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Reptile Room Must Haves

Junkyard

Junkyard

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This idea is originally Paul Sage's idea which he gave me.

What is a must have for you in your reptile room? Be it a fly swatter(we have a electric one that sparks each time we hit a fly :dgrin: ), feeding bowl, strike shield, hot box, broom, newspaper, etc. Please explain why this tool is indispensable to you.

The strike shield is something I use for my green tree python, he is very bitey and loves to try and get me. He is quite sneaky too. When cleaning he needs to be in a box, I use a box that I added a perch too and the lid has a handle. Being on a perch and just tossing a towel over him does not always work. So I use the lid as a shield to keep him back while he is in the box or while I am feeding him. This has become so handy because I can use the shield in his cage to spot clean, or while taking out the tame female.

Please share your ideas, there maybe something you use regularly that we do not and could benefit from.
 
I use the 1 gallon and soon upgrading to the 2 gallon garden sprayers from Walmart. I use a window AC unit and it causes humidity issues so I go through the whole room and use the sprayer to soak the tubs and cages. It really comes in handy during sheds . I have too many tubs and cages for the gallon sprayer now so the 2 gallon will be coming soon.
 
Hers is a list of stuff I keep in my snake room.

hemostats
pillowcases
rubbermaid containers
gallon of premixed chlorhexidine (sp?)
spray bottle of chlorhexidine
extra digital thermometers with probes
extra batteries for thermometers
temp gun
33 gallon rolling garbage can with lid
zip ties
clip boards
copies of Excel sheets to write down sheds, feeding etc.
small spray bottle for misting when snakes are in shed
spare thermostat
humidifier
couple gallon jugs for filling humidifier
scale
snake hook
replacement pieces of flexwatt
extension cords
heat packs
spare water dishes
tape measure
oil filled radiator
fan

This is the stuff above and beyond the snakes, racks, tubs and newspaper. I'm always looking for suggestions for anything to add!! I kinda like that idea for a strike shield Michael!! :)
 
The absolute must have for me is a hook.
I use it not only to move the animals so I don't get bitten but it also comes in handy sliding the tubs out just in case one is at the top ready to strike.
 
Something I always keep is a large bottle of waterless hand sanitizer for the obvious but also for getting latched on snakes off. I had one last week latch on to my thumb so I pumped a little into my other hand and placed it under the snakes nose and she let go quickly without hurting her or me.
I also keep the following extras:

Paper towels for clean up
probe set and KY Jelly
safety glasses for those nasty Asians that like going for the face
large clips for use on tubs with lids
soldering gun for melting holes and soldering flex watt
bungee cords for use on some of the larger tubs with lids
 
There are many obvious tools that we use. One thing that I could not live without is a small personal fan. The reptile room stays a little warmer than the rest of the house. (you know what I mean). After ten minutes in there I'd be sweating without my fan. :flamethr:
 
soldering gun for melting holes
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I won't do that in my animal rooms because I believe the fumes (burning plastic) are toxic. I know the smell is offensive.

Also, I have animals spread through 3 rooms, and a general problem with clutter, so I don't necessarily keep everything I need in my main reptile room. Newspapers get stored elsewhere and brought with me. Heat packs and boxes are in my office. Undiluted Chlorhexidine under the bathroom sink (the spray bottle follows me to the area I am working in). One other thing that I have in each of the two main areas is some sort of stepstool. My racks are 8 ft tall, and my cages are stacked 7 high + the height of the base, so I need something to stand on (and my wife got upset about me standing on the dining room chairs, lol). I don't really need it in the snake room, because I can always just pull the boxes out of the rack, but it makes life alot easier...especially when removing the ATB boxes from the top.
 
I never melt the holes in the snake room itself but I do keep the soldering gun there so I know where to find it! lol....
One other thing I forgot to mention was a box of rubber gloves for those really messy clean ups. When I had my Asian rats, they would leave a big mess and the gloves really helped with keeping my hands odor free!
 
My Raytek temperature gun is my favorite tool for the herp room. Not only can I check thermal gradients in the enclosures, but I can check the actual body temperature of my geckos, and actual temperature of incubating eggs!
 
hhmoore said:
you're such a girl :rofl:
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We are assuming that is a compliment.... :rolleyes:

My reptile room is also my study with my desk and computer. I keep a small plastic critter cage handy to put snakes in for when I am cleaning cages of the the smaller snakes, because the reptile room is so small and filled with cages, desk, books, etc., it would be a nightmare if one of them got loose.
 
hhmoore said:
you're such a girl :rofl:
Click to expand...
Its either that or my hands won't get near my girl because she hates that smell! LOL...... And there is nothing wrong with being touch with your feminie side.... Wait a minute... Yes there is! I am a soldier! The gloves go away TODAY! LOL.....
 
I use nitrile gloves myself. I work with rotten, pus filled, deteriorating, decomposing, skin cancer with a few cases of HIV and Hepatitis infected specimens at work. So it is just second nature to protect my hands. Also having dealt with salmonella poisoning before from food, I would hate to ever get it again from my reptiles.

One item I really have come to appreciate is the 18" tongs I bought, what a great way to trick snakes that are pesky eaters that only like live prey.
 
Golden Gate Geckos said:
My Raytek temperature gun is my favorite tool for the herp room.
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I love my Raytek...unfortunately, I sometimes forget where I left it :slamit:
(that's cuz I use it 3 or 4 different rooms, and have a tendency to leave it wherever...then my feeble mind and trickster eyes conspire to keep it hidden)
 
Just a few things:

1. The tempgun. "Never own herps without it."
2. Variety of good scrubbing pads, toothbrushes and bottlebrushes for cleaning.
3. Anti-bacterial dishsoap & handsoap, chlorhexidrine, bleach, glass & plexiglass cleaner.
4. LOTS of paper towels - bulk rolls of the cheap stuff, expensive rolls of the good select-a-size Viva for shoebox liners.
5. Separate set of towels that are just for the reptile stuff.
6. Ventilated plastic shelving racks for air-drying tubs, dishes, etc.
7. 8-drawer "office cart" for keeping & breeding a variety of mealworms, superworms, etc.
8. Separate wire mesh sifters for worms & substrate sifting.
9. Variety of tongs, tweezers, forceps
10. Mini-fridge for mealworms and veggies and a few cans of pop.
11. Sufficient electrical outlets (still working on that one).
12. Decent lighting.
13. GOOD racks. (it's amazing what a difference that makes)
14. Separate shelves for all of the shipping & packaging materials & supplies.
15. Pressurized garden-sprayer for WI's winter humidity issues.
16. Disposable water dishes from Superior--great for water dishes and humid hides for small snakes & geckos.

That's all I can think of right now.
 
PaulSage said:
4. LOTS of paper towels - bulk rolls of the cheap stuff, expensive rolls of the good select-a-size Viva for shoebox liners.
Click to expand...

OMG! I do that too! I thought I was the only one that was crazy enough to buy the expensive select-a-size specifically for my shoeboxes! :) I'm always yelling at the hubby to not touch that roll because it's just for the small boxes!
 
Okay...top of our list would be poop scoops. Immediately followed by lots and lots of paper towels and the brown "construction paper" from Home Depot. The brown paper is great for catching those really nasty superworm poos, and for covering tanks or enclosure windows for stressed animals. Then of course, there would be the temp gun. How did I ever get by without one of those things.
 
One of my must haves is a radio. I'm surprised no one else has mentioned one. I finally got a temp gun and love it. Don't know how I survived without it. :hehe:
 
I usually just enjoy the sounds my snakes make......COMPLETE SILENCE!!!!!!!!! My snake room is my haven so I like it nice and quiet. No radio, no phone, AND NO BOSS!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
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