shoeboxes vs. deli cups?

[crazyboy]

which one is better for housing hatchling snakes and why?

[BoidKeeper]

I use shoe boxes because I can stack them and heat them from the back or use them in a rack. Better heat gradiant as well in a shoe box.
Cheers,
Trevor

[marisa]

I also used shoe boxes last year.

Marisa

[crazyboy]

i like the idea of shoeboxes but they are really pricey compared to deli cups. if i needed 100 shoeboxes id be spending alot more than on 100 deli cups. and i would also need to buy the deli cups anyway. but anyway keep giving your opinion:-)

[marisa]

They might be more expensive but hatchlings of any king won't last long in deli cups. They will outgrow with within weeks. Which means you will then have to purchase shoeboxes for the ones you still have making the deli cups in fact, more expensive in some ways just because you can only use them for a short period of time.

Marisa

[Tim_Cranwill]

Originally posted by crazyboy
i like the idea of shoeboxes but they are really pricey compared to deli cups. if i needed 100 shoeboxes id be spending alot more than on 100 deli cups. and i would also need to buy the deli cups anyway. but anyway keep giving your opinion:-)

But that's part of the cost of doing business. You should expect to be housing these hatchlings for at least one month. Also, you can reuse the bins year after year after year. They are a LOT pricier than deli cups but in the end it's your call. If you feel comfortable housing them in the cup, do it. I'm sure 100's of breeders do it.

Last year I bought some cheap sandwich type containers for my hatchlings. They are longer than deli cups and cheaper than bins... If you can find something like that, there's another option.

[crazyboy]

thanks. i would get these bins prolly then.

http://blueribbonherps.home.comcast.net/main_brh_007.htm

[Stockwell]

It's really apples and oranges. The housing for neonate snakes depends on the size of the baby, the species tendancy to rub, or to escape, and the length of time they are to be housed.

I use deli containers for most babies if I will soon be moving them to market. They are the industry standard for "temporary" housing and that is why everyone ships in them,and uses them at shows.
Shoeboxes are obviously much more expensive and take alot more room, if you produce many dozens, it just isn't practical or economical to have a shoebox for each baby.
I only use shoeboxes if I am holding stuff back that requires the extra space, or for new babies that I will be keeping long term.(holdbacks or new purchases)
I have actually kept Kenyan sand boas in Deli dishes for up to one year. They do great in the small quarters, and they don't try to escape.
That would not be possible with colubrids as they would outgrow them and rub their snouts off trying to escape.

[BoidKeeper]

if i needed 100 shoeboxes id be spending alot more than on 100 deli cups.
Thems the breaks.
Trevor

[crazyboy]

yup. thanks for alll your help.

[Bartman]

A plastic shoe box is just a rubbermaid right?

[Stockwell]

Yes, the small size.. believe it or not, that is actually what they were made for.
They changed the size last year, and they are deeper now. It's causing some of us trouble, because the new ones wont fit old racks... apparently kids shoes are bigger than they used to be

[crazyboy]

ok thanks