Quote Originally Posted by elevenphoenix View Post
I bought several morph BP's online that will be coming in next week and I want to house them all in tubs. I've only used tanks for my reptiles in the past, so the whole idea of tubs is totally new to me. I've done a lot of research, but I still have a few questions.

1. Security? Do you do anything extra to the lids to ensure that they are escape-proof? If one of my snakes gets out, then my dog will get a tasty treat :/

2. Heating source? I assumed you would just use the average ZooMed UTH, but they are about 20$ a piece! Is there anything cheaper that you can use? I read something about heat tape, how does that work? Does it still need a rheostat/thermostat?

3. What's the deal with racks? I get that you want to save space, but couldn't you just use a regular shelf? My snakes have their own bedroom so space isn't a huge issue (right now). Is there some other benefit to using racks?

4. If you are buying stackable tubs, can you stack them on top of one another? If so, I assume you'd use some type of divider so other tubs' heat sources aren't touching the tub below, yes?

5. I also read in another thread about getting Prevent-A-Mite and using it on all new snakes? Where can you buy that?

6. Is Repti-Bark okay for BP's as substrate? It's made out of fir bark. No idea what that is...is it safe?

THANK YOU SO MUCH. Any feedback you can guys can provide will be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get all this stuff set up this weekend.

-Kate
1. Get tubs with the locking handles. I think the 32 qt has neon green handles, but they may also have different colors. No escapes here.I personally just have a single sheet of newspaper over top of the 2 stand alone tubs that I have at this time. Both have fed very consistently and have shed perfectly.

2.Flexwatt...either wire it yourself or have Rich at RBI do it for you, either way, its cheaper than those UTH's...oh and make sure you have a thermostat that can handle whatever wattage you need. Rich can also help you with that.

3. Many racks have heat built in. It's also about insulation as an enclosed type rack, like RBI or Boaphile will help hold heat better than an open shelf.

4. I wouldn't stack the tubs, but mainly for a matter of having to unstack them all if a snake at the bottom had to be cleaned or fed.

5. www.pro-products.com

6. Some people use repti-bark, but newspaper or shredded aspen or cypress mulch is easier IMHO. Cheaper and comes in bigger bags.

HTH