Rack vs Glass Tank/Aquarium or else?

[LukSad]

Hi!
I have one question - which is the best cage for Ball Pythons? i read "Ball Pythons in captivity" by Kevin McCurley and he show +&- of some cage types, but don't tell which is the best for animal. How do you think? I have some space and my target is +/- 8 adult Ball Pythons. (max 10).
I'm thinking about Rack system or low Glass Tank for them.
Plastic cage is lightest then glass but glass can expose collection... but from practical side - better is glass tank with top with the grid for ventilation? or maybe better is just chink between shelf and tube for good ventilation and stable humidity. I really don't know which choose.
Can you help me with it?
priority for me is health and satisfaction my Ball Pythons.

Any way Rack or Glass tank will by DIY. + sorry for my english

edit:
i start this topic because in my country every one think cage must by like this one:
but i read it's difficult to disinfect and may harbor bacteria and fungi.


photo from: http://www.terrarium.pl/gallery/image/8581-9/

[bcr229]

Hi!
...my target is +/- 8 adult Ball Pythons. (max 10)...

Two six-level racks. Having an empty tub or two handy is convenient when one of your BP's makes a huge mess, or when that "max 10" becomes "max 11".

[BumbleB]

I would definitely go with a rack system. Easiest to maintain for that amount of snakes and going with individual tanks will take up a lot of space. The DIY section of this forum has many different styles of racks that aren't too hard to make after reading through the threads I'm sure you will find a few that could work for you.

[Phantomtip]

Tanks are ok if you have 1 or 2 snakes. Racks are better for a larger number. If you want to display 1 or 2 snakes then use the rack for the rest of them and display your favorites in the 2 glass. Glass tanks take a lot of space, and are harder to keep stable unless you do certain things. I have 2 glass tanks that are almost completely covered in blankets, and the screen tops have foil and saran wrap covering 2/3 of it. I am able to keep them stable like that but I monitor them constantly. I also have to constantly rewet the moss in there to keep humidity up. Its not easy but I'm always at home unless I need to go to a drs appt or shopping. So think about that also. Glass tanks are very bulky also, so you will need a lot of space for 8 snakes. I am thinking of building a rack and display system so I can show off my beautiful girl. She's a normal but still my favorite out of every snake I've seen.

[Pyrate81]

Glass tanks are great for display and ventilation but do not hold heat and humdity well so it can be a struggle to hold those stats depending on regional and home temp and humidity. They can also take up a large amount of room so if you have limited space, this is ill advised route to take.

Racks are a great way to go if you don't care about whether the snakes are on display or not. They hold temp and humidity well and you can house numerous animals in a small amount of space. They also provide small spaces to create a secure home for the animals.

PVC cages are another option. They are similar to the cage you posted a picture of but made of plastic. They are light weight, hold temp and humidity well, and are very good for display purposes if you so desire a setup as such. These are stackable and you can house 2-3 times as many animals in the space(not enclosure) 1 glass tank would take up.


I'd recommend a rack or pvc cage for the direction it sounds like you want to go. Also, I have not heard of enclosures which hold contanimates which would promote bacterial growth. I'd say it would depend on substrate and how clean you keep your enclosures.

[Slim]

When I got started in this hobby (lifestyle?), I was only going to have one Normal Ball Python, and I was going to keep him in a glass fish tank. If memory serves, that lasted about 3 weeks. Humidity and temperature issues forced me to look something else, so I ended up ordering a PVC enclosure from Rich at RBI (he sold them back in those days). Like the AP enclosures we have today, that thing was the bomb diggity and worked like ya' read about. Of course, about that same time, I added a Pastel BP to the family, and had to order another enclosure.... and at somewhere in the $225 price range, at the time, it was about to get real expensive, cause I was already eyeing a little Mojo I wanted to pick up. I ordered my first RBI sweater box rack in the spring of 2009, and haven't used anything else since.

You simply can not beat the ease of maintenance and the simple husbandry they provide for Ball Pythons.

[Mephibosheth1]

I lasted almost a year on the "tanks only" idea…my parents are even considering a rack these days lol

[mechnut450]

yeah a rack or pvc cage works better. I have had glass tanks, wooden cages display ) and I went to racks ( wooden at the time cause I could not afford the nicer pvc racks. but my rack(s) were design to keep the lids of the tub to them too( this help hold humidity in and prevent escapes and mold that would of happen without a lid). But this was also about the time I went from like 5 snakes to over 20 in a single summer with all the rescues I did back then.

[Doggey75]

I think tanks are good for 1 or 2 snakes. But, they take up a lot of room compared to a rack.

[CryHavoc17]

The best type of cage your balls can have is a plastic pvc cage in my opinion. However any more then a few animals and you're gonna want a rack. Im not really a huge fan of racks unless you NEED to house a lot of animals in a small space. But everyone wants a million BPs, so a rack is probably your best bet.

I keep my balls in 4x2x1 Boaphile pvcs, but i dont breed and im not really planning on it

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