Switching to disposable deli cup water dishes

[nevohraalnavnoj]

I was thinking of switching over to disposable water dishes. A part of me doesn't want to because of the extra cost and waste generated, but it seems like the work and possibilities for cross-contamination with cleaning water bowls is becoming pretty significant.

I was thinking of going with the 8/12/16 ounce dishes made by Twin-Pack and purchasing from www.superiorenterprise.com

They list these dishes to be used for shipping, but I assume they are food-grade so can be used for water dishes as well? Anyone else have an suggestions or other things I should consider?

I just stumbled upon http://www.foodservicedirect.com/ind...s_and_Lids.htm
which has some pretty reasonably priced containers made by Reynolds.

Any thoughts??

Thanks!

JonV

[mak2266]

Think Green! Don't we have enough waste already? Mark bottom of dish's with a marker so you don't place them in the wrong tank. Just a thought.

[Argentra]

I use 'color coded' ceramic pet dishes. Each snake has a slightly different color or pattern so I know exactly which dish belongs to which snake.

Of course, this only works well when you don't have dozens of snakes...

[Morphie]

it's not worth the cost/waste to go disposable. You can color code or mark dishes to keep them with the right snake, and a bleach water bath or dishwasher on super-hot works great as a sterilizer.

[Shelby]

I've used disposable for over a year now.. I love it and I'll never go back. The time savings and cleanliness is worth it. I get mine from foodservicedirect.com. Give them a try.. if you have multiple snakes, I'm sure you'll love it.

[nevohraalnavnoj]

Hmm...I'm kinda torn between the green argument and the cleanliness of disposable. We're probably talking 60 BP's or so in 3 years....I guess I'll have to think about how much time I want to spend scrubbing dishes.

Does anyone know any online places to get those ceramic crocks? Or any stores that carry them? My local Wal-Mart (yes, I'm evil for shopping there, I know) only has fancy schmancy crocks anymore. I just want those basic ones like the Barkers use.

JonV

[frankykeno]

Check and see if you have a restaurant supply store anywhere near you. Gordon Food Services aka GFS is the one I use here (you don't have to be a restaurant to shop there) and they stock a lot of that stuff way below department store prices.

[rabernet]

Most of the bigger breeders use disposable. My concern is more about the health of my animals than green.

Adam uses PVC couplers and just plops a new deli cup with water into them.

[rabernet]

Also, if you want to stick to ceramic bowls:

http://www.reptiletubs.com/

[Morphie]

Without a controlled study that provides evidence that snakes who drink from disposable cups are spared a significant risk in comparison with those who drink from ceramic bowls, i will continue to think of people who use disposable as incredibly selfish, and will favor the less wasteful breeders.

If you're referring to the big breeders that i know, you're also talking about people who feed their snakes live prey. While i have no problem with that, there is a risk associated with it, which they are happy to take. I don't think it's a matter of risk mitigation with the waterbowls so much as convenience. A dishwasher makes the risk a non-issue anyway, and it's cheap and easy to use, so there really is no excuse for all the waste.

Hopefully they at least recycle.