Building a tank stand

[benhamtroll]

With our new ball python coming home in the next week or so, I'm planning on building a stand for the tank that will display the snake attractively, provide for the necessary equipment and hardware, and function as an attractive piece of furniture for our living room,

With that in mind, I was wondering if any of you wonderful people could give me some help with some stuff. For example:

What kind of airspace should I leave under the tank? I'm not sure if I'll use under-tank heating pads, but if I do, how much airspace should I leave?

Should the tank be enclosed on three sides, or would it be okay to leave the sides as well as the front exposed?

If the top of the tank will be completely enclosed (to mask lights and CHE), do you think I would still need to use some sort of additional cover over the screen to keep heat from escaping?

Any suggestions for how high off the ground the tank should sit for convenience?

Thanks in advance!

Chris

[JLC]

Welcome to BP.net! :


I would highly recommend that you plan on using under-tank heating. Lights can play havoc with your humidity levels. And bright, white lights can stress out a BP.

You should leave room under the tank for airflow, but a mere 1/4 inch is more than enough. It doesn't need much.

There are people who get away with having a glass tank exposed on all sides and the snake feels fine...but you increase your odds of having a "content" snake if you cover up three of the sides.

I don't know if hiding the lights at the top will be enough to keep heat and humidity at their proper levels. Glass tanks can be tricky to work with. Using a UTH and covering three sides will help maintain the heat...but who knows what will happen with the humidity? You may need to partially cover the screen top with something like plastic wrap or clear contact paper.

And for convenience of height...I imagine that's entirely up to you. Depends on how tall and how strong the person is who will be doing most of the maintainance. Factor in the need to remove the tank entirely from its shelf for periodic sanitizing.

Can't wait to see how this looks when you're finished!

[benhamtroll]

Thanks. My concept for the top was a completely enclosed cabinet structure that would house the CHE, a night light, and a UVB light (which I'm not sure is entirely necessary). I would imagine that without any additional ventilation, the air inside this enclosure would get quite toasty. I hadn't thought about the humidity issues, but I imagine I would also need some sort of fan system to keep things regulated as well . . .

[daniel1983]

UVB light is not needed for snakes.

....Sounds like you want to make a nice display......

why did you pick a ball python for the display snake?.....

[Shaun J]

why did you pick a ball python for the display snake?.....

Exactly what I'm thinking. Ball pythons are better kept in tubs. They are pretty much FREAKIN AWESOME! lol. Tubs are easier to clean, keep humidity and heat up. Besides, you won't be seeing your hiding snake much anyways.

[benhamtroll]

Thanks. I want to make sure that having the BP in the living room will still allow our ongoing decorating scheme to move forward. Having a mass of wires and fixtures would just look tacky, IMHO. If I'm going to have it, I might as well use it as an excuse to make something nice in my shop, something that I wouldn't be able to find someplace else.

The BP was a choice made by my daughter, in conjunction with research. It's not really being chosen as a display snake, per se, but as I said above, if it's going to be there, it might as well be displayed attractively. It turns out that we could have gotten a Carpet Python (complete with all the fixin's) for about half the price (he's on sale right now), but since it's a pet for my daughter first and foremost, the BP was a natural choice. The CP might be just a tad too aggressive for her.

[Shaun J]

Well if all those wires were there for the well being of the snake, I wouldn't mind it being tacky. I wouldn't put any snake that is in a place where people are in it alot, such as a living room, store, etc. It stresses the snake out. However, a tank could make a good decoration for a place like a bedroom that isn't used much.

[JLC]

Best advice I can think of right now is that if you want to do this...then get it built and set up in advance of buying any snake. Set it up AS IF there is a live snake in it...and see how well you can maintain the proper temperature gradient and humidity levels. You may stumble across issues you haven't thought of yet...and a test run will save a snake from potentially getting sick or burned or having a bad shed.


It is true that BP's are not an ideal display animal, but people can certainly attempt to do so if they wish...so long as they aren't expecting to be entertained by the snake or something. Try to find a corner of the room that doesn't see a lot of traffic, and is not near any stereo speakers. Covering three sides of the tank will help cut down the potential stress of a snake being in a busier environment...and making sure it has nice, tight hides to snuggle up in.

Just be aware that there is a chance you'll get a particularly senstive BP. If it won't eat for you over a span of many weeks...and you're sure its environment is just right...then it could very well mean the area traffic and general busy-ness is too much for it. But if everything else is perfect...I think you can pull off having a BP in the living room....it just may take a fair amount more effort than other methods of keeping them.

[Waldorf_301]

When you're done, let us know how it turns out, can't waitto see it!
Then you can build allof us one !!! lol