Housing hatchlings, there must be an easier way.

[antsterr]

This was my first year breeding corns, ending up with 22 hatchlings I'm now finding out just how much work looking after them all is, I'll be so glad when I sell them all. Anyway, I've got them in deli cups an am finding it a real pain to keep them clean and watered. The problem is they keep dumping their water dishes (which are pop bottle lids). Anyway, I've got them on paper towel but find that I have to change it out every day just about because they keep dumping the water and getting their whole cup soaked. Is there a better way to be doing this? Any ideas would be welcome.

 

[susang]

Yow! That would be hard in deli cups. What about the she size sterlite? I only have two hatchlings but it works well, I also think others on here use the shoe box size for hatchlings.

 

[tom e]

That's what I've got now too. Shoe sized sterilites with the lid that is attached.. Got them at Target for $3 each. Mine also love spilling their water, so I bought these little fake crystal tea light holders for their water bowls.
$.50 at Target. They won't tip these I guarantee...

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

I've tried a zillion things. And I'm with you; I hate deli cups. I always had spilled water bowls, too. I know that Rich Z makes deli cup water bowls that won't tip, but I've only seen pictures and haven't seen him have them for sale. I really like Jeff Mohr's design and would buy a couple but I don't have the room to just have those laying around when I have no hatchlings.

What I did this year was at Wal-Mart got a bunch of the super duper cheap pencil boxes they had for back to school. They were ~50¢ and made by sterilite. They had a flip lid that snapped pretty securely, securely enough for no escapes anyways. The seal isn't air tight so you don't have to drill any holes.

They were in different colors and not clear, but if anything I figured the snakes wouldn't mind the color and they'd be a little more "in the dark". I've lined them with napkins and for water I used those 2oz plastic to-cups made for sauce. I've only had a couple of tip-overs so far using these.

So far these have worked the best for me. They're cheap, easy to clean, and are also stackable to save space. One day when I have enough room for a dedicated hatchling rack I'll go that route, but until then this has been the best for me so far.

 

[TripleMoonsExotic]

I had small plastic hatchling racks built using Glade Ware Entree tupperware. Each one of my racks holds 24 of them and it's the perfect hatchling size. I use glass tea light candles found at walmart for $0.50 and no substrate.

Clean up's a breeze because I have extra tubs. I just take the baby out of the dirty one and move him/her to a clean tub.

 

[susang]

Sterlite shoe boxes WalMart under a dollar. Sorry don't have a Target here. I'll have to check the pencil box thing at WalMart. I just hate that store so much.

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Sterlite shoe boxes WalMart under a dollar. Sorry don't have a Target here. I'll have to check the pencil box thing at WalMart. I just hate that store so much.

Me, too. But they have great stuff for keeping snakes.

 

[tom e]

Jeff's rack is really cool and built around the same containers that blkcat showed.. I still have them and think they are great for hatchlings, only reason I moved mine is because some are now keepers, and I thought keepers deserved to move up in size. Those "sandwich containers" though are very cheap and definately more room than the inconveniently shaped (ie round) deli cups. I don't trust them much with their lids but they work great in a rack without lid.

 

[TripleMoonsExotic]

Actually, his are different containers.

Here's the link to Jeff's wooden version using Rubbermaid tubs.

 

[Nanci]

I've tried a zillion things. And I'm with you; I hate deli cups. I always had spilled water bowls, too. I know that Rich Z makes deli cup water bowls that won't tip, but I've only seen pictures and haven't seen him have them for sale.

Those things are cool! They are pvc end caps, with a U-shaped groove cut through the top (open) edge. The top of the bowl is touching or nearly so the top of the deli cup so it can't tip, but a hatchling can even get in if it wants to.

Nanci

 

[counterculture]

oh you crazy americans, what are deli cups??

 

[Tula_Montage]

I house my hatchlings in little plastic pre vented boxes that are used for growing on spiders/tarantulas. Apparently these are more popular in Europe ie France, Germany, Sweeden etc.

They are small, easy to clean and very cheap.

 

[rockmonky]

I use the short Deli cups then a 2oz cup from the local restaurant supply.
I take the soldering iron and cut a U shape in the side of the cup and the lid holds it down tight so they don't knock it over.
It still takes for ever to feed and clean though!

Some really smart guy might be coming out with a lidless deli cup rack in the near future :grin01: hint hint

Oh yea another easy trick is to staple one water cup to the side of the deli and slide another inside for the water. works ok but a pain to clean.

TIM

 

[desertanimal]

I was just thinking a spot of hot glue would do the trick with the bottle caps.

 

[Blue Apple Herps]

Sterlite shoe boxes WalMart under a dollar. Sorry don't have a Target here. I'll have to check the pencil box thing at WalMart. I just hate that store so much.

Just got home from Wal-Mart and those pencil containers are on clearance for 25¢, just an FYI.

 

[jaxom1957]

That's what I've got now too. Shoe sized sterilites with the lid that is attached.. Got them at Target for $3 each.

The Sterilite 6-quart shoe boxes are less than a dollar at WalMart. They are a good size for snakes less than a year old, and can be used as feeding bins once the snakes have outgrown living in them. If using them for hatchlings, make very sure both ends are clicked down tight. I have had snakes escape from them.

 

[nlove_3000]

I actually found some plastic CD containers at Walmart for $.97. They are about 6"x6" at the bottom and have a flip top lid. They're fairly secure, but just in case I put my shelves up to set right up against it, making it impossible to open even if unlatched. I found out that those annoying papertowels cut into smaller rectangles fit perfectly in the bottom when folded in half. I cut dixie cups for water and none have been tipped yet but I HAVE to find a better way to do that...lol. The toilet paper roll hides though got so aggravating! Within a day half of them had flattened out and the hatchlings were dragging and tipping them. So I went back to walmart in search of ANYTHING I could use as hides that wouldn't cost me $5 each. And there they were....on an end cap....a bag of 12 tennis balls.... I brought them home and drilled a 1" hole in the side which would become an entrance, cut it in half and there it was. 2 neon green hides out of each ball. Now mind you it took about a billion hours of tennis ball slicing but these guys LOVE them. 24 hides, perfectly sized for $6 - and these bad boys won't flip over.

 

[El Jefe]

Some really smart guy might be coming out with a lidless deli cup rack in the near future :grin01: hint hint

I know this one guy who is already working on that.....


Tough part is finding a good water dish that doesn't take any fixing...the 2oz serving cup works great but in a 8oz deli cup it touches the top and you have to do what you reccommend (cut a notch) in order for it to work. Trying to bypass that.

 

[jaxom1957]

I found out that those annoying papertowels cut into smaller rectangles fit perfectly in the bottom when folded in half. I cut dixie cups for water and none have been tipped yet but I HAVE to find a better way to do that...lol.

I use almost exactly the same setup. I use GladWare type 6"x6" Entree keepers, paper towels cut into quarters and the corners snipped off to better fit the Entree bowl's rounded corners, and plastic dixie cups from WalMart, cut down to 1/2" tall. I stack eight paper towels together, fold them in half and cut all of the at once. I do the same again with the half-towels and cut off the corners. In about 20 seconds of work, I have 32 little viv liners. When the snakes have splashed too much or otherwise made a mess, I can clean the container and have them dry and happy in ten seconds or less.

And there they were....on an end cap....a bag of 12 tennis balls.... I brought them home and drilled a 1" hole in the side which would become an entrance, cut it in half and there it was. 2 neon green hides out of each ball. Now mind you it took about a billion hours of tennis ball slicing but these guys LOVE them. 24 hides, perfectly sized for $6 - and these bad boys won't flip over.

I hadn't seen those. I'll definitely give that a try. I've been using paper towel tubes, cut into 3" sections, but the snakes don't care much for them, I think because both ends are open and there isn't enough security.

 

[nlove_3000]

Tennis balls!

Here are some pics of how I have things set up. The tennis balls are working out great. As a matter of fact I had to disturb the little ghost motley to get the pics...lol. I just drilled the hole as best I could (sometimes it was difficult to go all the way through) and the kind of sawed the rest of it in half with a serated knife. Once in half I tore the entrances out as they were left perforated by the drilled hole. Enjoy!