Should i cover my bps tank?

TinkerbellsMom · 07-10-12, 01:29 AM

I have my 1 month old bp in a 10 gallon aquarium tank with a ventilated lock lid. I have a fan that i used to sleep with but i stopped sleeping with it whenever i got her because it can get pretty cold.Unfortunately i cannot do this anymore it is summer time in texas and i am way to hot to sleep without my fan on. I cant move her enclosure either. My room is the least amount of traffic and warmest during the day.
My question is, would it be ok to cover like 2/3 of her enclosure with a towel? This may be a sill question but Tinkerbell is my first snake and I just want to do everything right

StudentoReptile · 07-10-12, 04:04 AM

Honestly, it is what I do with any glass tank set-ups I have had. Some use saran wrap also.

Lankyrob · 07-10-12, 04:17 AM

If the room is cooler then the thermostat on the heater should keep the tank warm anyways, my worry would be what your humidity is with an "open topped" tank ??

alessia55 · 07-10-12, 05:35 AM

You shouldn't have a mesh top lid to begin with. Ball pythons need constant high humidity, which is hard to get if the mesh top is letting all the air out. So yes: use seran wrap and towels to cover a good portion of it. You might want to look into getting a better enclosure (wood, etc) that will maintain humidity better. And you'll be able to sleep with the fan on! You could also put her in a more isolated room where it is warmer.

Wildside · 07-10-12, 07:59 AM

...Or you could put a humid hide in there

DeesBalls · 07-10-12, 08:05 AM

you could also get a piece of plexi glass cut to fit on the lip of the top of the tank, and drill holes in the plexi to ventilate, then put screen lid on top and lock

if you have a heat light that goes on top of the cage, just get the plexi cut to the light WONT sit ontop of the plexi...

if you have an UTH, set it up on a thermostat, and cut the plexi to fit...

does this makes scenes?

**Aaron_S** · 07-10-12, 08:15 AM

This is a lot of work just to make a fish cage habitable for a snake. I just prefer tubs.

**lady_bug87** · 07-10-12, 08:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alessia55

You shouldn't have a mesh top lid to begin with. Ball pythons need constant high humidity, which is hard to get if the mesh top is letting all the air out. So yes: use seran wrap and towels to cover a good portion of it. You might want to look into getting a better enclosure (wood, etc) that will maintain humidity better. And you'll be able to sleep with the fan on! You could also put her in a more isolated room where it is warmer.

See I get really defensive when I read posts like this. When I started keeping I didn't know there was an alternative to screentops and as a result I have many some have been given to me (for free) and some I bought myself. Though I agree that they aren't necessarily the "best" choice I dont think they're the demons of the enclosure world.

My Ball python, RTB, bullsnake, lizards, and GTP are ALL in screentops I won't lie I have had issues but nothing major and very far spaced between.

I use towels and saran sometimes, and Humid hides. I just personally don't appreciate when someone's opinion (as common as the opinion is) being treated like the absolute law of keeping.

To the OP use what you have to work with. If you're worried about warmth as long as the UTH is working and on a thermostat the snake will be warm. Saran covering 2/3 of the lid will help the humidity problem (provided there is one which I saw no evidence of in the initial post)

DeesBalls · 07-10-12, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

This is a lot of work just to make a fish cage habitable for a snake. I just prefer tubs.

i do too now... tanks are a pain, BUT if you only have 1 snake, its not all bad....

... who here only has 1 snake? lol.

**Aaron_S** · 07-10-12, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeEuGi

i do too now... tanks are a pain, BUT if you only have 1 snake, its not all bad....

... who here only has 1 snake? lol.

I know people don't start out knowing better but it's easy to learn and easy to remedy. There are still better options than a fish cage out there these days. You can buy or even make one.

DeesBalls · 07-10-12, 08:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

I know people don't start out knowing better but it's easy to learn and easy to remedy. There are still better options than a fish cage out there these days. You can buy or even make one.

very true.. i thought fish tanks were the ONLY things you could use lol. but after some people teaching me other ways, i never use them.

StudentoReptile · 07-10-12, 08:56 AM

Tanks have been and always will be the most conventional enclosure for herps. Most newbies go to the pet store first for options, and guess what? Glass tanks are pretty much all pet stores have (with the exception of reptile specialty shops). If its warm-blooded (birds & small animals, like hamsters, guinea pigs, ferrets, etc), it goes in a cage. Everything else can live in a fish tank. That's the mentality a lot of people have grown up with, and likewise, instill to the next generation. It'll will likely never change.

Indeed, fish tanks were designed for keeping fish, not reptiles. They have their design flaws, which most of us are aware of. They can work better for some species better than others.

One thing that I do like tanks for over tubs is for display. I have my European ratsnake set-up in my entertainment center in my living room. A tub would look tacky, and I wouldn't be able to see him well. Granted, a towel draped over the top of a glass tank looks a little tacky, too, but not as much as the tub (especially if the towel matches everything else...lol). With the proper know-how, tanks can be made to work, but it is important to remember that there are definitely better options out there as well.

TinkerbellsMom · 07-10-12, 01:48 PM

I live in south east texas so the humidity is never below 60% anyways and during the day it rises. I havent had a problem with humidity at all idk why everyone assumed i was lol. Thats the least of my worries. I used the towel last night and the temps stayed at 75 so thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions!

mykee · 07-10-12, 01:59 PM

75 degrees will kill your snake. Fast.

**lady_bug87** · 07-10-12, 02:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TinkerbellsMom

I live in south east texas so the humidity is never below 60% anyways and during the day it rises. I havent had a problem with humidity at all idk why everyone assumed i was lol. Thats the least of my worries. I used the towel last night and the temps stayed at 75 so thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions!

Ithis debate is one that ALWAYS comes up when someone asks a husbandry question and mentions screentops. Its just everyone voicing their opinions on the best enclosure type. Its really nothing specific to this situation.