| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| WendyBall |
Posted - 13/05/2011 : 21:34:27
So, now 'Rocky Van Boa' is all set up nicely in his RUB, my thoughts are now turning to our next project - adult size viv.
As the required humidity level is high, I have read about wooden vivs warping - about how long would this happen over? Because I am trying to figure out if it would be cheaper in the long run to line the viv with something, or to replace the viv when needed, or to go with an Exo Terra Glass Terrarium.
Been thinking about different things that could possibly be used to line a viv, lino, vinyl covering (like that you would use for covering kitchen cupboards) or perspex plastic .......... have any of these (apart from the latter which I have found in the DIY section!) been tried and tested ?
Thank you in advance!  |
| 15 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| luminova |
Posted - 20/07/2011 : 23:46:37
@WendyBall
I have all my reptiles in VivExotic vivs and they are guaranteed waterproof if they the joints are sealed with silicon sealent, (aquarium grade of course) upon construction. Also any open grain such as that around the vents must also be sealed. I have constructed mine this way and have had no problems. Have had the vivs for 2 years now. |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 17/05/2011 : 20:45:16
Hey Joe—
As I said, my comments were not targeted at you. :D I did see your notes about not recommending tubs in specific, and understand they were mentioned only in the context of affordable and appropriate starting setups. My point was more general: our industry just makes a lot of not-very-marketing-savvy choices, and tubs are (unfortunately) a common one of those. These creatures, as with any pet, deserve better in the long run.
Cheers,
PS: LOL on the forum filters correcting “no body” to “***ody.” |
| flaboye |
Posted - 17/05/2011 : 17:57:48
Thanks Welly!
No argument. My purpose was to hopefully let people know the rainbow is easy to care for, and you can start out with a minimum of expense if that's what your budget/resources demand.
I agree on care and space. It's kind of like seeing dogs tied up all the time. My first thought is "why even have a dog if he's not going to be inside and part of the family". It's pretty discouraging to see that. My dogs over my lifetime have shared my home and everything with me, including sleeping if doggie wanted to cuddle at night. I keep him bathed, and flea free so it's not any problem for me. And believe me a great pyr needs lots of brushing especially during the two times a year he sheds!
Joe |
| Welly |
Posted - 17/05/2011 : 17:39:00
Was't aimed at you fella, infact i didn't even read your prevous post if im honest.
Just my own opinion. Im not out to start an arguement.
Just in my opinion, if anyone keeps a pet, wether it is a reptile or a dog or a horse it should have a minimum level of care and space. If that level isn't achievable then you shouldn't have one in the first place.
Like i said not out for an arguement. Just something i believe in.
Tubs have there place in our area, but not as a "long" term solution. Which i beleive now reading your last post is what you mentioned before.
|
| flaboye |
Posted - 17/05/2011 : 14:53:56
Sorry, I meant that last part for Welly, not Louise :) |
| flaboye |
Posted - 17/05/2011 : 14:52:03
Hey Cliff:
No offense here. Although I did say the snake could live under a bed "happily ever after", you'll also see I said in several places that I'm not recommending anything, just merely pointing out some simple basics. Snake ownership isn't that difficult if you meed certain needs, and the fact that the rainbow is much hardier than many would have a newbie think. I didn't want someone discouraged or put off because they thought they faced several hundred in housing costs at first.
I just wanted people to know if their budgets didn't allow for boaphiles, etc., that they could get into it for 6.00 or so at a dollar general, along with a 2.99 bag of cypress mulch at the local lowes. That's really the point I was trying to get across. Or, if they already had an aquarium they "could work with it", although more attention would have to be given to a couple of the basic needs requirements of the snake.
I certainly am not going to recommend any kind of long-term housing, as there are several ways to go about this, part of that will be the snake's particular needs, the owner's wishes, and the owner's budget.
Cheers!
Joe
Louis:
I certainly wasn't and I don't think anyone else who had replies and comments were chastising or giving any kind of negative opinion about anyone who chooses to spend and/or build very nice viv's for their pet snakes. All I was doing, and I specifically stated this several times so ***ody would get this impression, was that anyone intimidated after being recommended to get a boaphile, decides they can't afford to get into this, that there are alternatives, very cheap ones, that you can get started with. Nothing more, nothing less. I stated this several times throughout what I said, and I also said I was NOT recommending anything, tank, tub, or otherwise.
Cheers! |
| Invalid User |
Posted - 16/05/2011 : 22:34:36
I don't have a problem with tubs/rubs and all my snakes are housed in them and many will be as adults.
My boas including my brb will move to a viv once bigger but will be in a rub/tub for a long while yet. |
| Welly |
Posted - 16/05/2011 : 21:58:16
Cliff, i wholeheartedly agree.
I don't mind if i upset people by saying i cant stand rubs for long term housing. I use rubs for isolation and transporting where they have there place.
But i don't like seeing an adult snake or any animal kept in a tub! |
| Snakesitter |
Posted - 16/05/2011 : 20:11:25
There is some great advice above, particularly on rainbows being hardier than most realize (so long as their environmental needs are met, these things are almost bulletprooof), and not needing a formal set-up just to get started.
However, on one point I’m going to strongly disagree.
And that area is long-term tub-ing. Joe, please note this is *not* targeted at you in any way, I just think the opposite side of the care case needs to be made.
My argument is not based on practicality –- I admit tubs can be very “practical” -- but on what I see as better for our industry long-term. I have always felt that the practice of keeping snakes in tubs their entire lives does enormous damage to our industry's ability to position these animals as pets. It's hard to make a case for an animal being “part of the family” when you shut it in a small enclosure and slide it into a drawer every night. Heck, even the goldfish gets more respect than that. ;-)
On top of that, I really do believe that adult snakes deserve a full viv of their own -- not necessarily a pricy/ornate display tank, but something larger and more permanent than a tub. These are pets, not clothes. Need to tub to start? Perfectly acceptable. But please, move up sometime before the animal matures. It deserves that respect and sense of permanence.
A final, and totally unanticipated, issue with tubs is that I feel they fuel the hoarder side of our hobby -- the practice where someone starts keeping dozens then hundreds of animals they do not really have the capability to properly care for, all enabled by the ability to keep them in small stackable enclosures. There is a limit to the number of animals any one person can support in the high-quality fashion we all aspire to with our rainbows. (Please note that I’m not referring to the professional shops that employ full-time staff, like Joe noted above, where their animals are inspected and handled daily, exactly as they should be.)
Anyway, I’m not trying to be an old grouch or start a flame war, but tubs are not the ultimate solution that many keepers feel them to be. Every convenience has a downside, and tubs carry several serious ones.
Apologies for any offense. |
| Welly |
Posted - 16/05/2011 : 12:41:55
http://www.therainbowboa.co.uk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=407
Tada
|
| ptmbradley |
Posted - 16/05/2011 : 11:32:49
Just read this on another forum about waterproofing...
"B&Q own brand water based floor varnish (use the satin finish one) is the perfect stuff. It dries fairly quickly and has low fumes, so it won't need airing as long as traditional varnish. I've used it on all my home built wooden vivs and never had any problems." This is from a knowledgeable breeder who is also an active member on the corn snake forum.
Also read that melamine vivs are already waterproof and just need sealant around the joins. Think the viv exotic range are melamine... |
| WendyBall |
Posted - 16/05/2011 : 10:26:23
Had a reply back from the plasti kote company saying that none of there products were suitable  |
| JKCarter |
Posted - 14/05/2011 : 18:50:59
Yes it is a seasonal only type item. I believe reptiletubs.com simply stocks up on em while they're available so as to offer them year round. I have emailed IrisUsaInc, the company that produces them, and they have said that they are only available during the X-mas season.
I'm waiting patiently for the season to come around and I plan on picking up at least 5 of em. |
| flaboye |
Posted - 14/05/2011 : 17:28:32
Thanks Wendy and JC. I am sure there are many put off by the warnings about care for the rainbows, and this and that. Really, they're a very hardy species. The temps in their natural habitats drop at night lower than you might think. Point is they're not a premie infant in neonatal intensive care, lol :), although you'd think so listening to some folks. With that and the hoopla about "how hard" they are to keep. They're really very easy to keep and can be very tame if you spend time with them. Even some of the adults which never had much attention paid to them over the years, have come around and like to go out of their enclosures now. Didn't take much, just a little bit of time with each of them.
Bottom line is you could buy a sterilite or one of the tubs you showed (JC), (very nice looking, go WalMart huh?) and slide it under your bed. Snake will be as happy as they would be in a 600 display cage. In fact a rainbow might appreciate it more as they like to hide anyway. Just keep the basics up and interact with him/her some, and she'd live happily ever after under your bed in a tub. That was what I was trying to say I guess :) Not that my snakes live under my bed, haha, but really, they don't "need" anything fancy whatsoever.
Cheers!
PS @ JK: You say walmart carries these around christmas? My BCI currently lives in that sterilite under the 75 tank of the rainbow. He will outgrow it in about a year probably, so I will either find another aquarium that will fit on the stand supports under the 75 or get him a larger tub, such as the one you showed. Is this a "seasonal" thing, kind of like those cool tool kits that show up around Christmas with everything you need in them in a little carrying case?
|
| JKCarter |
Posted - 14/05/2011 : 14:57:30
Shoot yeah Joe. Too many times I've seen someone on a forum ask about caging and they always get the same response, "BoaPhile, APPlastics or BoaMaster caging". Look at the prices of some of these and it'll make you cringe. I agree with you %100 that a snake can not only live, but thrive, in a sterilite tub or rubbermade container. As you said, the rest of it isn't as much for the snake as it is for the owner.
I myself am waiting for X-mas to come around and I plan on buying at least 5 of the VE-175W Christmas tree storage containers. http://www.irisusainc.com/p-680-ve-175w.aspx
These are the largest tubs available on the market and are very sturdy. ReptileTubs.com sells them year round for $44.00 - $49.00 + shipping, but I'm just gonna wait until X-mas time and my local Wal-Mart has em in stock for for around $22.00. |
|
|
