Hides

[Reptidude]

Do I have to have 2 hides if its going to be a little bit crouded inside my tank? Im going to keep her in my 25 gallon aqur. intill I can get another. Its going to be hard trying to get 2 hides in there and a big water bowl. Right now I have; A large pot for a hide, water bowl, logs/sticks, vinery, fake bushes. Its pretty crowded and I could get another hide in there but it will be tight. What do you guys think?

When I said "Large Pot", its not that big as you think. The BP is about 3 feet long and its probably going to be nice and tight inside for her.

[led4urhead]

I would recommend that you get a second hide. Your second one can be as simple or elaborate as you want. I use cereal boxes for mine. They are easy to clean ( i just replace them every time i clean a cage ) and delicious to make . As long as they are big enough to fit inside the hide you are good to go. You may need to take out a couple of the fake plants to get the other hide in there, but i would definitely recommend getting a second. Your bp should not have to choose between heat and security. Good luck man

[Reptidude]

ok. If I do put a second hide in there then there wont be any "open" space. Will that be ok?

[Cody]

It's all about floor space. Just consider the floor space, including the floor space in the hides. If they have enough room to comfortably chill in their hide, and enough space to stretch out, and/or slither to the other hide and relax, it should be good. As long as you're just temporarily keeping her in the enclosure until you get together a bigger one(maybe a sterilite...easy to come by, and inexpensive) it should be okay. I did the mistake of over crowding my 20 gal tank with plants. But I'm getting a baby, so I think she's got plenty of space for now. My hides are those simple clay plant bases(the short shallow ones) and they're perfect. Nice and tight for their security.

[led4urhead]

What else do you have in there? In my opinion a second hide is very important for the well being of the snake and it feeling secure in its surroundings. Two hides doesnt make them choose between feeling secure and being warm. Its all up to you tho, every keeper is different and no one uses the same setup. Good luck with him

[Reptidude]

how much are 50 gal sterlite. I might walk up to Home Depot tomorrow and buy one. i think there 10 bucks. but an exact price would be great. What about if I use Cypress Mulch as substarte? I heard its ok. Is that expensive?

[led4urhead]

Cypress Mulch isnt all that expensive and you can get a good sized rubbermaid for 10 bucks or under. I actuall use the rubbermaid versions of the ones here: http://www.sterilite.com/Category.ht...ctCategory=37# . I have two that are approx the same size as the model 1889 and one about the same size as the 1888. They are available at WalMart for somewhere around 9 bucks ( if i remember correctly ) You will need to either bake or boil ( or both ) the mulch to get rid of any little critters that may be living inside it. I've never actually done it ( i use newspaper or paper towels for my substrate ), but i know members here have. They should be along any time to give you some more info on that.

[Cody]

I think they sell sterilite containers in quart measurements, so a 50 gallon would roughly be 200 quarts. I'm not sure of the price, but I remember looking for a 110 quart and it was no more than 10 bucks. I don't think you'll spend much more than that, but just have 20 bucks for you to be safe, lol. As for substrate, I have reptibark and it's pretty good with humidity, and it looks aesthetically pleasing.

[Reptidude]

reptibark?? I dont really want to spend a lot of money for a little bag of bark. I was just going to get Cypress mulch at homedepot.

[Cody]

It wasn't that expensive for me. But yeah I see what you mean. Go with cypress mulch if you want. It's up to you, not me.