Trying to perfect my plan

[CitricPrincess]

So...

Nagisa is currently housed in a shoe box sized tub, as recommended in the hatchling 101 thread stickied on this site, though I've had to slightly modify this setup to my own needs and abilities. It's been great for him, he's been eating great which wasn't so for the first month or so I had him, before I found the info for the smaller setup, and his last shed was beautiful and complete ( I was planning to save it as he didn't poop in it as I've read they are prone to, but I was dumb and accidentally left it too long in reach of my cats, so it kinda failed to be preserved. ..)

However, he's growing like a weed, at 166g empty as of last night. This is a beautifully far cry from the 75g after eating I measured when I first got my scale in mid august, and it's also rushing toward the 200-250 mark that this mini keep is supposed to start being too cramped. So before long I'm going to have to upgrade him.

Technically I'm prepared for this, and have an upgraded keep on standby. However, reading on here and such had me wondering if the upgrade I've prepared is appropriate.

Due to my research before I obtained Nagisa, which I now believe to have been largely incorrect, misread, or misremembered, I had set aside a 50 gallon storage tub, which I already owned, to be his keep. For ventilation, as ambient humidity here is normally perfect for a ball python, my cousin and her father helped me cut out the lid and attach screen. It's set to be a worthy keep.

However, for a ball? I've come to learn larger is not always superior to this timid species. And the screen is aluminum, after a previous episode of nose scuffing in his small keep, I'm a touch anxious about this, and it would be difficult if not impossible to take this apart and replace the aluminum with plexiglass screen as I did for his current small keep. But I don't want to let the kind work of my relatives go to waste, so I want to use this tub for something.

I guess here's what I'm curious on:
-do you think it would be fine, assuming I provide plenty of clutter? Would this be too much work/to clean, especially as this won't be a display tank?
-should I obtain a different keep for Nagi? If so, what size/dimensions? And as I'd still want to use this tub, what critters would you recommend I look at in considering what to place in it?

I can get photos and/or more specific dimensions later tonight if requested. I'd just really like to hear people's thoughts before time comes that I need to act on his upgrade.

[SylverTears]

I would go ahead and get a smaller tub, such as a 32 qt and set it up with some heat tape and a thermostat. Still provide plenty of hides and he'll do just fine. It would also last him his entire life without being too overwhelming. How are you currently heating Nagisa? I'd love to see a picture of the setup.

As for animals to put in the other tub, if it is one of the typical taller ones crested geckos would thrive in there. You could also do leopard geckos with heat tape. There are a few more options, depend on what kinds of creatures you are interested in.

[CitricPrincess]

I am currently heating Nagisa's keep with a small UTH attached to a jumpstart thermostat. Ambient temp is currently reading at 72 degrees, hotspot is under his body right now and I feel like I've been bugging him alot lately, but last I checked it was in the mid 80s. I fiddled with the thermostat a little to try to raise it a couplefew degrees, to get it just under/around 90, it hasn't seemed extremely interested in getting hot enough, but I'd rather it be a couplefew degrees low than burning him. Ambient humidity is currently at 57%. It usually ranges between 55 and 62, and I spray and/or cover the keep with a towel as needed, especially to raise that closer to 65-70 when he's in shed.

The outside/front of his keep, so you can see the top, being plexiglass screen hotglued to the cut out lid:


Inside: He used to have a larger water dish but he kept tipping it so I gave up and cleaned up an old small one I had. He only has one hide, which I'm not extremely fond of 'cause its too tall and the bottoms are clear (its an upside down memo holder from walmart. I couldn't find any of those plant saucers to cut an entry way in, except completely clear ones). He seems to like it well, and moves it foward and back depending on where he wants it. Usually he moves it foward off of the hot spot and curls up behind it. As long as he's happy, and as far as I can tell he seems to be XD


Him curled up behind his hide, which is his favorite place ever:


When I upgrade him to a larger keep I plan to get some better, more legit hides for it, as well as a bit of clutter/decore. I'm just not sure I want to have to cover the whole of a 50 gal tub with such items, 'cause the more decoration and stuff he has, the more that has to be kept clean.

For reference, here's the larger tub. The inside is pretty much empty right now. I have a larger heating mat for it that I plan to transfer the jumpstart over to (though I'll probs be getting another thermostat before long if I get another snake...)

The top with its sturdier than it probably looks screen modifications. Not gorgeous as can be, perhaps, but wonderfully dependable so far.


Side view kinda gives size?

It's about 1.5 feet wide, 3 feet long, and 1.5 feet tall give or take (I forget the exact measurements from the long gone label, and the shape is kinda rounded so hard to accurately measure.)

I was also playing with the idea of dividing it so I could house two snakes separately in there, maybe? As I plan to get another (after a 6 month iso for the new one, of course) would that be possible/feasible, and if so how would I best go about makeshifting something like that most effectively?

As far as other animals/my preferences, I tend to like things that breathe -nods-. More specifically I often prefer pets I can handle at least on occassion. I do have a specific reptile wishlist, but most things on it are too small and would face similar problems to the ball, too large to fit into this as adults (it's easier to get small temp keeps and upgrade to the big one as final. I only have so much room in my itty bitty apartment...) or require a more advanced care level than I feel comfortable jumping right into. It is not tall, for an aboreal species like cresties, +I already have crested geckos, housed comfortably downstairs in a display terriarium. I do have one hatchling gecko that will one day need upgraded to a bigger one, but at the rate he's growing that's a while off, and as I don't have current plans to house 'em in with any others (I don't even know his gender yet, I'm just defaulting the pronoun for simplicity XD) that seems like it would be quite large for just him. I have also never been huge on leopard geckos. I don't know what it is about them, but them and all chameleons are some of the few reptiles I'll honestly say I'll enjoy looking at the cuteness and beauty of those owned by others, but I don't want any myself.

Other than that, I currently own crested geckos, Nagisa, and a corn snake (as well as furry critters and fish), I love having, caring for, and learning about as many species as possible, but am on a fairly tight budget right now (not so tight I'm struggling to take care of my current animals, nor fear getting some new ones to an extent, but I defiantly can't be getting anything with a large initial cost, or too too much upkeep cost), and am really just curious what can be housed in such a thing so I know what to research and decide if it's something I'd like to own.