Help with hatchling water bowls

[beaniebopps]

I built my own hatchling rack for my babies which looks great and works well. The temperatures are great. The problem I'm having is with water bowls and humidity. I tried paper towel substrate in the tubs with bottle caps as water bowls... but the little ones found ways under the paper towel and ended up moving the water bowls next to the heat or tipping them over. Im now using aspen and they are still managing to move about/tip over their water bowls.

This leads to the water evaporating and the humidity getting so high that the tubs are 'foggy' with condensation!!

I've tried soldering an extra row of ventilation holes in too with no more sucess. What do most people use as water bowls for hatchlings? Have they had similar problems?

 

[diamondlil]

I used coffee jar lids last year, because anything smaller just got tipped too easily.

 

[bitsy]

Don't use substrate (assume paper towel?) under the bottle tops - anchor them to the bottom of the tub with a small blob of Blu-Tak.

Does result in a bit of paper tearing/folding when setting up and cleaning out, but works for me. Might not be that practical if you have gazillions of babes!

 

[Susielea]

This year, after suffering the same problems as you last year, I'm using glass tealight candle holders from IKEA and so far I've not had one tip over

 

[tom e]

This year, after suffering the same problems as you last year, I'm using glass tealight candle holders from IKEA and so far I've not had one tip over

I use the same thing! Great and heavy solution..

 

[CaptBogart]

I made an error when placing my deli cup order and got a box, (500), of these black, oblong, 2oz portion cups. I tried them this year with the ziplock containers and aspen and haven't had one tip yet... the elongated shape helps in keeping them from tipping I believe...
Here's a pic of the clear version;

 

[wade]

Take the Caption's idea one step further. Go to a cabinet shop or decorating store and get an old string of plastic laminate samples. They should give it to you for nothing. Now you can hot melt glue your 2oz single serving cups to a piece of plastic and nobody will ever tip it over. If the glue melts the cup, put water in it first.

 

[MegF.]

I got some cups that came with contrast at the hospital and cut them down a bit. I hold them to the bottom of the containers with the tacky stuff that you use to hold glass ware and such on shelves. You can buy it at any art supply store or Michael's, Hobby Lobby that sort of thing. I use cut squares of paper towel for substrate. That way I can feed in the enclosures without disturbing the babies when they are getting started on feeding.

 

[El Jefe]

I use these hatchling racks built by some guy in South Carolina. Napkins fit perfectly in the containers and when I use a 2 oz portion cup as a water dish it is the perfect size. Snakes can drink but they can't tip them over because the top of stops it from tipping over.

 

[SnakeCreations]

This year, after suffering the same problems as you last year, I'm using glass tealight candle holders from IKEA and so far I've not had one tip over

These work great, I found mine at Walmart !

-Tonya

 

[desertanimal]

I've been looking for stuff around the house the last few days and what I finally settled on what the tea light holder for tea lights. I don't mean the kind you buy--I mean the little malleable silver cup that comes with the tea light in it. We had a big bag of those, I pulled the tea lights out of them, and glued them to the deli cup. Next I'm going to be working on glueing them to the side of the deli cup so that I can still slide a napkin under them. When I ship out the hatchlings, I'll pull them out and put them back on the tea lights.