Question about sterilite tubs...

[Kam]

Good evening! Happy Sunday to all!

I have a question, if y’all don’t mind. So yesterday I went to my local pet store and fell in love with the following two scaly babies.



My question is, due space limitations currently (roommate situation), can they be housed in the following



If so, how do go about the belly heat? I want to use an under tank heater but I am afraid of it melting. I don’t want a rack system as of yet. But with me moving soon, I may have to find a nifty way of getting them in there. The space I will be loosing leaving a house and no extra room.

Pardon me if I sound dumb, but I just want to get the best possible results without completely me an :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: to my potential scaly babies.

Thanks in advance for all feedback. Good, bad, and/or indifferent.


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[Toad37]

Even with a uth the temperature would only need to be set at 90, maybe 92 to get the surface temp of the inside of the tub to 90 but still that's nowhere near hot enough to melt a plastic tub as long as it's not paper thin.

[Kam]

Even with a uth the temperature would only need to be set at 90, maybe 92 to get the surface temp of the inside of the tub to 90 but still that's nowhere near hot enough to melt a plastic tub as long as it's not paper thin.

Thank you. I am looking at ordering some of the products of amazon. Do you have any recommendations. One thing I have noticed with being in Dallas is that humidity is a pain in the rear. So I know I need to hygrometer as well as a temperature regulator for the uth. All suggestions are welcomed.


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[Toad37]

I use a rack system with heat tape so I don't have any suggestions for a uth. I do know that the humidity will be very easy to manage in those tubs with a substrate that holds it well like coco fiber or Cypress mulch. Just make sure to drill plenty of ventilation holes in the tub so it and the snake can breath.

[Kam]

I use a rack system with heat tape so I don't have any suggestions for a uth. I do know that the humidity will be very easy to manage in those tubs with a substrate that holds it well like coco fiber or Cypress mulch. Just make sure to drill plenty of ventilation holes in the tub so it and the snake can breath.

Thank you. My plan was to poke holes around the top perimeter of the tub and the lid.


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[Werewolves]

I just finished prepping Sterilite tubs as temporary quarantine/grow-out tubs here in Dallas too, and the summer is definitely killer so dial them in before you get the snakes!

I'm using Ultratherm UTHs (well, one is on a spare ZooMed I had laying around but I don't really recommend that) and AcuRites to measure temp and humidity. I put a row of air holes around each side and a few rows in the lid (slightly different tubs than what you posted). The ambient temps want to hover around 80, and the humidity with a water bowl inside easily holds in the upper 60s and as high as 72... two of the tubs are for kingsnakes, so for them I had to put in even more air holes and then put a fan near them to get the humidity lower with more air circulation. So based on that, they'll be super easy to make work for ball pythons.

Edited to add: Also, I'm using paper towels as substrate because of quarantine and still got those initial numbers for humidity. I feel like cypress mulch would make the humidity spike way higher than you want, but you can try putting the mulch in when it's not super wet right out of the bag and see what happens.

[Kam]

I just finished prepping Sterilite tubs as temporary quarantine/grow-out tubs here in Dallas too, and the summer is definitely killer so dial them in before you get the snakes!

I'm using Ultratherm UTHs (well, one is on a spare ZooMed I had laying around but I don't really recommend that) and AcuRites to measure temp and humidity. I put a row of air holes around each side and a few rows in the lid (slightly different tubs than what you posted). The ambient temps want to hover around 80, and the humidity with a water bowl inside easily holds in the upper 60s and as high as 72... two of the tubs are for kingsnakes, so for them I had to put in even more air holes and then put a fan near them to get the humidity lower with more air circulation. So based on that, they'll be super easy to make work for ball pythons.

Edited to add: Also, I'm using paper towels as substrate because of quarantine and still got those initial numbers for humidity. I feel like cypress mulch would make the humidity spike way higher than you want, but you can try putting the mulch in when it's not super wet right out of the bag and see what happens.

Thank you! I was going to start working on the actual setup. Playing around with temps before I gotten the scaly babies. This would be temp/grow out for them.


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[Cheesenugget]

I use tubs and tanks. No matter which you prefer to use, keep in mind to save money for a reliable thermostat, like a Herpstat. A malfunctioning thermostat will cause problems to both tubs or tanks, and sadly, burning the snake too. For temporary use, Jumpstart or Century (I can't remember the exact name) is okay.

Humidity should not be a big problem when you use tubs. Without substrate, and a few holes, you should have at minimum 50-60% humidity if you place the water bowl half way on the heat mat. For that reason, and because my Banana is a wimp who hates wet substrate, I use paper towels (aspen is fine too but watch out for mold).

Don't go too big on the size of the tub. Go smaller than you think it needs to help it feel secure and eating. Then move it up a size if you think it could use that space. Let us know the weight of your snake and size if the tub and someone can chime in on their suggestions.

P.S. I saw those pics on your previous thread. I knew you was going to get them lol.

[Kam]

I use tubs and tanks. No matter which you prefer to use, keep in mind to save money for a reliable thermostat, like a Herpstat. A malfunctioning thermostat will cause problems to both tubs or tanks, and sadly, burning the snake too. For temporary use, Jumpstart or Century (I can't remember the exact name) is okay.

Humidity should not be a big problem when you use tubs. Without substrate, and a few holes, you should have at minimum 50-60% humidity if you place the water bowl half way on the heat mat. For that reason, and because my Banana is a wimp who hates wet substrate, I use paper towels (aspen is fine too but watch out for mold).

Don't go too big on the size of the tub. Go smaller than you think it needs to help it feel secure and eating. Then move it up a size if you think it could use that space. Let us know the weight of your snake and size if the tub and someone can chime in on their suggestions.

P.S. I saw those pics on your previous thread. I knew you was going to get them lol.

I am thinking long and hard about going back this weekend to get them. But if I don’t there are two others that eyed.

However thank you for token input as well. If I get them I will definitely update the group for some insight.


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[RedRabbit]

I think others have already answered your main questions, but I also use Sterilite tubs for all my snakes, so I'm happy to offer more specifics if you decide to go for it.

I drill holes (2 rows per surface, 10 holes per row) on the lid and along the two long sides of the tub. In general, they all hold humidity really well. The ones with the multi-latched gasket lids are super secure, but hold humidity almost TOO well, so for those you might need to drill more holes, or stick with paper towel substrate and a fairly small water bowl that's kept on the cool side.

The tubs are perfectly able to tolerate the temperature of the UTHs as maintained by a reliable thermostat like a Herpstat. Your target hotspot temp is going to be around 88-90 F, and the melting point of most plastics is well above 200 F.