$300, what would you do?

[taylor9209]

I live in TX, and keep my house pretty cold.
I first read about how glass tanks can be hard to keep humidity up, and that is a concern of mine.
I then read about the great results people were having by using tubs.
So, I start planning on doing a stand alone tub setup, then more reading talks about how getting the cool side's temp to stay around the 80 mark can be a problem for cool houses.


Now I'm back at square one, with out a clue.
My situation is probably unique to most readers on here, which might complacate things a bit more. lol
I'm totally blind, so my house temps is just done by comfort, and I know I keep a cold house.

I should have a temp/hygrometer in a few days, to get some basic room temps/humidities, but just me guessing, I'd say my house ranges from 72/74 during the day, and at the coldest at night, might be as low as 65.
Again, once I get this temp/hygrometer unit, I'll have more for sure numbers.

So, bassed off the info so far, what would you recommend?

A glass tub? If so, ways to plan on it's set up?

Stick with a tub, if so, how to fight the cold house temps?

Or, 3, I'm screwed and look at getting a puppy. lol

Thanks for the help guys.

[TheSnakeGuy]

I say if you're only gonna have one snake you make it a nice glass display tank with a Ceramic Heat Emitter and possibly an Under Tank Heater for your cool side temps. Don't be afraid of a glass cage; they're very easy to monitor and control temps and humidity with just a couple tricks like using the right substrate to hold moisture. Also covering most of the screen mesh with aluminum foil or some kind of thin insulation, and proper wattage of bulb for the right temps. You can also decorate and make a nice big cage pleasing to the eye for yourself and visitors.

[elbee]

Welcome fellow Texan! I would say you could go either way with a tank it a tub. The main thing is trial and error before you get your snake. Check humidity and temps and see how they fluctuate so you can change substrate, cover part or the tank, etc. to get desires humidity. As far as temps, my house stays pretty chilly too, but I have my snakes in one of the bedrooms with the vent turned down so it doesn't get so chilly in summer. Good luck, I know even with your unique situation you will figure it out

[taylor9209]

So the glass tank is back on the table then... lol

Well, a smaller plastic tub would fit my needs a little better, and takes less room than a glass tank, correct?

Not to mention cleaning a tub would be easier than a long glass tank, correct?

and I was actually going to use the blindness to my cheap advantage. lol
Sense I can't see, a tub works just fine.
It is a strictly for me snake, anyone who comes over, will probably not see it.

I have what I call my room, which is a bedroom with a desk, and guitar's and amp's in it. I was going to put my snake in this room, and when I want to play, I could move a plastic tub out of the room for an hour or so, so the vibrations wouldn't disturbe it... but now I'm rambling and putting the cart before the horse. lol

I just read the FAQ sticky which says plastic tubs hold heat rather well, and sense everyone uses a 10/20 gallon glass tank, with a screentop, but only a tub just a few gallons at most, with a plastic lid, it seems that the heat would stay trapped a little better?

This is why my brain hurts. lol


But, at the end of the day, the best setup for the snake is what I'm going with.
Sense I'll be doing all this with no site, I need to give the new snake the best atmosphere, so it will be less likely to refuze food, ETC, which give sited people problems, imagine doing it blind.

Thanks for listening to the new guys worried thoughts before he's done anything.
It's just over time, do to being blind, I've learned that planning for as much as you can helps in the long run.

[taylor9209]

Welcome fellow Texan! I would say you could go either way with a tank it a tub. The main thing is trial and error before you get your snake. Check humidity and temps and see how they fluctuate so you can change substrate, cover part or the tank, etc. to get desires humidity. As far as temps, my house stays pretty chilly too, but I have my snakes in one of the bedrooms with the vent turned down so it doesn't get so chilly in summer. Good luck, I know even with your unique situation you will figure it out

I guess closing off that bedroom's vent will probably be a must. Didn't think of that...

Thanks for that tip.

[elbee]

A tub would also be easier to move and clean by far. Glass tanks look nice but are heavy. You're snake won't mind either way. Do you have a thermostat already? Are you going to use a heat pad?

[Neal]

Different things you can do to control the temp and humidity, like covering part of the screen top with ceran wrap. Another thing is use two UTH's for both side and keeping one higher then the other would boost the temperature inside of the tank as well as raise that cool spot, then you can use something like a Ceramic Heat Emitter to add up to the hotspot. That would situate your temps, but you'll most likely battle humidity problems, so this is why I say use ceran wrap and cover half of the tank. Please, please make sure you tape the ceran wrap to the top of the tank so it doesn't blow off and hit the dome light and catch fire, that would be horrible. Then using a larger water dish will help with humidity a bit more along with misting.

Now what I would do is look at cages from AP, because the way they're setup you'll get better humidity levels versus a tank. Just a thought for measure.

[treeboa]

In a smaller tub like a 28 or 32qt your temps should be good with a UTH. With a longer tub like a 41qt the two UTH with one a lower setting is a good idea. Tubs are easier to clean and you could have two on hand with the low price and just transfer your snake at cleaning time. Easier for you, less stress for your snake. With display not a consideration, tubs are ideal I think.

[taylor9209]

A tub would also be easier to move and clean by far. Glass tanks look nice but are heavy. You're snake won't mind either way. Do you have a thermostat already? Are you going to use a heat pad?

Well, I also have a thread in the cage forum, so I hope this thread isn't a no-no.
I figure I can start with a tub, and the worst thing is I might need to buy a bigger UTH and a glass tank if the tub doesn't pan out.

I plan on using a UTH, brands are welcome, but I figured a zooMed's repti-therm is what I'm basing off of.

I was going to use a ZooMed's thermostat, but in the other thread, it was suggested I consider a different one.
I've just done some basic looking at thermostats, so I'm not set on one.
Suggestions on thermostats are most deffenantly welcome.

I was looking at a Herpstat, but not sure why it is rated so high from other users?

[taylor9209]

In a smaller tub like a 28 or 32qt your temps should be good with a UTH. With a longer tub like a 41qt the two UTH with one a lower setting is a good idea. Tubs are easier to clean and you could have two on hand with the low price and just transfer your snake at cleaning time. Easier for you, less stress for your snake. With display not a consideration, tubs are ideal I think.

Thank you!
Just reading this made me feel a little more confident that I might not be wasting a little money by trying the tub first.