to climb or not to climb

[4Khan]

Hello!
Erica here with another qestion to keep you posters posting!

As of now we have our young male bp in a huge 45-50 gallon tank with plenty of hides, vines and branches to climb on and two water dishes.
Everynight around 11pm he comes out and climbs all around his branches on the vines and purches himself on a branch.

Besides the fact that its a SOB to heat and keep humidity, it sucks cleaning and getting into the damn thing since it sits on two dressers.

We bought a larger female and I house her in a rubbermaid container. I keep the humidity and heat just right and its large enough for two hides and a water dish.
She does have room to slither around. I find this way easier in all ways.

Now..I need good reasons to give Dan beside the obvious, that the rack set up or plastics is better.
He insists that they need to have room to climb and stretch out and they would be happier and what not.

throw some good reasons my way!

[JLC]

Well, you can tell Dan that if he thinks the snake is so much better off in the big tank, then he shouldn't mind taking on the responsibility of maintaining the heat/humidity and cleaning it. LOL If he's willing to put in the effort...why not let him?

[hornsrule]

you said the good reasons yourself. it's easy to heat and keep the humidity right. as far as having space to move around goes just buy a large enough tub to where he is satisfied with the amount of space that the snake will have. check out some of the larger ones on www.reptiletubs.com. you could always try to talk him into a boaphile or animal plastics cage. you will get the space he wants and the ease for you. then you would have the excuse that they look pretty darn nice.

[xdeus]

throw some good reasons my way!

5. Less to clean.
4. More sanitary.
3. More insulating than glass.
2. Balls are ground dwellers and would be "happier" with another hide rather than a stick.
1. They don't have legs, so they won't feel the need to "stretch their legs".

[rextheball]

I like to have unique or interesting tanks for everybody I have. I like their surroundings to be as natural as possible, they only get to come out for a little bit each day or two so why not let them have as much fun as possible. I honestly think cleaning and whatnot is half the fun because Im so proud when my enclosures are pretty and the snakes are happy. Im sure when my breeding project gets off the ground I'll get a rack system, but as long as my snakes and my other herps are just pets, I wanna show them off! Im proud of them haha. I get so happy when someone comes over and says wow, that is an awesome looking enclosure...

[ddbjdealer]

He insists that they need to have room to climb and stretch out and they would be happier and what not.

Firstly, I want to tell you that I go through this same debate EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE... and will probably continue to do so...

Second... I have heard from a fairly reputable source (sarcasm included) that a very well respsected breeder has 800g bp's in 15qt tubs... I currently have a 700g female in a 15qt tub... and I also have 4 other 700+/-g bp's in 32qt tubs. All I can tell you is that three weeks in a row now I have gotten refusals (not from the same girl) from the girls in the bigger tubs. They have the same amount of hides, the same water dish... but they're becomming picky eaters..

Could also be teenage angst... it's not like they've gone on hunger strikes or anything.. But, the girl in the smaller tub is eating like a champ, and seems very secure in her suroundings.

I have a larger than average collection, and only one of my snakes has a branch... and its because of the same reason that yours does... Not because I want it in there.

[4Khan]

Firstly, I want to tell you that I go through this same debate EVERY SINGLE DAY OF MY LIFE... and will probably continue to do so...

Second... I have heard from a fairly reputable source (sarcasm included) that a very well respsected breeder has 800g bp's in 15qt tubs... I currently have a 700g female in a 15qt tub... and I also have 4 other 700+/-g bp's in 32qt tubs. All I can tell you is that three weeks in a row now I have gotten refusals (not from the same girl) from the girls in the bigger tubs. They have the same amount of hides, the same water dish... but they're becomming picky eaters..

Could also be teenage angst... it's not like they've gone on hunger strikes or anything.. But, the girl in the smaller tub is eating like a champ, and seems very secure in her suroundings.

I have a larger than average collection, and only one of my snakes has a branch... and its because of the same reason that yours does... Not because I want it in there.

hehe you made me smile!

Im going to keep Lola in her tub and as soon as she starts feeding (she wouldnt eat last night) I'll purchase another set up for any future bp buddies that come my way.!

As far as lola she is about 7 months old and shes fairly confident in herself and in her size so she has no problem with us picking her up so far and being taken into our hands, we just hope she will be a good eater for us.

Thanks again!