Do you have your BP in a tank or tub?

[West Coast Jungle]

Those are not very good or accurate. I wasted my $ on 3 when I was starting and then got a Ranco. It is more $ but you won't have problems and stress out!

I have 3 of these and never had any problems.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/Ranco-E...d-p-16172.html

[Brimstone111888]

I have 3 of these and never had any problems.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/Ranco-E...d-p-16172.html

Haha that makes me feel better. I ordered one of those and it looks not very well made. I am glad that they work awesome.

[BallPythonsRule]

Thanks...

[Argentra]

You don't really need to be rich to afford a good display tank...unless you order it from a place like Cages by Design or something. I have the plans to build a 42"x18"x12" wood and plexi cage for my BP once she's bigger and it will only cost around $80-$100. That's half the price of even the cheaper ordered cages. Of course, it's handmade, but I love building so it's no problem for me.

Satanic: Of course that snake wasn't doing too well, you said yourself that the tank was way too big, and there was no t-stat or way to monitor temps. It wasn't the tank, but the setup that was wrong.

Tanks aren't horribly difficult to clean, you shouldn't have to carry it anywhere if you have a good cleaner like Chlorhexidine or bleach solution in a spray bottle, and they can make a snake quite happy indeed as long as you have the right equipment and aren't against a little extra work. The electric bill isn't that high, at least not for the three tanks I have, though I know it could be with multiple tanks. And how a tank looks, whether your snake is visible or not, is up to you. A sparse tank wouldn't be much fun to look at, no, but a naturalistic looking tank is very nice. Privacy for the snake is actually not that hard, either, as long as you cover the back and sides and give plenty of foliage or driftwood with the hides.

I am quite sorry if I sound argumentative... I don't mean to rile anyone up or offend anyone. I just get a little frustrated when people don't give all three options of enclosures equal emphasis. It really comes down to personal choice, so newbies especially should be given the high and low points of all the options, as well as experiences and opinions, and allowed to decide for themselves. I am in no way saying that people are forced to do anything here, but I do believe that responses about caging are rather tub biased.

Anyway, sorry for the ranting...

[Brimstone111888]

Not offensive just expressing your viewpoint, which is what this forum is for. Well you said it would cost you around 80-100 for a enclosure around the size of a 55 gallon tank(48x13x21) You can buy these for around $200 with no work. Some people are not very mechanically inclined and can't build cages or they don't have the tools etc. If you like building good for you! Much cheaper that way. That was on reason I bought my rack, instead of building it. It would have cost about the same amount to just buy it.

I for one don't enjoy looking into a tank and seeing some water bowl with 2 plastic looking rocks with some mulch on the ground, branches, with a Thermo/Hydrometer in the corner. Static looking enviroments don't usually appeal to me, but to some it does but that is your prerogative.


Even you said it cleaning takes "extra work". Privacy is also extra work by adding stuff onto the tank. Your electric bill may not be high but do you know how many KWH it uses per month? I am curious about this myself but I probably will never know, since I can't unplug it =P, but I am positive it is higher. Tanks just don't hold heat or humidity as well as a tub does, without covering most of the top of the tank with something. I use duct tape and foil, like a few people do. Nothing says natural like duct tape and foil. For beginners I would definitely suggest a tub, since it makes almost everything easier to care for.

[ctrlfreq]

I ordered one of those and it looks not very well made. I am glad that they work awesome.

I'll second the praise on that thermostat...it works great, and is reasonably priced. I just ordered another one of those along with a bunch of heat tape from Rich yesterday for a new adult rack I'm about to start building.

[Brimstone111888]

I'll second the praise on that thermostat...it works great, and is reasonably priced. I just ordered another one of those along with a bunch of heat tape from Rich yesterday for a new adult rack I'm about to start building.

Awesome to know!

[Argentra]

Oh you're quite right that tanks are not the greatest for long run keeping of a BP. However, if you don't like the look of tubs and can't yet afford to make or buy that great display cage then tanks work quite well with just a bit of extra effort. I always intended to keep my girl in a custom cage, but she's too small and I'm too poor right now. Since I have a fair collection of tanks already, I set the 20gal up with coverage, insulation, and the foil top to be her home in the meantime. So far it works great.

Also, I don't consider my tank to be very 'static'...


Just replace the cypress with aspen, since I didn't like the sharpness of that stuff. And I also tied the probe cord to the unit so it wouldn't drag like that.

Anyway, everyone has their own preferences for looks, ease of care, and cost...that's what makes the hobby varied and fun. I would just like to see the ups and downs of tanks and display cages listed along with the ups and downs of tubs so new owners can have a full idea of their options.

Oh, and as far as the Ranco goes...I also support it. Although it's much bigger and bulkier than my Johnson, and doesn't have the indicator light, it works very well controlling my BP's cool side as well as my corn snake's UTH.

[JoshJP7]

I personally just built 4 custom cages and it cost me 400$ total for all 4. So as stated it was 100$ a cage... Dimensions are 4x2x1.5ft and holds temps/humidty great. It is not hard at all and I actually paid for plans off the internet... 30$ but it was well worth it... They turned out great... check my gallery for pics.

[Christina]

i've got my girl in an ap cage- i dunno what to catergorize that as...