Help me please! :D

[Trollbie]

I need to start getting things together for the baby BRB, so i'll appreciate any tips, suggestions, and most of all I'll be eternally grateful if you post pictures of your BRB habitats, pretty please!

What kind of tub should I get? How big? How many holes do I drill?

Tell me EVERYTHING!

I've been doing research, but it's always nice to hear about personal experiences and preferences.

They're keeping me updated on how he's doing, and he seems to be doing very well, so I'll probably have him sooner than I expected. So I must be ready!

Thankees!

[DeesBalls]

1 think i will tell you... keep up the humidity.. trust me :( i lost my BRB since i messed..

long story short, new cage, bad humidity, and my lack of knowing it, caused my BRB her life.. so ... with that....

i strongly reccomend a tub, size depends on the age, mine liked to crawl and be active, climb and stuff, so i say a little bigger is better, just make sure there is hides...

if Snakesitter, or RainbowsRus sees this, they will know alot about them, they bother are great breeders of BRB.

as for holes, that just depends on heat, and humidity, start with a couple... if the heat/humidity is TOO HIGH, put more holes.. just keep playing till you get good temps/humidity.

hope i helped in some slight way...

[Trollbie]

Awww I'm sorry!

Yeah I'm here because I want to get it right on the first try. I already got lectured on humidity and temps and stuff, but I don't know what babies prefer in terms of hide sizes and how much should I decorate and so on.

He's only a couple months, so I'm gonna keep him in a tub until he gets bigger, but I have a 20g tank for him already. I'm getting my Milk a new one next week so I'll just use her current tank for the baby.

My plan is to set up the heating and humidity and all that in the tank, and just place the tub inside of the tank. That way i won't have to worry about buying more heating supplies and what not. The tank is 20g tall, but I should probably get a smaller tub for now right?

Here's a pic in case you haven't seen it in the other thread.
http://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll256/Czechish/65195601.jpg

He still tiny. And I have small hands too lol. So from what I've read and heard, it's better to keep in smaller spaces when they're babies?

And can I just get like a regular tub at walmart? Or are there ones specifically for reptiles? I don't need anything fancy because I'm sticking to just 2 snakes (at least for now) so I don't plan on having racks and all that fancy shmancy pro-stuff.

I just want to keep my snakezillas happy :)

[theapexgerman]

Just get am regular tub I got mine at walmart and does perfect for my dum tubs are a god send cheap to like 5 bucks

[Trollbie]

Just get am regular tub I got mine at walmart and does perfect for my dum tubs are a god send cheap to like 5 bucks

Pics!

please :D

[theapexgerman]

When I get home ill upload some pics

[Trollbie]

When I get home ill upload some pics

K :)

You should aslo post more pics of your Coral!

[DeesBalls]

i got my tubs (all 10) at target... for .90 cents a piece.. they are only 6qts though....

as for the smaller tub for babies, i think that is just for BP, for baby BRB i think it would be better for a slightly bigger, since babies will climb. just put a few extra hides and decor, just to make sure.

i started my baby off in a 64 qt... worked really good!, but switched to a 10 gallon tank... it was horrible.. then she was in my rack, in a 41 qt tub, worked awesome!! then i switched to custom 4x2x2 tank, witch caused nothing but problems... i am assuming that mine got IBD as well...

and its okay, i am trying to help people with my lose, to help people keep there BRB happy...

[GarterPython]

I think alot of others will agree with me on this because it is said alot and I think we all want to change that. Bigger is always better. The reason for people saying that it is better to keep them in smaller spaces is because they say that there snakes will get lost in the tank. THIS IS WRONG. Your snake will NOT get lost. The more space the better because then they have more room to move around. You shouldn't worry if a tank is to big, only if it is too small.

[DeesBalls]

I think alot of others will agree with me on this because it is said alot and I think we all want to change that. Bigger is always better. The reason for people saying that it is better to keep them in smaller spaces is because they say that there snakes will get lost in the tank. THIS IS WRONG. Your snake will NOT get lost. The more space the better because then they have more room to move around. You shouldn't worry if a tank is to big, only if it is too small.

this is true, but with some speices (ie: royal pythons(Ball pythons)) you want smaller.

but i agree with you as for a BRB bigger will be fine. since they like to climb. as babies, once mine hit a year, she burrowed more than climbed.

[theapexgerman]

K :)

You should aslo post more pics of your Coral!
Yea some time I will got my phone only so I have to get pretty close and don't wanna get tagged lol

[GarterPython]

this is true, but with some speices (ie: royal pythons(Ball pythons)) you want smaller.

I don't know. HMMMMMM. I hope someone else will get in on this! I think that bigger is better even with ball pythons. What is your reasoning behide thinking that ball pythons its not better?

[Trollbie]

I think alot of others will agree with me on this because it is said alot and I think we all want to change that. Bigger is always better. The reason for people saying that it is better to keep them in smaller spaces is because they say that there snakes will get lost in the tank. THIS IS WRONG. Your snake will NOT get lost. The more space the better because then they have more room to move around. You shouldn't worry if a tank is to big, only if it is too small.

I was told that they will be calmer in a smaller space as babies. Because even like a 10g tank would be too big and therefore stressful...

But since you say bigger is better, and assuming that humidity is not a problem for me (other than that I have a hard time keeping it below 60% for my milk snake...), could I just put him straight in the 20g? I would put plants and a lot of hides in to make it not seem big for him. I'm a little afraid that the humidity will be way too high in a tub. The humidity outside is pretty much always between 70% and 85%, so I've been having the opposity issues with humidity. o.O

I also have a 5(ish) gal breeder tank... but I don't really like it so I'm gonna be using it as a travel tank for Penelope.

[GarterPython]

The only thing I would worry about having a bigger tank would be keeping the humidity. Other than that I think you should be good with the 20 gallon.

[theapexgerman]

Drill more holse in the tub more holes make more airflow and useing an tank long as you keep the temp and humidity there won't be problem

[DeesBalls]

I don't know. HMMMMMM. I hope someone else will get in on this! I think that bigger is better even with ball pythons. What is your reasoning behide thinking that ball pythons its not better?

with ball pythons, they are very very shy, seclusive animals, they like tight, small places, and dont like any "confrontational" if you will, and BP will be happy when they are in a nice tight tub rather than a huge open tub...

my babies are in 6qt tubs, with no hides, since they are in a rack that is dark...

my adults are/will be in 41qt tubs, again no hides... i feel ALOT of breeders feel this way, and also keepers, just since BP are seclusive animals. and they dont like open spaces.

and again, i could be wrong, but i feel with BP smaller is better...

maybe with BRB, RTB, even maybe retic burms, or garters bigger is fine.



I was told that they will be calmer in a smaller space as babies. Because even like a 10g tank would be too big and therefore stressful...

But since you say bigger is better, and assuming that humidity is not a problem for me (other than that I have a hard time keeping it below 60% for my milk snake...), could I just put him straight in the 20g? I would put plants and a lot of hides in to make it not seem big for him. I'm a little afraid that the humidity will be way too high in a tub. The humidity outside is pretty much always between 70% and 85%, so I've been having the opposity issues with humidity. o.O

I also have a 5(ish) gal breeder tank... but I don't really like it so I'm gonna be using it as a travel tank for Penelope.

you could... ... humidity would be a pain to keep up in a big 20 gallon high, but with that much space, you could do a humid hide in the tank... OR instead of using the screen top...

take a piece of plexi glass and get it cut to fit on top of the tank, that will keep humidity in, just make sure to put holes in the plexi... this of course if you use a UTH, if you use a dome type lighting fixture, just cut the plexi to 2/3 the size of the tank, to leave room for the fixture to sit ... you dont want the light to sit over the plexi....

i would also reccommend to use cypress multch or eco earth, eco earth will just suck if you feed in tank, witch is fine, just use a plate to put the food on.

so a tank will be fine, jsut make a few mods to help with humidity.

also, some vines, and decor will help too.

[Trollbie]

The only thing I would worry about having a bigger tank would be keeping the humidity. Other than that I think you should be good with the 20 gallon.

I won't know for sure until I get a more legit hygro, but so far my problem is keeping the humidity down for Penelope. I had to buy a stronger heat lamp yesterday so I finally got it down to 60%, but before it was between 70 and 80% in there. And that's the same tank he'll go in. I'm getting Penelope a 20g long since it's more appropriate for her. But I've had her for a week and a half now, and my concern has been it being too high for her since milksnakes prefer moderate humidity.

I mean, I'll know for sure when I get a different hygro. I just got a cheap Petco one to get a rough estimate for now. But yeah... I just got it under 70% finally yesterday...

[DeesBalls]

as long as you check, and check... and check again.... then fix what needs to be fixed you will be fine!

[Trollbie]

Alright, I'm going to take pictures of the hygro as soon as I get home lol. Am I seriously the only one who's issue is humidity being too high? Haha

But yeah I can't speak for him, but I'd like it better if I could just put him in the 20g right away. I'm pretty stoked on decorating it and making it look awesome and fun for him. Hopefully he'll appreciate my efforts lol.

But I do plan on handling him regularly. He wasn't at all nippy when I held him at the store. Neither were his 2 siblings. But I don't wanna stick him in a giant tank if it's going to make him hate me... or become nippy.

After he settles in, I plan on handling him pretty much every day for a bit because he's not going to be just a display snake. Please tell me if that's bad, or what a better idea would be, but I want him to be as tame as possible from the beginning, and I would probably die if I wasn't able to hold him.

So if BRBs aren't really "handling" snakes, tell me now before I bring him home! I hope this won't be an issue, because my I don't think I could handle hearing that in my current mental state... damn finals... But I was surprised he didn't show any sign of aggression or stress when I held him. I've been hearing that they are nippy as babies.

[Trollbie]

Also, please excuse my typos and leaving words out. I had to finals today, no sleep, and more finals tomorrow and thursday, so i don't even know who I am right now...

[theapexgerman]

Id say BRB are meant to be handle long as the snake eating and stuff than hold them as much as you want my dum out of his tub for hours and hours he likes my couch more than his tub I think lol

[Trollbie]

Id say BRB are meant to be handle long as the snake eating and stuff than hold them as much as you want my dum out of his tub for hours and hours he likes my couch more than his tub I think lol

Couch potatosnake!

[theapexgerman]

Yea lol if I'm laying on the couch he's on my chest and just hangs out he's by far my fav snake besides my nelson but dums are just so cool every one needs a dum

[krystle]

i keep mine in a 40 long with acrylic on the top to keep the humidity up and the heat in. mine is not a baby anymore so i think a tub or a 10 gallon would be ok as long as you cover the top with acrylic and get a thermostat on either heat tape or a bulb buts that just me tho. for hides i would use some plastic tupperware ( its cheap and holds humidity well) good luck your little one is really cute! :)

[Trollbie]

Yea lol if I'm laying on the couch he's on my chest and just hangs out he's by far my fav snake besides my nelson but dums are just so cool every one needs a dum

I hope I raise my snakezillas well! Especially the baby since I'll have him from baby

[millertime89]

here's how I had my tank set up when Nero was in there.
http://www.1320video.com/img/album335/MG_5586.sized.jpg

his tub is the bottom one. I bought some small hides from reptile basics that Nero uses and then made the PVC climbing things myself for cheap. You can see the hides on either corner. I've got the t-state probe between the heat mat and the tub, same as I had it with the tank. I had a screen top for the tank that I just covered in aluminum foil and removed some material in some areas to allow airflow. That white plug is there to fill that hole, he escaped through it once. I drilled it too big.
http://www.1320video.com/img/album337/IMG_1120.sized.jpg

[Trollbie]

I was looking into those vines, did he use them? I wanna get it for sure. Those pipe thingys look awesome! I might get crafty over spring break :D

Thank you for the pics!!!

[millertime89]

yup, he used the vines, not all that often though as they're a fairly terrestrial species. But I did catch him up there several times. In that first pic you can see him curled up on the tree actually.

[Trollbie]

yup, he used the vines, not all that often though as they're a fairly terrestrial species. But I did catch him up there several times. In that first pic you can see him curled up on the tree actually.

Oh wow... totally didn't notice him.


I can't decide if I'm gonna want to try a tub...

[Snakesitter]

Trollbie, first let me say “congrats” on the new member of the family!!!

A tub is fine to start, but you will eventually need to move to a full viv, something at least three feet by two feet. Babies can and will climb, so a little height is useful. Adults are primarily terrestrial, so it’s not as big a concern. Whatever you pick, make sure it can retain both heat and humidity. Note that it’s far better to have too few vents and holes to start than too many -- it's easy to add, hard to cover up!

If you are going to re-use your milksnake’s cage, be sure to thoroughly clean it beforehand. No sense taking chances, ever.

Fish tanks, by the way, do not make the best vivs for Brazilians. They tend to hold humidity well (provided you fix the top), but retain heat poorly and provide little “I’m hiding” feeling for these secretive snakes.

It is a common myth that baby snakes require small vivs (this is true even for ball pythons). What they need is a place in larger vivs to curl up and hide, something they can wedge up against on multiple sides. Think about it: if babies could not survive in large spaces…why are there wild snakes? ;-) (In other words, GarterPython is right on the mark!!!)

Wal-mart tubs are fine. :-)

For furnishings, you need two crucial items: a water bowl large enough for the baby to fully submerge in, and a hide that can be packed with moss to create a damp “humid” hide. Everything else -- decor, climbing sticks, etc. -- is secondary.

For substrate, there are many good options. As you have only two snakes, something like orchid bark or cypress mulch -- which hold humidity well and are not too expensive -- would work well. Avoid eco earth, which I’ve heard gets everywhere. It’s best to get your substrate from a garden supply store rather than a reptile store.

For heating, do not use heat lamps with Brazilians. One, these snakes do not like light. Two, they dry the air. As baby Brazilians need 90% plus humidity, bulbs create a problem. I prefer undercage heating, which can actually help with humidity: when you spray the substrate over the heat, it promotes evaporation. Regardless, use a good thermostat.

For hygros, I’d recommend a digital unit. The small plastic wheel ones, well, blow chunks. ;-)

For handling, Brazilians are fine with being held, provided you do it right. That means letting him settle in and get feeding before holding him too much; and when you do start holding him, listen to what he tells you. His behavior will clue you into his comfort level.

I hope this helps! Again, congrats!

[Trollbie]

Trollbie, first let me say “congrats” on the new member of the family!!!

A tub is fine to start, but you will eventually need to move to a full viv, something at least three feet by two feet. Babies can and will climb, so a little height is useful. Adults are primarily terrestrial, so it’s not as big a concern. Whatever you pick, make sure it can retain both heat and humidity. Note that it’s far better to have too few vents and holes to start than too many -- it's easy to add, hard to cover up!

If you are going to re-use your milksnake’s cage, be sure to thoroughly clean it beforehand. No sense taking chances, ever.

Fish tanks, by the way, do not make the best vivs for Brazilians. They tend to hold humidity well (provided you fix the top), but retain heat poorly and provide little “I’m hiding” feeling for these secretive snakes.

It is a common myth that baby snakes require small vivs (this is true even for ball pythons). What they need is a place in larger vivs to curl up and hide, something they can wedge up against on multiple sides. Think about it: if babies could not survive in large spaces…why are there wild snakes? ;-) (In other words, GarterPython is right on the mark!!!)

Wal-mart tubs are fine. :-)

For furnishings, you need two crucial items: a water bowl large enough for the baby to fully submerge in, and a hide that can be packed with moss to create a damp “humid” hide. Everything else -- decor, climbing sticks, etc. -- is secondary.

For substrate, there are many good options. As you have only two snakes, something like orchid bark or cypress mulch -- which hold humidity well and are not too expensive -- would work well. Avoid eco earth, which I’ve heard gets everywhere. It’s best to get your substrate from a garden supply store rather than a reptile store.

For heating, do not use heat lamps with Brazilians. One, these snakes do not like light. Two, they dry the air. As baby Brazilians need 90% plus humidity, bulbs create a problem. I prefer undercage heating, which can actually help with humidity: when you spray the substrate over the heat, it promotes evaporation. Regardless, use a good thermostat.

For hygros, I’d recommend a digital unit. The small plastic wheel ones, well, blow chunks. ;-)

For handling, Brazilians are fine with being held, provided you do it right. That means letting him settle in and get feeding before holding him too much; and when you do start holding him, listen to what he tells you. His behavior will clue you into his comfort level.

I hope this helps! Again, congrats!

You're from LA!!!?

Thank you. any advice helps! The 20g is not going to be his forever tank, it's just I shouldn't blow money on 2 new cages at once, and Penelope needs a new one more.

What would be a better cage though? That isn't a tub. And that goes for my milk snake too because I was just gonna get her the Zilla 20L critter cage tank. But I'm open to other things.

Is garden store stuff trustworthy? I feel like with garden stuff there's too many chances for pesticide/fertilizer contamination... I'm probably just paranoid though.

Also I keep forgetting to ask this, but he's eating fuzzies. It's only pinkies that have to be fed live, right?

[Snakesitter]

Not from, but living there. :-)

OK, tank choice makes sense then.

I prefer Boaphiles. Animal Plastics also makes some good stuff. But plastic, opaque-walled, side-opening cages seem to work best for humidity-sensitive species.

The garden stuff is safer because you have lower parasite risk. I know people who have gotten mites from buying moss or substrate at pet stores. Plus, it's cheaper. Just ask for the organic/no additives stuff.

Nothing has to be fed live, ever. Frozen-thawed is safer, cheaper, and more convenient.

[Trollbie]

Not from, but living there. :-)

OK, tank choice makes sense then.

I prefer Boaphiles. Animal Plastics also makes some good stuff. But plastic, opaque-walled, side-opening cages seem to work best for humidity-sensitive species.

The garden stuff is safer because you have lower parasite risk. I know people who have gotten mites from buying moss or substrate at pet stores. Plus, it's cheaper. Just ask for the organic/no additives stuff.

Nothing has to be fed live, ever. Frozen-thawed is safer, cheaper, and more convenient.

That's what I meant :P

I'm scared if i put him in a tub, the humidity will get high enough to explode hygro! jkjk

The tubs to me just feel like I'd be detached from him emotionally and I wanna look at him and be able to see him through the glass/plastic!

I'll for sure look into the substrate though. It will definitely be cheaper.

I don't know why, but I was under the impression that pinkies have to be fed live. If fuzzies don't have to be live than I'm certain that he's been raised on f/t or at least that's what he eats at the pet store now because I know they prefer feeding pre killed. I was getting a little concerned... I'd have to make someone else put a live one in there lol.

[Trollbie]

I wanna see your snakies! I'll be in LA next week :D

[theapexgerman]

Frozen/thawed is better than live lot safer and pretty easy for people to stock up on but I still like live

[Trollbie]

Frozen/thawed is better than live lot safer and pretty easy for people to stock up on but I still like live


I know, but I just thought with pinkies you had to feed live. Either way, I don't have to worry so all is good in the hood

[theapexgerman]

Yea either way fine you should see the debate over frozen/thawed and live its heated lol

[Trollbie]

Yea either way fine you should see the debate over frozen/thawed and live its heated lol

Nop... My snakezillas are getting fed pre killed. If they want live, they have to catch it and feed it to themselves.

[theapexgerman]

Pre kill better anyways once my dum gets bigger imma going to switch him over to pre kill cause rats can do more damge than an mouse can

[Trollbie]

Pre kill better anyways once my dum gets bigger imma going to switch him over to pre kill cause rats can do more damge than an mouse can

Why are you feeing live now then?

[theapexgerman]

All my snakes on mice and an mouse is less danger than and good size rat I think rats are smarter than an mouse to my dum be the first snake I have that will be feed rats altho my nelson plenty big enough for an small rat I rather feed an large mouse I'm already taken an risk feeding live so for rats I will feed pre kill just to be safer

[alessia55]

All my snakes on mice and an mouse is less danger than and good size rat I think rats are smarter than an mouse to my dum be the first snake I have that will be feed rats altho my nelson plenty big enough for an small rat I rather feed an large mouse I'm already taken an risk feeding live so for rats I will feed pre kill just to be safer

This makes no sense. Why not feed f/t or p/k mice anyway? Why risk live at all?

[theapexgerman]

Cause I said befor I perfer live I don't why I just live better yes I know its an risk but I'm willing to take in my years of feeding live nothing ever happen so I'm stuck on live