Tub Size and Ventilation Holes

[BlueFenris]

Hello, everyone. I'm currently in the process of getting everything ready for my first ball python, which is going to be a female that is currently 122 grams. I bought a 32 qt Sterlite tub to keep her in for now, but from what I've been reading, I think this might be too big for her right now. I also might have messed up with the ventilation holes. We don't own a drill, so at first I tried making holes with a knife until it got big enough to fit the tip of a pair of scissors in to enlarge it. That worked, but it took a long time to do one hole, and the end product would need a lot of sanding just to make it not so ragged, since I don't want to risk her hurting herself on the holes. I read something about using a hand held soldering iron, so I went to pick one up at Theisen's and was told that they aren't supposed to get hot enough to melt through plastic tubs, and was told to instead heat up a nail and use that to melt holes. I tried that, and it left burnt plastic all around the holes. I tried wiping it off, and it didn't come off at all. It also doesn't seem to have any sort of odor to it either, so I was wondering if I should go ahead and try to use sand paper to smooth all of the holes and get the black parts off, or if it would be best to get a new tub and start over. If so, what size tub should I get for a 122 gram bp?

[treaux]

I use a soldering iron to make the holes. Makes a nice smooth ring of plastic around the hole that the snake couldn't cut itself on. Soldering irons get hot enough to melt metal, so they sure will take care of any kind of plastic. Plus it's extremely quick. Just make sure you rinse everything off when you're done.

Most of my BPs started out fine in a 28/32 qt Sterilite tub. A couple that were more fearful and had less consistent feeding got downgraded to a 15 qt and that fixed the problem. The choice is yours for what to start with.

[BlueFenris]

I think I'm gonna go with a 15 qt for now. I know that the amount of ventilation will vary a lot based on humidity, but what would a good starting point be? Like how many holes, or how much spacing between holes?

[LittleTreeGuy]

I don't think the number of holes or spacing really matters... as stated above, put 5 or 6 holes in it, about the size of a pencil on each side. Monitor your humidity. If it's too high, add some more holes. It will not likely be too low if you have a water dish in there and the right amount of heat. You should space them maybe an inch apart just so you don't have to worry about cracking the plastic, but that depends on how your making your holes, really. I have a small plastic tub my bp goes into for cage cleaning and It has 3 or 4 holes near each corner. That may be a good starting point for you.

[BlueFenris]

So I've got temps pretty stable between 90-92 warm side and right around 80 on the cool side. I did have to put heat mats on both sides since my room temperature is way too low. My main issue right now is humidity. It's staying in the 80-85% range. I've seen differing opinions, so I'm not sure if this is way too high or not. I have seven holes on each long side and two on each short side of the tub. Is it just a matter of adding a few holes at a time and watching the humidity, or is it alright where it is now?

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

i currently use 15qt tubs for my bps that are at that size. I think 32qt is way too big unless you are going to clutter that thing like crazy. I find that 15qt allows you to put in a hide and water bowl and still allows the snake to move around more than sufficiently. I have 13 snakes currently in this setup ranging from 84 grams to 400grams. i will be removing the hides for the bigger animals when i get my rack setup so that will give them even more room (the rack is enclosed on the sides and back and it is recessed so the snakes will have plenty of dark to feel secure. As for the holes i just put about 10 holes on both sides of the tub with a soldering iron. That seems to keep the humidity for me at a perfect level. If you find that there are too many holes you can cover some with clear mailing tape to adjust.

As far as humidity goes i go around 60-70% for the norm and up it to around 80% during shed. No problems there for me.

[BlueFenris]

Okay, I'll add holes a few at a time until I can get to that range. Thank you!