Exo Terra glass terriums(sp)

DAZZA · #1 (**permalink**) 02-02-2006, 09:06 AM

Hi all

First post, i have a ball python. I saw a ETB and want one. Are the Exo Terra Glass terriums suitable for ETB's in the short term (18months)? If so what equipment would you use to set it up?

ta.

CraigC · #2 (**permalink**) 02-02-2006, 12:27 PM

I'm not familiar with that product, but I don't like glass anything for etb's. If it is temporary, why not a $20.00 Rubbermaid?

No matter what you use, you will have to be able to achieve a DTH of 80 - 82 F, 80 - 85% relative humidity and good air circulation. If the snake is an adult you will have to accommodate a night drop as well. IMO, neos and juvies should only have a short night drop at feeding time, basically turning off all heating equipment just before feeding and then bringing it back online after they have eaten.

If you haven't done so already, I would suggest that you look at caresheets and the few books available for emeralds. They are a little more involved in care than a ball and you should have a good understanding of what you are getting into before hand. Personally, without knowing your experience level, I will not discourage you from getting one, but I will highly recommend that you get a well establish cbb animal. Purchasing a wc emerald, IMO, is a risky idea at any time and certainly a bad idea for your first emerald.

Craig

CritterHouse · #3 (**permalink**) 02-02-2006, 08:46 PM

I dont know if you want to spend that much like craig was saying but i have one for my dart frogs and cape dwarf gecko and i love it...its an awesome idea the way they made it as well, i keep it at 95% humidity during day light! They can be set up real cool as well, here is my set up

JimH · #4 (**permalink**) 02-02-2006, 11:37 PM

Hi,
I've got just 10 etb's, all are within 5 months to 10months old, all are in enclosures that are glass, and 3 are in ExoTerra tanks(the biggest one they make). I believe that this big Exo is large enough for adult etb's, and...while the pros all believe that you can start your babies in Tupperware(which is true), I've got alot of little guys in upturned 55's, 60 breeder tanks upturned, etc, with plenty of ventilation and temps and humidity right where it shoud be and all are eating f/t rodents off of tongs and defecating fairly regularly(for an et that is...). I think my secret is I heat an entire room for the boas so glass, plastic, wood(bad choice), is just a container for the snakes and not an individual ecosystem separate from the rest of the house. Glass aquariums are more expensive, but when I can get them free from various parties, it's what works for me.
Best...
Jim

CraigC · #5 (**permalink**) 02-03-2006, 12:32 PM

Quote:

I think my secret is I heat an entire room

Wish I had that luxury! I have to treat each cage as it's own system. My biggest fear of glass is magnification of sunlight cooking a snake. The room we keep them in has several windows that allow natural light in and acrylic does not magnify that light.

Craig

JimH · #6 (**permalink**) 02-03-2006, 05:14 PM

Hi Craig,
Yes, sun heating up a tank can be bad! I've 1 east facing window that picks up AM sun, 1 exoterra tank and 1 of my 55's gets clipped a little with a sunbeam for about 1 hour and the temps in the tanks do go up to around 83F during that time. When the suns leaves, temps go back down to 78-80F. My oil heat house system dries out the room which is great for my alterna and crotalus, and I also use a small oscillating space heater to get those temps above the usual house temps, but the etb's are all cozy with their humidities anywhere between 50-90%. I've just used plastic wrap around the screen tops to monitor the levels, adding to some, taking away from others if it appears too wet and musty...then when the summer hits, I'll just remove the plastic wrap. Don't get me wrong, alot of you guys have very good tried-and-true methods that have worked over the years and I'm still learning tons from you. But, it has been said before, whatever it takes to keep them in the prescribed parameters is probably different for all of us depending on where we live, and what dimensions the rooms are that we keep them in. #$%^&#$%^&#$%^&#$%^&, I haven't kept mine for over 7 months yet, hopefully, I'm not doing anything harmful in the long run. LOL.

CraigC · #7 (**permalink**) 02-03-2006, 05:46 PM

I hear that! How I long to have crotalids again. But life style (the wife won't let me) prevents me from having venomous again. LOL

Craig

CraigC · #8 (**permalink**) 02-04-2006, 01:26 AM

Thanks Jim!, our exchange and your mention of an environmentally specific room has got us looking at a spare bedroom for a potential snakeroom. Not to mention the electric bills associated with keeping individual ecosystems for our juvies, subs and adults. We will be taking some measurements in the morning.

Craig

DAZZA · #9 (**permalink**) 02-04-2006, 09:49 AM

Cheers guys. I'm now looking to adapt an Ikea 4 draw cabinet.

Ta.

JimH · #10 (**permalink**) 02-04-2006, 01:28 PM

You've gotta work with what you've got,lol. My snake room is/was a 3rd bedroom in my house. Very small, only 9x8 feet. What made it easy for me was not keeping a billion different species which required many different habitat set-ups which lead to very difficult environment requirements in a very small space. Over the years, I finally narrowed down my choices to southwest herps and etbs. The ballpark all around temps for a lot of these is anywhere between 78-82F. I don't use heat lamps since they tend to heat the room more than just the cages themselves, for those that need a spot a little warmer, I use the flex-watt tape. Overhead lighting is provided by fluorescent lights that are made to fit underneath multiple shelving. I live in New England so even summer night temps get too low for the etb's so I have a small oscillating space heater(with thermostat) that keeps the room a few degrees warmer than the rest of the house. To keep the oil heat(for the house) and the space heater from drying out the room, I do nothing since the southwest herps don't mind humidity levels around 25%. So that's where the plastic wrap comes in for the etbs. I had to experiment a little with each enclosure as the placement of the enclosures in the room varied with humidity...also having to keep in mind that while I wanted high humidity, I wanted good airflow so there's a method to how the wrap is placed on the screen doors with openings at the bottom and the top. I use cypress mulch for substrate and it holds moisture very well along with an 8" diameter 2" deep water bowl for each enclosure. There is also a smaller, plastic bird feeder cup of water located higher up in the cage for drinking use too. To keep humidity up, I may have to only spray once a week, but I allow each cage to drop to around 50% before I get concerned. Most of the time, humidities are anywhere bewteen 60-95% and I try to not keep them at the higher end for longer than a day and that is usually right after a spraying. Each cage is equipped with a thermo-humidity gauge that I got from LaCrosse Industries and they are placed on the walls of the tanks using adhesive velcro strips. I get accurate readings every 45 secs. with these and feel very confident using them. If I hadn't had a boat load of aquariums sitting around, I would've used WalMart plastic containers for these guys while they were little. But placing them in huge tanks from the start gives them the advantage, IMHO, of being able to crawl around more, thus facilitating defecation more often. The tanks are decorated with lots of silk plants for cover and the etbs do have their fave spots to hang out when they are resting. Having 10 of them is great because each one has a slightly different personality, ie. some are aggressive feeders(gotta watch that!), some need just a little coaxing, others want to just be nosy, it's fun watching them slowly grow up. Over the years I've kept a lot of herps, have enjoyed them all, but this etb thing is going to be a great adventure for many, many, years to come and I'm excited over what the future holds.

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