Cage Height?

[thehoofbite]

Been browsing the forums for a little while. Have recently become very interested in the whole scene and just looking to get all the info. Anyway.

I noticed that a lot of people go with the sterilite tubs. Looking at the price and hearing of the advantages, it seems like the most reasonable option. Anyway, when looking at the tubs, most are either very low in ceiling or very large in ceiling. I've read that snakes don't need the headroom but does it hurt to have a taller tub?

From what I have read, it seems like too much space can create some undersirable behavior. Does height have the same effect? I would assume not because a lot of people have aquariums that are taller then tubs.

Also, I've seen it a couple times that getting the ambient temp right with taller tumbs is a little bit more of a taks because the heat tends to stay at the top of the tub? And another question about heat, what would it take to heat a 10 gallon tub? It seems like the heat tape is a popular choice but haven't really seen how much people use on a single tub.


Suppose thats it for now......probably run into a lot more questions as I look further into it. Any info is much appreciated.

thanks.

[tigerlily]

Ball pythons are terrestial and do not NEED the height. The smaller space works a bit better for them, and is easier to heat. I've had a tank, and keeping the temps stable was a major pain in my butt. I've moved on to racks and love how well they maintain their temps. Not to mention easier to clean and most of my snakes have a better feeding response. (I just have one girl that likes to make me work for it)

As for what you'd need to heat a 10 gallon.... well, that's difficult to say. It's one of those things that you have to fiddle with. A good general guidline is to have a heat source about 1/3 of the enclosure. I use the flexwatt, and love it. Just make sure that whatever heat source you decide to go with is controlled with a thermostat. The heating pads get HOT, and will burn your snake.

I hope I answered most of your questions, but if I missed any just poke me.

[thehoofbite]

cool, thanks. just one more question regarding the flexwatt. You have it underneath of 1/3 of the bottom surface area of the tub?

[bigballs]

you have heat tape 1/3 of the floor space to allow the snake to thermoregulate.


also if your heating 1/3 of the tank and you have a heat tape malfunction then it would be possible for the snake to escape the possibly harmful extreme heat until you notice and fix the situation.

if youre going to use heat tape then it would be a good idea to invest in a space heater so that you are able to bump up the ambient temperature inside the enclosure.

the ambient temperature inside the tub will be whatever your room temperature is so if the room you plan to keep the snake in is less then at least 80 degrees then it is a good idea to have an oil filled space heater.

an oil filled electric space heater is recommened over plain electric space heaters because they do not dry out the air as much as the plain electric ones do.

humidity is a big factor for good health in ball pythons so you would want a heater that drys out the air as little as possible.


hope this information helps!

[tigerlily]

cool, thanks. just one more question regarding the flexwatt. You have it underneath of 1/3 of the bottom surface area of the tub?

The flexwatt is on the bottom of the rack, and the tub sits on top. It is not inside the enclosure. (just for clarification.) Putting the flexwatt on the bottom of the enclosure is the most effective since heat rises.