Steril Tubs Questions???

[Tasia122]

hello i purchased a 56QT sterile tub from target the other day which looks like this http://www.target.com/Sterilite-66-...e=UTF8&node=294135011&frombrowse=1&rh=&page=1

but my questions are how do you house a snake in one i know about how to but the substrate and everything else but how do you heat them? i know i can't stck a UTH on one so how do you guys heat your sterile boxes for your snakes?

 

[wade]

Well actually you can stick a UTH to it. And that is what I would do is put an under tank heater under about 1/3 of the tub. Put 2 or 3" of shredded aspen in, some hides and your good to go. You will want to ventilate it some how. Most people will drill a whole bunch of holes around the top, or burn them in with a soldering iron. I would cut a large rectangle out of the center of the lid and then use hot melt glue to glue window screen over the hole. Make sure the lid is secure. If the snake can push it off, he will. You may need to fashion some kind of fastener to help hold the lid on.

 

[wade]

One other thing, ----Sterilite----

 

[Tasia122]

oh sorry i mis spelled it... but thanks for your help

 

[Flagg]

You can't just put a UTH running at full power on a sterilite tub, you need to regulate the temp with a rheostat (lamp dimmer) or a thermostat.

 

[GlitterFlame89]

Is drilling a bunch of holes good for ventilation, or is there a better method for that?

 

[Flagg]

Drilling is fine as long as there are sufficient holes. 1/8" is a good size if it's housing a hatchling. Melting them with a soldering iron works as well. I like to drill with a rotary tool and a diamond coated drill bit. Using a standard drill might cause the -plastic to crack.

What I do is drill the holes, then leave it heated for a while with a full water bowl and check the humidity. If humidity is too high then drill more holes and check again.

 

[Maize411]

Okay so wait a sec..if i cut a rectangle on the lid and use window screen to cover it..do i still need to drill holes or is that good breathing room? I'm talking cutting the entire inner layer of the cover and leaving the rim and that's it...would that work?

 

[Nanci]

Make sure you clamp down the lid, too, I'd probably do two clamps on the sides and one on each end.

 

[Tasia122]

ok so other than a uth what else can i use to heat one of these

 

[waltah!]

I have no problems using tubs and UTH with all of my setups. Use a thermostat or dimmer though. You won't have to worry about melting the plastic, just need the thermostat for the snake's sake. Most UTH max out at around 110 degrees, so it won't melt the plastic. I use a soldering gun to make the holes so I don't have to worry about cracking the plastic or leaving rough edges. They are way easier to clean vs. glass tanks. Good luck!

 

[Nanci]

Okay so wait a sec..if i cut a rectangle on the lid and use window screen to cover it..do i still need to drill holes or is that good breathing room? I'm talking cutting the entire inner layer of the cover and leaving the rim and that's it...would that work?

I think that would be enough ventilation, but how are you going to keep the snake from getting out? Can you attach the screen so securely he can't weasel out through the edges? I wonder if you could make a cover out of hardware cloth- like 1/8 inch. When I got Choco, she came in a 20L with a home made wood and 1/4" hardware cloth cover, and I had a huge panic attack at work the first day wondering if she could get out the 1/4" holes, so bought a piece of 1/8" and stapled that on there- nothing could get out through that...

 

[wade]

Okay so wait a sec..if i cut a rectangle on the lid and use window screen to cover it..do i still need to drill holes or is that good breathing room? I'm talking cutting the entire inner layer of the cover and leaving the rim and that's it...would that work?

Actually that works really good. I have done it myself. If you run a continuous bead of hot melt glue around the opening and then press the window screen into the glue, there will be no holes for escape. You can then run the glue gun around the screen and press the glue through the screen until the entire overlapped area is glued down.