Renovating a Rescue BP's 55g Tank

[spaghetti]

Hello! First time posting on a BP forum! I'm much more accustom to fish forums, snakes are a whole new world for me but I'm doing my absolute best to read up and give my new BP the best care he can get.

When I got my BP a few weeks ago he came with NO lamps, NO thermometers, a heating rock (I threw it out) and a "custom lid" that basically turned his tank into a coffee table, no airflow, because the previous owner was afraid he would escape. So over the last few weeks I've been replacing things bit by bit, trying to give him better conditions.

My problem right now is finding things that fit the size of the tank. My BP (his name is Spaghetti) is around 4 feet approx., and his tank is a 55 gallon (48 1/4" x 12 3/4" x 21") and right now he has a grated top, but I'm having a problem regulating humidity properly because of how open it is. Can anyone recommend a proper hood for half of the tank? The ones I've been looking at aren't the correct dimensions and will not fit properly (they usually end up fitting the dimensions for Exo-Terra Terrariums). I just want something that works! Thanks in advance for any advice!

[tttaylorrr]

Hello! First time posting on a BP forum! I'm much more accustom to fish forums, snakes are a whole new world for me but I'm doing my absolute best to read up and give my new BP the best care he can get.

When I got my BP a few weeks ago he came with NO lamps, NO thermometers, a heating rock (I threw it out) and a "custom lid" that basically turned his tank into a coffee table, no airflow, because the previous owner was afraid he would escape. So over the last few weeks I've been replacing things bit by bit, trying to give him better conditions.

My problem right now is finding things that fit the size of the tank. My BP (his name is Spaghetti) is around 4 feet approx., and his tank is a 55 gallon (48 1/4" x 12 3/4" x 21") and right now he has a grated top, but I'm having a problem regulating humidity properly because of how open it is. Can anyone recommend a proper hood for half of the tank? The ones I've been looking at aren't the correct dimensions and will not fit properly (they usually end up fitting the dimensions for Exo-Terra Terrariums). I just want something that works! Thanks in advance for any advice!

welcome!!!

over the years, for my 20gal i've taped aluminum foil and saran wrap (not at the same time) over the mesh top to trap humidity (NO tape should be able to be reached from inside the tank).

other people wrap cardboard in tinfoil and place that over the mesh (the tinfoil prevents the cardboard from getting soggy).

others have plexiglass cut to fit the top.

you could also use damp sphagnum moss placed inside the enclosure, or what i do personally is use a damp hand towel and lay it over one hide.

[Sunnieskys]

I have taken cardboard as the dimensions of the screen top. Cut the corners off for airflow. Put the lights on, trace them and cut those out. Wrap in foil and Whala....you have a covered screen with airflow at the corners. I use repti prime substrate and some moss for added humidity.

[bcr229]

Drill a few ventilation holes in the custom lid since you have it available.

[Coluber42]

Drill a few ventilation holes in the custom lid since you have it available.

To add to that: I find it really helpful to have easily adjustable ventilation, because the humidity in my house fluctuates with the weather. With a little extra thought, you can add sliding panels when you make your ventilation holes so that you can adjust how much ventilation there is as needed.

[Godzilla78]

BE CAREFUL with cardboard and a heat lamp, bad combination, also I would use something less flammable and less likely to hold moisture and odor than cardboard.