Tub or Viv opinions?

I have opted to go down the tub route as im just starting out, i feel as if there is more benefits i.e cost , space, convenience.

whats your opinion?

Well as far as efficiency and space it is a great way to house more snakes together rather than a viv. I keep all my breeders in tubs as well as offspring since it’s easier to feed and clean them all at once it’s also more convenient because they all get heat from the same place and you can regulate temps all in one area. If you would like I can show you some of my own homemade racks.

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Tubs are great. Hold humidity well, cheap enough that you can keep switching to the perfect size, easy to clean. Main drawback is just that they aren’t “pretty” like a display viv.

I started out with tubs and “upgraded” to a viv once my first female bp was an adult. Was also building out some racks at that time. I kept her in the viv for like 3 months and ended up just putting everyone into the racks. It’s easier, and she seems happier in there. (Ball pythons don’t like a lot of open space above them.) The viv’s just been collecting dust now for 2-3 years.

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I opted for larger tubs that have space for some climbing opportunities, multiple hides, bigger water dishes etc. They do seem to use all of their space when they think nobody is looking- I catch them climbing and exploring when I pop in at night, though they do spend most of their days holed up in a cozy hide. I don’t have the space for vivs with live plants and all that for all my animals.

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It comes down to what works for YOU and YOUR animals so long the animal’s husbandry needs are met.

There is more than one way to do things successfully.

It also depends on what your goals are, single pets, 100 breeding animals and their offsprings?

Pets I prefer PVC enclosures, breeding animals I prefer tubs.

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if im honest im not sure where its going to end up as im the type of person who gets really obsessed really easy and i read into everything i can to make the animals life as best as possible, im not sure about breeding i havent got that far and genetics i haven’t never gone down that rabbit hole yet.

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@davemal

RIP.
See you in 6 months when you have a dozen snakes lol. Goner :slight_smile:

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@thecrawdfather i read your post and i could totally relate with most parts and i have a feeling that will be the case, 6 months down the road ill have racks of bp all over my house lol

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I am 13 months in, I just have 5. Got my first male today, so I’ve stayed small but I’m on track with my plan. If I had had the money I easily could have had multiple times as many snakes at this point lol but I’ve been taking it slow and steady.

Anyone on here can tell you how addicting it is lol

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i have a feeling it will consume alot of my time i cant wait lol

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Yeah like @thecrawdfather said it will definitely become addicting. One will turn into two and two will turn into 4 and then so on…very fun hobby all in all

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@davemal

2 years later I’m up to 17 snakes now. And to answer your question… Some of my snakes are in tanks and some are in tubs. I find tubs are easier to maintain but if you want an animal for “display” to show off the species or something else special then I go with tank. There are some pretty efficient and simple ways to make a tank work for you regardless of the species. Same goes for a tub.

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Both vivs and tubs are great for ball pythons so you can always go for both. What @ @thecrawdfather said is really true. Once you start with snakes and reptiles in general it’s truly addicting. Either you get one, it’s not really what you expected and stick with that one or even sell that one…or you get hooked. Once you like your snake and start looking into genetics and the combinations that are possible it’s like one kind of collecting rage hits you :grin:

I have tubs and terrariums. My oldest boa loves to see what is happening around. Even in laying in his hide his head is always out, day and night, so he can look around. I will never put him in a tub. Two of my ball pythons love climbing ( I know they are not supposed to but they climb almost every evening). I keep them in terrariums. One ball male got a terrarium and stopped eating from the moment he moved there. After three months not eating I moved him to a tub and since then he never missed a meal. One ball girl stopped eating when I put her in a lower tub( she had a high one). She became a terrible eater. She got the terrarium from the male and now she eats without problem.

My point is that both are possible. Considering space tubs are easier, but a tub in your living is not really a nice thing to look at. I really love seeing my snakes climbing and crawling around in the evening, but some really do better in tubs. It’s my little “tropics” in my living room. Also I can never have the space to keep all in terrariums. So If you have more snakes you can get both and look at there “caracter” of the snake to decide on the enclosure. When they are babies they are still flexible and my experience is that the really young ones can get used to both if you take care they have enough hiding places in terrariums(not just warm and cold side but also inbetween with plants, wood ect) and the sides are blocked. I have raised babies in tubs but also in terrariums and both do fine. The older ones often have their preference. So check what you yourself like most. But preferably don’t put an older snake who was only used to tubs in an open terrarium.

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I would like to see some of your homemade racks. would you be able to share?

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I’ll be 2 years in by August and am up to 22
snakes in my main collection… not counting my 5 other hognose babies I hatched out (I’m keeping just one as a holdback) and the 8 ball python eggs in the incubator that were just laid the other day. I also have a deposit down on a pastave spider female from the local breeder I work for :grin:
I’m also expecting eggs from another of my ball pythons any day now, and hoping to also get clutches from two other females.

I kept my snakes in tanks at first, but had such a hard time with humidity and sheds. Once I switched to tubs that problem went away. When a snake is in shed I’ll mist their tubs 1-2 times a day until they shed, and it usually does the trick for them and I get full sheds.

I keep almost all of my snakes in racks, and recently switched from paper towels to aspen so it’s easier to just spot clean instead of having to completely wipe down the tubs every time a mess is made. If you plan to have a large collection or breed in the future you’d probably be better off starting with tubs and/or racks!

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Sure thing!

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This Is SOoo me :joy: :joy:
We started to think we get one, and 6 months from that I have 7 :see_no_evil::see_no_evil: And my plan is to get one more female for this year. (Then I have 5F/3M) I am that kind of person that getting into something, learning and reading like hell, then jump in to the big moves :sweat_smile::sweat_smile:

But to original post. I have all our balls in glass tanks. I have little DIY project going on to my living room… I am turning a big bookshelf into 7 separate tanks for my breeding females, and when they get babys, they will be in rack system built in another shelf with glass doors.(because of my cats)
There will be 1 thermostat to each shelf and heat cables in each.

I have intention to make update in here community when I am getting things ready… I just don’t think that even racks have to look “ugly”, but I am little obsessed to visual things…

Welcome, and as everyone is saying when one is not enough… :smile::smile::smile:

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Just wait until you’re decades into keeping and you’ve lost track of how many you have.lol

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My ball pythons seem happier in tubs with enrichment added. I keep my carpet python in a viv with lots of climbing opps, live plants, hides…

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Tubs for me, I do give them larger tubs for the night time wandering and I’m a plumber so 2" Pvc pipes for climbing and interest. That reminds me to post my new bp pics in the new animals thread. Hehe

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