I hope this post gives people some idea's about keeping their reptiles in better enclosures and help those who have issues with aquaruims,heating and humidity and especially using a thermostat.
Well , I'm just starting out with reptiles and about 2 months ago i knew just about nothing.. but I did a whole lot of reading on the internet and many reptile forums! I have had snakes in the past though but just a boa in college 20 years ago and other local snakes i caught wild and released . So a few months ago I decided I wanted a Boa and my first score was a craiglist Boamaster 48x24x14 with a old Herpstat ND and Boamaster RHP for 200$ , I'm only using the enclosure for now for my Hog Island female with a Proheat RHP and will use the other parts down the road. Great for one snake , but then I got MORE! funny how that happens ...
I also have a brazilian rainbow boa , and he is in a 105qt tub and will remain so until he is about 3 feet. My smaller 3 foot Hog Island male is also in a 105 qt tub while his cage 48x24x15 is on order with 4 more weeks to go.
i splurged and bought herpstat 4 to make everything easy to manage , and it will be useful later on down the road . i do use the Hydrofarm thermostat too as they work well and can be had for under 30$ on amazon.com. i have a scale to weight snakes and temp gun to check temps, plus about 10 other thermometers and hygrometers to use here and there in cages. i use LED lights on a timer for lighting in the cages without adding heat , and a red led light so I can watch the BRB at night.
Everything is simple to clean and disinfect , I use aspen and cypress mixed for bedding. Change the water every 48 hours and spray the enclosures for humidity also, plus i keep a moss box in every cage to help humidity and shedding.
As you can see from the photo's , I use PVC endcaps for feet as this raises the tub enough for a UTH to be used underneath without overheating . Now I only use Flukers UTH's as they are rated for plastic and only get to 100F but I always use a thermostat and so should you when there is the cheap hydrofarm one available. Don't use tubs with flexwatt or other heat mats , i just dont trust them.
I use PVC Drain caps for the vents that are siliconed in place and for the top or pokes holes as needed for high humidity reptiles. I did cut the top of the boa's tub lid for a 5 gallon screen top so I could put a basking light so this is good for snakes who like to bask. I only use a 25 watt night bulb, as it stay at about 90F max but its also controlled by the hydrofarm thermostat so it won;t overheat.
I used a 900 watt soldiering gun with a exacto knife blade tip to cut/melt the plastic. It takes along time to do it and its toxic so must be done outside ! Takes about an hour to cut vents and the screen top and i use tie wraps to hold the screen top in place and bungies to make it escape proof. Now the BRB just has holes poked in the top to control humidity and i cover the vents also to adjust it as needed..
It's so cheap to make this tubs , about 60$ for parts and thermostat and UTH , maybe 75 $ with the basking light. i would now use the 110 qt tub from target as it is slightly larger and much better. this is far superior to a glass tank for a snake.
* in some pics , i had just sprayed and the plywood is pine but sealed with water sealer so no fumes or oils .
Re: Tub Design w/Pics of my snake room
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