Tubs and Racks vs. Vivariums?

[Sammiebob]

Hey there, I was just wondering if someone could help me out here, and give me some pros and cons of housing in tubs on racks vs full cages and terrariums. I'm 15, I have three ball pythons, and I'm hoping to get my first clutch of eggs this coming season. I have never bred any animals before, and I am very excited. My dad and I are sort of having a conflict of him thinking that I am ruining their lives by keeping them in sterilite tubs. So any help that you guys can give me would be fantastic, and even if you're on my dad's side (cages not tubs) that is fine. I could make the room, but there isn't a ton of room. I also need to help him understand that bigger is not better and balls are not meant to co-habitate unless for breeding. Thanks guys and gals for your input!!

Sammie

[auhsojnacnud]

Personally I prefer tanks just because you can see them. But honestly I think the snake would prefer a tub because its more closed-in. Glass can seem open and bigger. I've heard tubs are easier to clean (which makes perfect sense) Tubs are probably easier to keep temps in. I would say tanks are only better for display (which is why I use one) I am pretty new to snake keeping but this is what Ive heard.

[Sammiebob]

Thank you for your input!!

[Daigga]

Make it clear to him that in nature balls are a solitary burrowing python that spends all of their time in tightly confined spaces and only interact with other pythons for breeding purposes. Tanks are pretty for us as owners to looks at, since it puts the animal on display, but balls are most comfortable where they can hide away. Cohabiting is a terrible idea with most species of animals. Even cats and dogs encounter problems when you keep more than one together with no safe place for one to retreat to.

It sounds like your dad is thinking more of a breeding colony. Some lizards can be kept like that, but solitary snake species like ball pythons are likely to be too stressed to breed under conditions like that.

[Sammiebob]

He doesn't want to make a breeding colony, he just wants to not have to have three separate cages -.- this is why I am the only one in my family that owns reptiles. I currently have five, it's my thing, that's what I am going to college for and everything. Reptiles are my gig. But hey, at least he's trying to learn! Haha thank you for your input!

[artgecko]

Glass tanks (fish tanks) are very hard to keep humidity in. You can see the snakes better, but poor humidity is a bad tradeoff for that. If he wants a good display enclosure, a pvc cage for reptiles, like an AP t8 (animal plastics) would work. You can get a divider for the center so that you can house one snake on each end, but it is not cheap.

I use tubs right now and plan on getting a rack soon. I believe that as long as the tubs are large enough so that the snake can move around (and it'll fit a water bowl, rock, and a couple hides) it is just as good as a tank, and holds humidity better. The downside of tubs / racks is that they don't hold heat as well due tot he thinness of the plastic. I had to use heat lamps over my tubs to raise ambient temps, but now have all of the cages / tubs in a heated reptile room, which is a better solution.

Tubs / racks are easier to clean... Much easier compared to a glass tank, which is heavy and difficult to lift / wash.

Just a side note here, but I'd be very careful when you make plans to go off to school, so that you can move somewhere to take your snakes with you. Most on campus dorms do not allow pets (just something to consider).

[Sammiebob]

[/QUOTE]Just a side note here, but I'd be very careful when you make plans to go off to school, so that you can move somewhere to take your snakes with you. Most on campus dorms do not allow pets (just something to consider).[/QUOTE]

Yes thank you. We were thinking about that, and I don't know how it happened but just my luck, the first real herpetology course that I found just so happens to be at PSU, which is just a few train stops/ ten minute drive away from my house. My parents said that I could still live at home most likely, so there is not much of an issue with that. We are still discussing on whether or not I will be paying rent, but I'm sure that it will work out just fine. (BTW, PSU= Portland State University)

[Sammiebob]

The more opinions the better!! Bring it on!!!!

[Viol8r]

Tubs/racks are much easier to clean and take up less room due to stackability. The tubs are also cheap enough that you can have spares. I have 3-4 ready to insert into my racks when there is a dirty tub to clean. That also means I can clean more at one time instead of running back and forth to clean one cage/aquarium. If it's a mess and the snake is laying in it I will clean them too. My female mojave is a dirty little creature..

[KMG]

Well I say....it depends.

I have two glass tanks, a rack, a 2ft x 2ft pvc cage, and three 4ft x 2ft x 15in pvc cages. I keep my BP and a Hognose in the glass tanks as its my personal preference because I like the naturalistic terrariums. They are harder to keep heat and humidity but I get it done and I love how they look in my home.

In my rack are my three young blood pythons. They are in there until they need a bigger home but they are easy to clean and maintain. I like the rack but as for a presentation piece they are not great if that's your thing. They are compact and easy to expand plus require less overall equipment.

My GTP is in the cube cage and it works great as it holds humidity well and is great for putting him on display. For any snake like this I think its the only way to go.

The big cages house my large blood python and my BRB. They too hold the humidity well while offering these large snakes the room they need and still place them on display fairly well. I would not mind a tub system for these two as they love to destroy their setup when I try to keep them in a naturalistic cage but a tub system that large is just not in the cards currently.

So like I said I think it depends on what you prefer and what snakes you have as to what kind of housing you should provide. For balls alone I think a rack is a perfect choice especially when breeding and being low on space. Large cages start to fill up a room quick and tanks can take a lot of work to keep.

My home is kept at 68F and on my 40gal bp tank I have three separate heat sources just to keep the temps up. It is not the cheapest or easiest thing to do but its what I like so I put in the effort.

Being 15 I think a rack or just using tubs would be a great way to keep them for now.