nervous during the initial few seconds of the contriction, but he seems to always have the rats head pointing away from his body.

I'll have to be careful when I introduce him to his new cage. I'm assuming switching his environment will be stressful. I wonder if I should keep his feeding schedule to normal or wait until he seems to adjust.