Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, without causing a huge three day arguement like my last post LOLOLOLOLO...... what do most on here use if they dont have a big collection. for those not following me, I currently have a corn and a desert king, each in there own 20 gallon long tank. next week im getting two az mt kings,both under two and pretty small.. I was gonna house both of them in seperate 10 gallon tanks. But i keep seeing and hearing everyone on here using racks. I dont really want to get a rack system because im not sure that will benifit me for two snakes. So I was either gonna just get a 10 gallon glass, or a single cheap rubbermaid or sterlite and bungie it shut. are there any advantages to using the rubbermaids over the glass? I do hear and understand that glass does not hold the heat as good, but with these being pyros, they actually prefer it alittle colder on the cold side,unless im wrong. if i get a single rubbermaid, can i also just use a uth right directly on that rubbermaid or do i chance melting it? i would use a dimmer...space is a concern, but i do have enough room to add two more 10 gallon tanks, but thats about it... last question is. i would imagine that with glass it would be easier to see the snakes move around, but i imagine w/a pyro it wouldnt matter much as i hear they stay in hiding most of the time anyways, whereas my corn is always out and about, so as far as seeing them that doesnt really effect me. I do like the rack system at target that Todd reccommend to me and its only like 30bucks and comes w/7 containers, but i dont have the 1st clue how to heat those, not what heat tape or similer is,thanks, Pete

for me, heat isn't a problem, it's cool, I live where it is almost 90 degrees most of the year, and the ambient temp in the room is usually high without a/c. For heating, you can use back heat, either from heat tape, 11", or from heat cable strung across the back. With a control of some type, you can keep the heat down to an acceptable level. I don't use much extra heat, as I'm never sure if/when I'm gonna get a failure. Call me crazy but I can't fry my snakes ever. John Lassiter has posted a setup way down there that shows how he strung the heat cable using cup hooks. You should check that out or go to the cage and habitat design forum for more ideas, ask there and you'll get lots of answers too.
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Todd Hughes

I'm in your same situation (I currently just increased my collection to 3 snakes). It really depends on whether or not you want to have a large display-type permanent home for them in the future or not. May times people grow thier snakes to adulthood in sterilites and then move them to a fancy display.
This largest issue with buying 2 ten gallons is how expensive they are. The sterilites are like 5 bucks with the locking lids that are virtually escape proof, they're secure for a small snake and it's really simple to regulate temperature and humidity. Tanks are much harder to achieve control with, and the sides being clear often confuse my snakes, whereas my little guy in the sterilite has never tried to crawl thru the plastic.
Heating pads on the plastic is a large issue of debate. I think the most important things to watch out for are ventilation and temp control. The dimmer is a good idea, as well as not mounting it directly to the bottom of the drawer-many have lost snakes and burned holes in the bottoms from this. You can choose to side mount your heat or run heat cable (which seems the easiest with rack like these, though I have no experience with it) zigzag along the back. That is not difficult to learn and these guys could certainly help.
Also, if you are going to be mobile in the next few years, racks are much easier to move than four glass tanks. Also something to consider.
I am by no means an expert, but I think I've been listening to these forums long enough to help a bit (I hope!).
Have fun with your new buddies!
~Jasmine

i use both the glass and racks. I have a lil over 20 snakes though, plus some extra hatchlings a year. i house my hatchlings that i want to display in the sterlite 7 qt tubs ( 14"x8 1/4"x6" for 3 bucks. They are completely see through and they have a lock on two ends. for really small hatchlings i weigh them down on the center just in case. They are dishwasher safe and easier to clean than 10 gallons. i use shims underneath so i dont melt the plastic with the uth. for adults i have some more elaborate glass enclosures with full naturalistic setups, and some i have in sweater box racks too. If I only had a few hatchlings i would use the 10 gallon sliding/locking lid with natural setups. but its just easier to clean the tubs and it saves space on the juveniles.