Switching to tank

[ssballow]

I don't know how they don't have a heart attack with all the stress of living in the wild. The wilderness is even bigger than a 40!

[knott00]

I don't know how they don't have a heart attack with all the stress of living in the wild. The wilderness is even bigger than a 40!

It is not! Wilderness is small like a 10g tank!

But seriously, the larger the tank, the more difficult it is for you to keep the husbandry requirements met and the more money you have to dump into it to get it to where you need it. A BP doesn't need that much room because they aren't very active snakes and don't move around a whole lot, usually the only time I catch mine out of her hide is when she is hungry. But really, I don't think that the extra space will stress the snake out at all if you have it decorated properly with fake plans, rocks, hides, waterbowls and the like.

When she gets bigger I'll move her to a 30g, but thats for my pleasure only, not for hers, I'm sure she won't really make use of the extra space. I just enjoy the decorating and bringing a little bit of the wild into my home. I would never do anything over 30g for a BP because the husbandry requirements will get more difficult to meet, the cages keep getting more expensive, it requires more bedding, more decorating and quite a bit more money.

[mrshawt]

I had a 40g at the beginning of the summer. Little did I know then that her cruising every night was a sign of stress. I thought she was exploring. And I don't mean coming out for a couple minutes, then returning to the hides. I mean all night cruising. Then she started doing it during the day. And then she stopped eating for over a month. I dumped a ton of money trying to heat the thing and insulate it. So I downgraded to a 20L. She stayed in her hides, but I sstill had to struggle to heat the thing.

Then I switched to a tub.

Easy to heat, clean, lift. She eats now, cruises for a couple minutes at night. Seems like a perfectly satisfied bp.

Relating a 40g tank to the wild is comparing apples to oranges. Our bp's are not wild snakes. They are captive bred. Plus, even if they were wild, bp's spend all their time wedged in termite mounds. They don't explore their big world besides looking for food, and they don't enjoy stretching over all the extra space. By getting a huge tank, you are only satisfying a human thought that snakes need a lot of space to be "happy."

But, despite all that, if you really need to have a 40g just to look at it, I give you my blessing. Just be ready to fund it, and deal with the frustration when the bp refuses food. Big tanks come with big responsibilities.

[Argentra]

Ok, guess I ought to chime in here.

Tanks can work just as well as, if not better than, tubs if you're willing to do the bit of extra work to get them there. I agree with the OP that tubs are just more frustration then they are worth.

For a young BP, a 20 gal LONG tank should be just right. You want long and low, since extra height just adds extra problems with heat and humidity control. When and if you decide to upgrade, make sure you get a breeder tank since they are long and low.
Another option, of course, would be to buy or make a display cage for them once they're grown.

[STEW]

I guess I just dont understand the tub thing, you cant see in them and they arent very asthetically (sp?) pleasing at all. I guess if you keep your snakes under the bed or you have to many to spend time with a nice display piece then it makes sense but i couldnt just look at a tub with the bare minimum necessities, not that the snakes care.... to each their own though.

[mrshawt]

I guess I just dont understand the tub thing, you cant see in them and they arent very asthetically (sp?) pleasing at all. I guess if you keep your snakes under the bed or you have to many to spend time with a nice display piece then it makes sense but i couldnt just look at a tub with the bare minimum necessities, not that the snakes care.... to each their own though.

You can't see a happy bp anyways.

[Kaorte]

I guess I just dont understand the tub thing, you cant see in them and they arent very asthetically (sp?) pleasing at all. I guess if you keep your snakes under the bed or you have to many to spend time with a nice display piece then it makes sense but i couldnt just look at a tub with the bare minimum necessities, not that the snakes care.... to each their own though.

I like looking at my awesome snakes that I spent hundreds of dollars on, not a bunch of petsmart fake plants that I spent hundreds of dollars on.

They don't often come out of their hides so having a display tank for a BP is pretty counterproductive. Might as well just decorate a pretty cage and put the BP in a cage elsewhere. No one would know the difference.

[Argentra]

YOU know the difference. Also, unless the opening of the hide is really small you usually can see the snake all curled up happily inside. Even that is nice to see, since it reminds you of your sweet friend.

I'm always checking on my snakes, making sure they're clean with fresh water, and I prefer being able to just glance in the enclosure to check rather than disturbing them by having to remove a tub lid or pull a tub from a rack shelf. I also can NOT get tubs to stabilize for me no matter what, whereas all my tanks and display cages stabilize fairly quickly and stay there. But that's just me.

[STEW]

YOU know the difference. Also, unless the opening of the hide is really small you usually can see the snake all curled up happily inside. Even that is nice to see, since it reminds you of your sweet friend.

I'm always checking on my snakes, making sure they're clean with fresh water, and I prefer being able to just glance in the enclosure to check rather than disturbing them by having to remove a tub lid or pull a tub from a rack shelf. I also can NOT get tubs to stabilize for me no matter what, whereas all my tanks and display cages stabilize fairly quickly and stay there. But that's just me.

Where is the +1 smilie at? I dont even need to respond

This post is worded properly and makes a few points I failed to mention.

[bamf64]

Or you could increase the air flow around the tub with a fan. It worked for me.
By buying a tank, you're going to have to keep fueling it with money to get it to work. I think they're too much trouble.

But if you're insistent, go with the 20g. You'll never need a 40g, as bp's love tight spaces. Snakes don't care what their in, as long as their husbandry requirements are met. Extra stuff is for our satisfaction only, not theirs.

what do you mean by feuling?

and im just gona go with a 20. put alot of plants and rocks and branches and hides so it feels tighter.