Habisphere woes

[FinishingFlight]

Okay so I bought a habisphere (see here) and it was a terrible mistake. I was able to get a package with it that included substrate, hide, bowel and heating light. So I got sucked into its attractive look. I also asked a guy about it at the reptile convention and he said it was a great choice for a snake. I call male cow poo.

First of all the heating light only got the tank to 76* so I bought a higher wattage bulb. Stupid me didn't think of the material I had the light on. So I came home to find the plastic portion starting to warp and it only managed to get my hot side to 86*. So I got rid of the lamp and replaced it with an under tank heater. Which on hot days gets around 95* and on cold days 88* At night I think it drops down to about 76-78*. This is with it on always. I have a Western hognose, she spends half of her time at the edge of the warm area in her hide or on the opposite side of the tank. Is there anything you guys would suggest? Is this okay?

Second of all, there is no way to lock the thing shut. She isn't tall enough to reach the top yet but still I worry about her getting out once she gets bigger. I eventually plan on upgrading her when she is full grown but until then I was hoping to be able to keep the habisphere. Does anyone think of a makeshift way to close it? It has an opening flap that covers half of the top, where the hinges are at the corners. I've tried magnets but can't find a way to make them align. I looked at home depot for clips but couldn't find anything that would attach to the glass and hook over the top.

[Minkness]

Waste of money sadly. Good for dart frogs and some geckos probably (like cresteds, not leos), and definitely not snakes. My suggestion....go get a 10 gallon tank, screen lid, same set up, and just cover the lid with something. (I have seen people just use duct tape, i just lay rubber shelving liner on top and leave a little of the screen open to allow some humidity out).

[Jim Smith]

You should be able to pick up a good used 20-30 gallon tank for about $25. You can then get a clip on screen top for another $15 and eventually an under tank heat pad to provide heat rather than a light bulb. Just a thought...

[Joshchimera]

You could've just bought a sweater box and have more space for a Hognose. Half the hassle of heating that thing. I guess that tiny thing could be used for metamorphosis amphibians. Hatchling leaf chameleons probably would not out grow it?

[jjhill001]

I don't think that those are really made for snakes. They don't really have any way to properly heat them so the best things would be small frogs and non heat requiring geckos.

[FinishingFlight]

Thanks guys, I will probably be upgrading her tank. I'd hate to just throw it away, so I guess I'm going to keep it until she gets big enough to reach the top or if it gets too cold in the winter. (Living in Southern California means that might not be a problem). Right now its being consistent at 90* in the daytime. She prefers the colder side right now anyways.

What size should I look for a full grown female hognose? I was considering a 20 gallon.

[Minkness]

I'd suggest a 20 long personally. That's what I'll be working on getting my girls in anyway. Good luck, looking forward to seeing her permanent set up =)