Why I like aquariums for snakes/rant/point being made

[Z Trip]

Aquariums are not bad, they just have disadvantages.
1 No front access...
Theres nothing like walking up to a cage and sliding a glass door to the right or left and doing what you gotta do, if I have to remove things from the top of my cage, and then remove the top itself, its just extra work for me. who needs it, I have enough to do, Lol

I will gladly agree with you that top open aquariums are not good for taking out larger animals. That is another reason why I only keep them in tank 4 foot or less.

On a side note, I where I live, the humidity is rather low, maybe 30-40% on average. This is terrible for almost any tropical species of reptile. So if I do use a screen lid, I have a large amount of that covered in plexi glass to hold in the humidity. Last but not least, everyone is stuck on screen lids... maybe because it is the only thing available at the pet store. All I do is cut a peice of plywood to cover the top, paint it, and then use a hole saw to make a hole for a vent. I will post pictures of this shortly to help anyone else interested. You can get all the wood cut at your Rona or Home Hardware for very little cost and glue it together.

 

[zoohouse]

The biggest plus side for tote type enclosures is the safety of the animal. Opaque enclosures keep down nose rub and striking injuries. They also keep stress down, which is the biggest killer in the herp world. I do agree that most keepers have too small of enclosures, but realize how many people keep oscars in 10g tanks. The reputable professionals keep their herps in more humane conditions just like the responsible pet owners. Not to mention try keeping 500 snakes in less accessible "tanks" and see how much more inhumane that ends up being.

 

[Miguel]

The biggest plus side for tote type enclosures is the safety of the animal. Opaque enclosures keep down nose rub and striking injuries. They also keep stress down, which is the biggest killer in the herp world. I do agree that most keepers have too small of enclosures, but realize how many people keep oscars in 10g tanks. The reputable professionals keep their herps in more humane conditions just like the responsible pet owners. Not to mention try keeping 500 snakes in less accessible "tanks" and see how much more inhumane that ends up being.

You have a point there, of course.
but i do not think op was talking about commercial / breeding facilities.

I have kept a total of 23 snakes at one time, and only small babies ( bloods ) were in tubs due to the stress issue.

 

[Miguel]

Not derailing, nor meaning to defend the opposite of my expressed views, i am not against newspaper in the floor.

I have concluded that substrate is a verg good bacteria deposit and people scoop poop but do not change the substrate as often as should be. Am guilty of that myself.

Plus, newspaper has anti bacterial effect.

 

[paul112]

I wrote an article about this a short while ago (available here). There is no 'ideal' habitat for snakes, just a number of different options. All have advantages and disadvantages. Assuming you can find plastic storage boxes in a large enough size, they do offer a number of advantages over glass enclosures:

- They insulate heat better. Not only does this keep ambient temperatures more stable, but many snakes are thigmotactic (they like to keep their bodies in close contact with their environment, such as moving along walls, squeezing into tight hide spots etc), so use their enclosure walls to move along. Snakes moving in a glass enclosure invariably come into significant contact with cool glass, a big concern for a poikilothermic reptile. Plastic on the other hand (and wood) allows to snake to retain its body heat.
- They are lightweight, easy to move, and easy to clean.
- Transparent plastics allow some visibility, but not as much as glass. This is thought to reduce stress, as it reduces the view of household traffic and disturbance.

I only keep two snakes (a rainbow boa and a bull snake), and think plastic enclosures of a good size make excellent snake housing. However, I don't agree with animals being crammed into small spaces just to build a big collection and understand that point completely.

Best,
Paul

 

[Miguel]

You opened a series of valid ooints, Paul.

Am certainly going to read wwhat you wrote.

 

[KrazEDesigns]

Perhaps I was one of those strange ball python owners because Jake had the run... err the slither of much of the downstairs when I was home. There were 4 types of potted trees for him to go to, plus he really liked the stair railing (although I had to take him down once he'd get towards the top); but he would only roam for a max of 30 minutes before coming to me for warmth and putting himself down my top lol.

 

[Z Trip]

Dear Paul, I was on your website and did read your article, well written, I do like it and your points. I like how you vent. Small holes drilled but in a area that forces air to flow from one corner to the other on opposite ends.

I guess my biggest problem was the animal size to tank size ratio and what you pointed out, just having a big collection at all costs. I just don't see the love involved.

For the record, I do keep growing snakes in tubs. My ball and blood python are young and instead of me buying many expensive and heavy tanks, I use the bin system. Once I buy a real digital camera, I will be getting pictures up of some DIY things I plan on doing so I can share them with everyone.

 

[paul112]

Thankyou both for the kind words. I don't know what it's like over the pond, but the morph craze has certainly pushed many keepers into 'wannabe breeders', trying to make a living from their reptiles and become famous for creating their own color variety. Sadly, the actual husbandry seems to fall by the wayside in the process.

I love my animals, and I'd love to make them my job, but breeding for money just isn't something I think will work for most people. For now, I sell home-grown vivarium plants on my website to subsidize the cost of looking after my animals. They enrich other people's enclosures, don't require me to sacrifice any quality of care for my own animals, and at least help pay the reptile food bills!

Best,
Paul

 

[Miguel]

Thankyou both for the kind words. I don't know what it's like over the pond, but the morph craze has certainly pushed many keepers into 'wannabe breeders', trying to make a living from their reptiles and become famous for creating their own color variety. Sadly, the actual husbandry seems to fall by the wayside in the process.

I love my animals, and I'd love to make them my job, but breeding for money just isn't something I think will work for most people. For now, I sell home-grown vivarium plants on my website to subsidize the cost of looking after my animals. They enrich other people's enclosures, don't require me to sacrifice any quality of care for my own animals, and at least help pay the reptile food bills!

Best,
Paul

Eactly this, Paul. To know what you are talking about, one only has to spend a day at Houten or Hamm.

What do you keep?