Getting a Retic - Questions on housing

[Gemmy]

Hello everyone. I am happy to say that I will be getting my first retic within the next week or two, a purple albino male. I've read many caresheets so I don't have very many questions as far as care goes but with that said, I had a small question on housing - moreso with temperatures. I am in Ohio and the weather has been cooling down significantly. I will be keeping my retic in a 41 quart tub for the time being because I've read that tubs keep the temperature steady inside. Our house usually gets to about 65 degrees at night and sometimes cooler. I was wondering will I need additional heating or will the temps be higher in the tub?

[artgecko]

I don't keep retics, but maybe I can be somewhat helpful with your heating questions.

In my experience using tubs, they do not insulate well. You may have been thinking about pvc cages, which do insulate better. Tubs are a lot better at keeping humidity in (although you will still need to put in several air holes).

Are you using a UTH to create a hot spot for him and if so, will it be connected to a thermostat?

I had a tub setup for one of my BPs using a UTH for the hot spot and it was not enough to heat the ambient (air) temp to the mid 70's. In my case, the best option to raise the ambient temp in my tub was to buy a heat lamp (red light) that had a dimmer switch and hang it on a lamp stand above the tub center. I played with the dimmer switch until the lamp was keeping my tub temps on the cool side at about 76-78. This setup seemed to work very well in my case, but I had to adjust the height of the stand, the placement, and the dimmer to get the temps I needed. A similar setup should work for you, but it will take some tweaking before you will have the temps where you need them.

Another side note: I love using luggage belts / straps on my tubs to make sure the snakes can't push out. With a retic, I would definitely use a couple of these and go with a sturdier tub with a lid that isn't as flexible.

Good luck!

[Gemmy]

I don't keep retics, but maybe I can be somewhat helpful with your heating questions.

In my experience using tubs, they do not insulate well. You may have been thinking about pvc cages, which do insulate better. Tubs are a lot better at keeping humidity in (although you will still need to put in several air holes).

Are you using a UTH to create a hot spot for him and if so, will it be connected to a thermostat?

I had a tub setup for one of my BPs using a UTH for the hot spot and it was not enough to heat the ambient (air) temp to the mid 70's. In my case, the best option to raise the ambient temp in my tub was to buy a heat lamp (red light) that had a dimmer switch and hang it on a lamp stand above the tub center. I played with the dimmer switch until the lamp was keeping my tub temps on the cool side at about 76-78. This setup seemed to work very well in my case, but I had to adjust the height of the stand, the placement, and the dimmer to get the temps I needed. A similar setup should work for you, but it will take some tweaking before you will have the temps where you need them.

Another side note: I love using luggage belts / straps on my tubs to make sure the snakes can't push out. With a retic, I would definitely use a couple of these and go with a sturdier tub with a lid that isn't as flexible.

Good luck!

Hello there Yes, I will be using an under tank heater connected to a thermostat. I'll definitely make sure I get a red light for the cool side then because it gets really cool here around this time of the year. I will also look into pvc cages the next few days and may just go that route instead. Thank you as well for the lid suggestions. I'll definitely be sure to install some if I use a tub instead. I plan on making my own enclosure once it reaches a larger size.

[artgecko]

"Bulldog" or "binder" clips (the really big 2" ones) can also be used to hold a lid closed on most tubs, so that might be another option to try.

With the heat lamp, you can also use a che (ceramic heat emitter) in the lamp, which won't give off any light but will emit heat. Either way, just make sure you have it on a stand and a dimmer so you can play with it to get your temps right.

You could possibly try insulating the sides of the tub with styrofoam or something similar to hold in heat, but I'm sure you'd still need the heat lamp.

If you are looking into a pvc cage, animal plastics, constrictors NW, and cserpents all make them. They are pricey though. I'm looking into buying a 4'x2'x 18" for my male boa and it looks like I'll be spending $350+ if I want a shelf and light fixture. You may just want to stick with consecutively larger tubs until you build your own enclosure (unless you'll be able to use the pvc cage for something else when the retic outgrows it). Boamaster also makes pvc cages and melamine cage (which are cheaper and great at insulation, but heavy as all get out and cost a lot to ship).

Good luck!

[reptileexperts]

retics like it on the cooler side of things, but I try to keep ambients above the mid 70's in order to avoid potential digestion issues / RI stuff from popping up. In a house around 65, you'll need either insulation or a secondary ambient heat source in order to keep things where they need to be. Can also consider adding a room heater, depending on what else is going on in that area.

Welcome to the club, make sure you practice responsible ownership. Keep all permits up to date. Keep your snake secure at all times. And enjoy the privilege of owning one of these giants :-) Start a growth thread when you get him home and set up!

[Gemmy]

Thanks for the info guys I'm going to be getting everything for my retic this upcoming week. As it turns out, I may not be getting the purple albino. I have my eyes set on a high percentage dwarf tiger or an SD Tiger male. It's so hard choosing because I love the purple albino but the tigers have always been my favorite so I'm probably gonna go that route. I'll be sure to post a lot of pics when he arrives, whatever I choose

[Rob]

Thanks for the info guys I'm going to be getting everything for my retic this upcoming week. As it turns out, I may not be getting the purple albino. I have my eyes set on a high percentage dwarf tiger or an SD Tiger male. It's so hard choosing because I love the purple albino but the tigers have always been my favorite so I'm probably gonna go that route. I'll be sure to post a lot of pics when he arrives, whatever I choose

Congrats, yeah def start a growth thread, you'd be amazed how fast these guys grow.