Didn't research enough. Mistake? Help needed.

[reptilesbeforemammal]

So for $60 dollars I purchased a 40 gallon tank, few packs of bedding, hides, 2 thermometers, and climbing equipment on Craigs list (KILLER DEAL)
I'm in the market for buying my FIRST snake, a fire ball python (male) for those who care. I'm not a breeder. I just want it as a pet.
Buying a baby, and I was planning on buying a glass pane to seperate the tank into 2 20gallon sides, one for the snake, and the other for the supplies and stuff. Until he grew up of course.

I didn't know much about the humidity, and I've been studying for weeks. I don't know how it just didn't come up until now.
JUST found out about plastic tubs, but dammit they look so ugly.
I KNOW I KNOW, the whole "it's what your snake wants" argument, it's just so n0n-presentable. I'm an orderly kind of guy, so it really bugs me how unprofessional it looks.

Did I make the mistake on buying the cage?
AND should I go to tub?
How effective is the wet towel over the mesh top? I work 8 hours a day 5 days a week, so depending on how much I'd have to switch the towel out. Maybe insulate the sides? something like that?

Kinda bummed on how honestly (dumb) weird it'll look with a snake in tupperware in my room.
Any thoughts? Should I suck it up?

[kat_black181]

Honestly, it really is quite a hastle to keep the humidity where it needs to be in a glass tank with a mesh top. I just switched to tubs myself. I'm sooo glad I did. The humidity stays EXACTLY where it needs to be. The heating was kinda tricky because tubs don't hold heat as well. But, I experimented around for a bit, and once I had everything stabilized, it took out A LOT of the work that I was previously doing when I had a tank.

[reptilesbeforemammal]

Honestly, it really is quite a hastle to keep the humidity where it needs to be in a glass tank with a mesh top. I just switched to tubs myself. I'm sooo glad I did. The humidity stays EXACTLY where it needs to be. The heating was kinda tricky because tubs don't hold heat as well. But, I experimented around for a bit, and once I had everything stabilized, it took out A LOT of the work that I was previously doing when I had a tank.

So what EXACTLY is recommended? All the basics, just in a tub? Coconut was what I was planning on using, not sure what the kind is that the guy gave me. Could I just cut a plastic piece to fit where the mesh would be? drill holes for the heating lamp and ventilation?
AND pad or lamp? I've only read lamp.

[txcoker]

You can get the humidity correct when using a glass tank. I built a wooden "top" for one of my display tanks. I used wood and plexiglass and left a portion of it open and put a screen over that section to let air flow. It works great for me, maintains 56% humidity and I can mist it if I need to bump the humidity up.

[Crazymonkee]

You could cut a piece of plexiglass for over the top. Uth is better than bulb but depending on what temp you keep your place you may need the lamp also to keep ambient temps correct.
An alternative to tanks that look wonderful.... check out Animal Plastics T8 enclosure

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 4

[ivanb]

You'll most likely want underbelly heat and NO lamp if you want to keep decent humidity levels.

As for a tub looking unprofessional, you can always get a PVC enclosure, which would look great and also ensure proper heat and humidity. They can be expensive, but if it's just for one animal it's well worth it.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4

[satomi325]

So for $60 dollars I purchased a 40 gallon tank, few packs of bedding, hides, 2 thermometers, and climbing equipment on Craigs list (KILLER DEAL)
I'm in the market for buying my FIRST snake, a fire ball python (male) for those who care. I'm not a breeder. I just want it as a pet.
Buying a baby, and I was planning on buying a glass pane to seperate the tank into 2 20gallon sides, one for the snake, and the other for the supplies and stuff. Until he grew up of course.

I didn't know much about the humidity, and I've been studying for weeks. I don't know how it just didn't come up until now.
JUST found out about plastic tubs, but dammit they look so ugly.
I KNOW I KNOW, the whole "it's what your snake wants" argument, it's just so n0n-presentable. I'm an orderly kind of guy, so it really bugs me how unprofessional it looks.

Did I make the mistake on buying the cage?
AND should I go to tub?
How effective is the wet towel over the mesh top? I work 8 hours a day 5 days a week, so depending on how much I'd have to switch the towel out. Maybe insulate the sides? something like that?

Kinda bummed on how honestly (dumb) weird it'll look with a snake in tupperware in my room.
Any thoughts? Should I suck it up?

For aesthetics, you may want to look at Animal Plastics' T8 cage. It is what I recommend if you don't want an 'ugly' tub. It maintains enclosure temps and humidity much better than a glass tank.

In my opinion, I personally don't like glass tanks. They are a pain in the butt to deal with in my experience. However, it's what you have and want, so we can try to make it work if you still want to use the tank.
You can get a plexiglass piece(or damp towel and wet every other day or so, you may have to wet every day or less depending. Just adjust accordingly) to fit over 90% of the lid to help retain humidity. Use a large water dish and keep it over the hotspot of the enclosure. Larger water surface = greater evaporation. You can also use a moisture retaining substrate like coco husk or cypress mulch. And don't use a heat lamp, which will kill humidity.


If you want a tub that is more "display friendly", you can try these Rubbermaid tubs:
I've heard some people starting to use it for their snakes with success.

If you choose to use this or the more regular tubs everyone has, you need to have a thermostat and a heating pad. The thermostat regulates and controls the heating pad so it doesn't get too hot and burn your snake/melt the plastic.

[NH93]

Honestly, as long as the snake is happy and healthy, what it looks like is up to you.

I love the glass look as well, and I will not use plastic tubs. I got my snakes to look at and enjoy, and a tub would not work for me (I too am not a breeder, so space isn't a concern at this moment).

Where I am, the humidity in the air can be anywhere from 30-80% on ANY given day. I have a mini humidifier set up beside the tank (which my partner already had before the snakes) for the low humidity days. I think he got it for $20 at Wal-Mart or something.
The type of substrate you use also has an effect on the humidity. I use aspen, which can dry things out - so if you are super concerned, try something else... no idea what, as I too would like to know this info! Perhaps Reptibark or coco fiber/husk? Don't quote me on that though.
You can try misting before and after work, and see where the humidity sits.
Another thing you can try is putting a shed box in the tank at all times. A shed box is essentially a container/hide filled with dampened sphagnum moss. It works great! Only problem is when your snake loves it so much it doesn't want to come out when you want it too... *my corn snake specifically*.
Also, you could try having two water dishes in the tank on either side. If there is one over the warm spot, the water will evaporate into the air more. You would probably need to cover part of the lid for this to work properly though.
On that note, if you don't want to put towels over part of the mesh lid, I'm sure there are other things you could use to cover it - just look around some more, or get creative!

There are so many tips and ideas out there that I wouldn't worry if you have your heart set on a glass vive.

I hope I didn't ramble too much, I just got super inspired.

Best of luck!

[kat_black181]

So what EXACTLY is recommended? All the basics, just in a tub? Coconut was what I was planning on using, not sure what the kind is that the guy gave me. Could I just cut a plastic piece to fit where the mesh would be? drill holes for the heating lamp and ventilation?
AND pad or lamp? I've only read lamp.

Well, there are plenty of options. Everyone has different needs and wants. The main thing is that the proper temps and humidity are provided for the snake. The rest is up to you.

Heat lamps actually kill humidity, so most people will advise against them.

[reptilesbeforemammal]

Honestly, as long as the snake is happy and healthy, what it looks like is up to you.

I love the glass look as well, and I will not use plastic tubs. I got my snakes to look at and enjoy, and a tub would not work for me (I too am not a breeder, so space isn't a concern at this moment).

Where I am, the humidity in the air can be anywhere from 30-80% on ANY given day. I have a mini humidifier set up beside the tank (which my partner already had before the snakes) for the low humidity days. I think he got it for $20 at Wal-Mart or something.
The type of substrate you use also has an effect on the humidity. I use aspen, which can dry things out - so if you are super concerned, try something else... no idea what, as I too would like to know this info! Perhaps Reptibark or coco fiber/husk? Don't quote me on that though.
You can try misting before and after work, and see where the humidity sits.
Another thing you can try is putting a shed box in the tank at all times. A shed box is essentially a container/hide filled with dampened sphagnum moss. It works great! Only problem is when your snake loves it so much it doesn't want to come out when you want it too... *my corn snake specifically*.
Also, you could try having two water dishes in the tank on either side. If there is one over the warm spot, the water will evaporate into the air more. You would probably need to cover part of the lid for this to work properly though.
On that note, if you don't want to put towels over part of the mesh lid, I'm sure there are other things you could use to cover it - just look around some more, or get creative!

There are so many tips and ideas out there that I wouldn't worry if you have your heart set on a glass vive.

I hope I didn't ramble too much, I just got super inspired.

Best of luck!

Not a ramble at all! Completely on point with the direction I wanted, Helpful thank you.
I just really don't want the tub, and I will find a way to make it work. I may test it out for a few weeks before buying the snake at all. More or less some trial runs. I was thinking about making an enclosure AROUND my tank with packed insulation? Ideally, it should assist in this. I'm going to talk to a friend for some ideas as well. Thanks!

Well, there are plenty of options. Everyone has different needs and wants. The main thing is that the proper temps and humidity are provided for the snake. The rest is up to you.

Heat lamps actually kill humidity, so most people will advise against them.

Ah, Good thing I brought that up! I didn't know that. FORUMS ARE HELPFUL AS HELL.
I'll make sure it's perfect thank you!

For aesthetics, you may want to look at Animal Plastics' T8 cage. It is what I recommend if you don't want an 'ugly' tub. It maintains enclosure temps and humidity much better than a glass tank.

In my opinion, I personally don't like glass tanks. They are a pain in the butt to deal with in my experience. However, it's what you have and want, so we can try to make it work if you still want to use the tank.
You can get a plexiglass piece(or damp towel and wet every other day or so, you may have to wet every day or less depending. Just adjust accordingly) to fit over 90% of the lid to help retain humidity. Use a large water dish and keep it over the hotspot of the enclosure. Larger water surface = greater evaporation. You can also use a moisture retaining substrate like coco husk or cypress mulch. And don't use a heat lamp, which will kill humidity.


If you want a tub that is more "display friendly", you can try these Rubbermaid tubs:
I've heard some people starting to use it for their snakes with success.

If you choose to use this or the more regular tubs everyone has, you need to have a thermostat and a heating pad. The thermostat regulates and controls the heating pad so it doesn't get too hot and burn your snake/melt the plastic.

As that is extremely helpful, I'm going to try a trial run before I actually purchase the snake to recreate the environment. In California here, it shouldn't be of TOO much difficulty. And I have the time to spend macgyver-ing myself an effective atmosphere for the little guy. If I go through a week of NO success, I won't hesitate to buy one of these. Thank you!