Before taking a pet home, one important thing you must have in your home is a conducive habitat. Some pets, such as dogs and cats, do not require complex habitats, but reptiles need a well-prepared and equipped home. If you want a reptilian pet, you might be wondering if a plastic tub could be a good habitat for your pet.
So, can you keep reptiles in plastic tubs? You can keep reptiles in a plastic tub as long you make it similar to its natural environment. Plastic tubs make great homes for replies because they are easy to clean and maintain. Plastic tubs are also easy to move and are durable. Plastic tubs are also cheap because you can repurpose a few plastic tubs in your home that you were not using. Depending on the size of the plastic tub, you can add accessories such as hides and toys. However, if you notice that your pet is uncomfortable, you can change the enclosure to another.
There are several types of enclosures you can use to keep a reptilian pet. However, you may have your eye on a plastic tub in your home, and you are wondering if you can turn it into a reptile habitat.
One of the responsibilities of a pet owner is to provide their pet with a safe and comfortable habitat. You have the option of buying a ready-made enclosure with all the accessories, or you can build one yourself.
A plastic tub can make a perfect home for your pet if you prepare it well. There are very many reptiles that you can keep as pets, from snakes to lizards. Common snakes that people keep as pets include pythons, corn snakes, and California kingsnakes. You can keep many sub-species of lizards as pets, but the most popular ones are bearded dragons, geckos, and chameleons. All these animals require a perfect habitat when you take them into your home as pets.
Plastic tubs make a perfect home for these pets and can be used in the rack or single system. The rack system is common in pet stores, rescue homes, or research centers where there is a need to fit many animals in a small amount of space. But, if you want to keep a single pet, you can also use a single plastic tab. Plastic tubs are a cheaper alternative to glass habitats, especially if you are on a tight budget.
Not many people like snakes, but many species of snakes make excellent pets. The ball python is the most common snake pet, and if you decide to keep it as a pet, a plastic tub can work perfectly as its home. First, you have to ensure that the plastic tub is the appropriate size for your python. If you want your python to be comfortable, always go for the longer plastic tab rather than the tallest. You should also include all necessary accessories such as a thermostat, rheostat, and heater.
Another popular snake that is comfortable living in a plastic tub habitat is the corn snake. You should also ensure that the size of the plastic tub is enough for the corn snake to stretch its body out completely. However, do not use a big plastic tub so that your pet corn snake feels vulnerable. If your corn snake likes to escape its habitat, you can drill holes on the plastic tub and close the lid. Holes in the plastic lid also help reduce humidity inside the tub because high humidity levels can make the snake uncomfortable.
If you decide to keep a California kingsnake as a pet, you can also use a plastic tub as its habitat. The lifespan of a California kingsnake in captivity depends on proper housing and care. If you start with a baby California kingsnake, ensure you upgrade the size of the plastic tub as it grows.
To make the plastic tub suitable for your California kingsnake, you should ensure the temperature stays between 90 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit on the warm end and the cool side between 78 and 83 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you like lizards, you can choose to keep a bearded dragon as a pet. The size of the plastic tub is very important, and you need a 120-gallon plastic tub that measures 72 inches long by 18 inches wide and 16 inches tall for an adult bearded dragon. The plastic tub should be big enough for your bearded dragon to room around. Ensure that the environment inside the plastic tub is perfect for your bearded dragon.
You can also keep your gecko inside a plastic tub after doing proper research on its natural habitat. It is easy to maintain and take care of your gecko if it is living in a plastic tub habitat. You can easily clean the plastic tub and move it to other areas of the room without worrying about breaking it. As long as the conditions in the plastic tub are favorable, such as temperature and humidity, your gecko will be comfortable throughout its life.
Chameleons are sensitive animals, and you need to be careful when choosing their enclosure. If your chameleon does not like its new habitat, it will get stressed, and you will notice it when it displays dull or dark colors.
You should ensure that the temperature inside the plastic tub is appropriate for your chameleon. You should also install a misting system to provide enough humidity. Do not house more than one chameleon in one plastic tub; chameleons are very territorial and keeping two or more chameleons in one plastic tub will lead to fighting.
Plastic tubs are a great choice when building a habitat for your reptilian pet, but there are some cons that you need to know about them. One of them is that space is limited to the plastic tub you can find at the moment. If your pet snake continues to grow, you have to keep upgrading the plastic tub, which will be expensive and time-consuming.
It can also be difficult to create a perfect temperature gradient because of the lack of space. Reptiles control their body temperature using their environment. Therefore, the habitat should have a cold and a hot area. If your pet is cold and needs to increase its body temperature, it has the option of moving to the hot side. It can be difficult to create a cold and hot area in a plastic tub because of the size. Even if you place the heat on one side of the plastic tub, it could affect the temperature of the cold side.
However, pet owners who enjoy watching their pets will have a difficult time because most plastic tubs are not clear. You cannot watch your pet go about its business, and if you come closer, you might disturb it. Most people prefer glass aquariums so that they can watch their pets.
How Do I Set Up a Plastic Tub Habitat for My Reptilian Pet?
Habitats for reptilian pets, such as snakes and lizards, are very expensive, and if you are on a tight budget, you have the option of building your pet’s habitat. One cheap option for building a pet’s home is a plastic tub. Once you buy that plastic tub, the next step is to transform it into a nice home for your pet.
The first step to building your pet a habitat using a plastic tub is getting all the supplies such as a thermostat, substrate, and water bowl, among others. You also need to ensure that your plastic tub is of the correct size. You then have to decide if you want to keep an open habitat or closed, depending on your pet’s behavior. You then have to install all the necessary accessories such as a heater, hygrometer, thermostat, substrate, and water or feeding bowl.
Your pet’s size will determine the size of the plastic tub you are going to buy. If you have a fully grown ball python, you should get a tub that is at least the snake’s length. If you have a juvenile ball python, you can get a smaller plastic tub but ensure that you upgrade it when your pet starts to grow.
If you keep lizards, ensure that the plastic tub is big enough to fit all the necessary accessories and leave enough space for your pet to move around. After getting the perfect plastic tub, you have to get all the supplies you need to turn that empty plastic tub into a home for your reptilian pet. All the supplies you need include a thermostat, rheostat, heater, UV light, substrate, water bowl, hide, and a soldering gun.
Your pet needs plenty of air to survive; therefore, using the soldering gun, melt several holes on the sides of the plastic tub. In addition to supplying air into the plastic tub, the holes can also regulate the humidity inside the plastic tub. You can add more holes in the plastic tub if the humidity is too high. If your pet does not like to escape, and you can keep an eye on it, there is no need to make the holes. You can leave the top of the plastic tub open.
Your pet needs a good substrate, and there are several materials that you can choose from, such as newspapers, paper towels, cypress mulch, and organic soil. The type of substrate you will use will depend on the type of pet you want to keep. Ensure you choose a substrate that absorbs and retains enough water to maintain the humidity levels in the plastic tub. Do not use rough substrates such as sawdust, which can hurt your pet’s soft belly.
The thermostat and rheostat are very important in a reptile’s habitat. You need to control the temperature levels in the plastic tub. You should get a digital thermostat and rheostat, which are very easy to read.
The thermostat will measure the temperature inside the plastic tub, and the rheostat will measure the humidity levels. You can buy a thermostat that has a rheostat if you want to save money. You should also get a portable thermostat, which you can use for the cool and hot side. If you are not on a budget, you can get two thermostats and install them on the cool and warm side of the plastic tub.
After installing the thermostat and rheostat, you should install a heater to provide warmth for your pet. There are two ways you can warm up your pet, using a heat lamp or a heating pad. You cannot put a heating pad inside because it will melt the plastic and harm your pet.
A heat lamp is a perfect device for increasing your pet’s temperature inside a plastic tub. You use the heat lamp to regulate the temperature inside the plastic tub. Check on the temperature requirement for your pet because not all replies prefer the same temperature inside their habitat.
Another important item you have to install inside the plastic tub is the UV light. UV light is very important for most reptilian pets, such as chameleons and geckos, as it helps in the digestion process of most reptiles. In the wild, your pet will get UV rays from the sunlight, and in captivity, you have to provide your pet with artificial UV rays. Without a UV light inside the plastic tub, your pet, especially if you have a lizard, will suffer from serious health issues such as indigestion and Metabolic Bone Disease.
A water bowl is very important for your pet because that is where it will drink its water or soak to cool down. You can also use a water bottle to hydrate your pets, especially if they keep tipping the bowl over. You can also install a misting system that helps hydrate your pet and improve humidity levels in the plastic tub.
However, misting systems are very expensive, and if you do not have enough money, you can use a spray bottle. Other items you have the option of installing in the plastic tub include decorations and toys.
Final Word
Pets such as dogs and cats require little preparation when making their habitat, and some of them usually sleep on the couch or bed. On the other hand, reptiles require a lot of preparation in ensuring you create a perfect home for them. If the home is not nearly the same as its natural habitat, your pet will get stressed, and it might affect its health.
You have the option of choosing between racks, plastic tubs, aquariums, terrariums, and cages. Plastic tubs are the cheapest option because you can get one at Walmart for ten dollars and build the habitat yourself.
What makes a habitat perfect for your home is enough space, perfect temperature, humidity, UV light, and enough water. You need to get all the devices or accessories that can help you mimic the conditions of your pet’s natural habitat as closely as possible. If you have enough space inside the plastic tub, you can install other things like tree branches and hides, which can help your pet feel secure and comfortable.
