Alright, Plywood or plastic tub, what's better???

[ocean girl]

If I end up getting a different cage, what is better, to make one out of plywood or buy a clear plastic tub? What do you all have and what is the easiest to keep temps perfect with no fuss.
I'm thinking the tub is cheapest, does it hold heat better or worse than plywood with a plastic door?
Thanks but once again. I'll figure this out sooner or later!

[Kymberli]

In my opinion (and, as I've noticed, the opinion of many on this site), tubs are cheaper, easier to clean and maintain, hold heat and humidity ten times better than most other enclosures, and are obviously much lighter and easier to move. Ultimately it will be your choice, but I'm glad I switched to tubs

[CLSpider]

I prefer tubs 150%
Holds temps perfectly and there's great humidity. AND they're much, MUCH lighter and easier to clean.
I really recommend tubs.
Just make sure you have a thermostat to control the heat.

[ocean girl]

what kind of temp control are you using, I just bought a dimmer switch and man is it finiky to get the right temp. How big is your tub and what bedding do you use?

[mues155]

Depends on what size the snake is your wanting to house. My adults are staying in Sterlite bins that measure 33"L x 12"H x 16"W. Which is big enough to have a hide, a bowl they can soak in, and a basking area. Ive also constructed plactic perches screwed in the sides so they can climb and sit above the floor of the cage. Why waste all that overhead space?
I agree 100% that plastic bins are the way to go! Make sure they have good locking lids, some brands lids arent the best.
If you have a soldering iron its easy to make vent holes in the bins. Just be sure you do it in a garage or somewhere with ventilation cuz the burning plastic smell is very strong!
Whatever the size of your snake just make sure the bin is not TOO big to make him feel unsafe.
I just use aspen shavings and sometimes newspaper. I havnt gotten in the fancy cypress mulch yet, but ive heard good things about it.

[Johan]

what kind of temp control are you using, I just bought a dimmer switch and man is it finiky to get the right temp. How big is your tub and what bedding do you use?

Hi there, I also use tubs. I use a herpstat to control the heat pad. Great thermastat, but there are cheaper alternatives if required. I use a 34 quart (if memory serves me right) tub, but size will depend on your ball. As for bedding I use paper towel. Cheap, easy to clean and my ball does fine with it. You can use any standard bedding such as aspen, etc.

[Inknsteel]

It also depends on what you're looking for visually. Tubs are a GREAT solution for maintaining heat and humidity, they're really inexpensive, lightweight and don't take up much room. BUT, they're not very pleasing to the eye (There are some tubs you can find that are almost perfectly clear that you can make a pretty good looking display out of, but most aren't). Wooden enclosures can be built to custom specs, can be designed to look like a piece of furniture you would keep in your living room, and can look REALLY nice. There are of course downfalls to wooden enclosures as well. You need to make sure they're sealed to be water-tight so moisture doesn't seep in and warp the wood. I don't know how good something like that would be at holding humidity either, but I'm sure if you use silicone aquarium sealant around the edges and corners you could probably get it to hold decent humidity.

Have you considered compressed PVC? (A little pricier, but can be used to build a nice looking display tank but has a lot of the benefits of plastic)

[ocean girl]

Well, I ended up finding a Tub tonight. So now I need to know some things.
- How many holes do I put in it, and where?
- Can I remove the old undermount heater and reuse it on the tub?
-Is it okay to stick the under mount heater on plastic??

[kitedemon]

My first comment is tubs don't hold heat well at all I have no idea where that idea came from with out power they cool off very very quickly. I have a rack, glass enclosures, and custom plastic ones they each have advantages and disadvantages. Holding heat in a tub is really poor, my rack drops a degree every 10 min with no power my custom enclosure drops a degree every hour.

Where tubs heat fast and cool fast and cost more to heat (fast heat loss given equal wattage) a wooden enclosure is harder to heat but will hold heat better and longer. I still likely recommend a tub over a custom wood enclosure as the UTH is problematic and RHP (the easy solution) are costly.

I prefer to make sure air is moving so I place holes at the top edge of the tub over the cool end and lower on the side on the hot end. This ensures air will circulate through the space and not just stratify. I like holes about 1/8 inch or a bit bigger and the amount is variable. If you are getting lots of condensation you don't have enough if it is too dry and drys quickly then there are too many.

Removing then once stuck can be done carefully but they can also be damaged trying. Some people will use aluminum tape over the sticky part of the pad and then tape it (aluminum tape) to the tub. Yes the pad can be stuck to the tub as long as you have a T-stat to keep the temps correct for the snake there is no way at 90ºF the tub will be damage. Make sure you have a little air space under the tub to allow heat to dissipate some, don't place it directly on something and then the tub on it, heat will build up to dangerous temps.

[BuckeyeBalls]

My first comment is tubs don't hold heat well at all I have no idea where that idea came from with out power they cool off very very quickly

Your right the hot spot does. But that piece of flexwatt heats up. Heats the bottom. It raises the ambient temp in the tub. Which holds a lot more than a big screen on the top.

My tubs are like +3-4 degrees compared to my room temp....