Inspect my shopping cart!

[nickxshort]

I'm finally purchasing my first ball python within the next month! I'm still doing lots of research and contacting various breeders to find out where I'll be purchasing him from. If you guys have any recommendations for online breeders please post them! I'm interested in purchasing a normal ball python.

I have been slowly collecting supplies for my new ball python and I already have:
- Tub
- Spray Bottle
- Flexwatt
- Hide
- Water dish

In the meantime I have been getting together a shopping cart from amazon and wanted you guys to have a look.

The rest of the items are in my cart:


I have some questions though:

1) How good will that substrate work? Its really cheap and I don't mind the extra labor cost to save me a few bucks.
2) Where do you guys buy food?! I haven't had much luck finding online retailers so fill me in on some popular websites.
3) Am I missing any important items?

I understand some of these items are on the cheap side, but I just need them to last until summer time when I'm working.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Looks good but if you want to use Eco-earth and flexwatt you will need to make sure that they layer of substrate is 1/2" thick or less so the heat can penetrate. I would go with a paper based or corrugated wrap substrate but Eco-earth can be made to work.

I buy feeder rodents from rodent pro

[nickxshort]

Yeah I'm still debating if the eco-earth substrate is going to be worth the time, money, and effort.
Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to check out rodent pro too.

[DooLittle]

Looks good but if you want to use Eco-earth and flexwatt you will need to make sure that they layer of substrate is 1/2" thick or less so the heat can penetrate. I would go with a paper based or corrugated wrap substrate but Eco-earth can be made to work.

I buy feeder rodents from rodent pro

Where do you get the corrugated wrap from?

[amgbabyboi]

I use newspaper as a substrate, it's cheaper but you need to change often. You will enjoy the cleaning and changing of the newspaper for now, I am quite sure. #qualitytime

[The Serpent Merchant]

I order it online there are a few different places it depend on where you live for which one is cheapest (because of shipping) just google it the first few hits are all good.

This is the site I get mine from: http://www.papermart.com/Product%20P...x?GroupID=4608

[Annarose15]

If you're looking for a hatchling, I'd just go with paper towels for substrate for now. It's easier to spot problems like mites, as well as see when you need to clean. Once they're older (500g or so), I switch mine to cypress mulch.

Speaking of weight, make sure you get a digital kitchen scale for monitoring your new BP and his/her prey size.

For holes in the tub, you can get a cheap soldering iron from Home Depot (or pretty much anywhere else) - it leaves MUCH smoother edges than trying to get clean holes with a drill.

For online feeders, I use RodentPro as well.

Oh, and I would go for 16" tongs, not the 10", so your BP doesn't outgrow them. I can't imagine having my hand only ten inches away from my big girls on feeding day!

And just in case you haven't, review the caresheet to see if there's anything else we're missing: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Good luck!

[kitedemon]

I like the eco earth myself works great with extra humidity if needed you may not with a tub set up. Forget the feeding tweezers they don't hold anything well and find a pair of hemostats. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemostat
they actually work.

I am not a fan of flexwatt stuck on a tub it sags and is a bit odd also Flexwatt is a fast heating and can get very hot very quickly the hydrofarm t-stat delivers 100% power until 2 degrees over the set point and then shuts off and waits until 2 under. Not a problem with a slow heating source or a heavy enclosure but a light enclosure with fast heating source could generate rapid high temps when the unit first comes on. Especially with hydrofarms the probe is slow responding (metal tipped). This is 100 times more pronounced in cool room temps (77 and cooler).

I might suggest that either a different heat source or T-stat. There are a number of safer heat pads that are lower wattage and lower heat than flexwatt something like a ultratherm or exoterra rainforest. the ultratherms rarely produce 100º unregulated and the rainforest 110 at the max. They are lower wattage and slower to heat so they take longer to get hot and don't swing as far on the high end due to this. (ultratherms have a much better rep)

A proportional T-stat (herpstat, helix, eco zone, habistat) don't allow the heat source to ever full heat up or cool the switch them on and off rapidly (many times a second) and deliver the set temp basically all the time the source is a constant temp. The heat source is not an average temp system like on/off methods but a constant temp.

[warlord]

for buying a snake i would try and find a reptile expo near you first that way you get to see alot of stuff in person and prices will be cheaper because you wont have to pay shipping and some breeders will gie you a deal....but as for online breeders check out ralphdavisreptiles.com or bhbreptiles.com

[nickxshort]

I like the eco earth myself works great with extra humidity if needed you may not with a tub set up. Forget the feeding tweezers they don't hold anything well and find a pair of hemostats. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemostat
they actually work.

I am not a fan of flexwatt stuck on a tub it sags and is a bit odd also Flexwatt is a fast heating and can get very hot very quickly the hydrofarm t-stat delivers 100% power until 2 degrees over the set point and then shuts off and waits until 2 under. Not a problem with a slow heating source or a heavy enclosure but a light enclosure with fast heating source could generate rapid high temps when the unit first comes on. Especially with hydrofarms the probe is slow responding (metal tipped). This is 100 times more pronounced in cool room temps (77 and cooler).

I might suggest that either a different heat source or T-stat. There are a number of safer heat pads that are lower wattage and lower heat than flexwatt something like a ultratherm or exoterra rainforest. the ultratherms rarely produce 100º unregulated and the rainforest 110 at the max. They are lower wattage and slower to heat so they take longer to get hot and don't swing as far on the high end due to this. (ultratherms have a much better rep)

A proportional T-stat (herpstat, helix, eco zone, habistat) don't allow the heat source to ever full heat up or cool the switch them on and off rapidly (many times a second) and deliver the set temp basically all the time the source is a constant temp. The heat source is not an average temp system like on/off methods but a constant temp.

That's some great advice, I'll dump the flexwatt and look into something that heats slowly. I'm hoping amazon carries something that will work as I have a gift card there and no shipping/sales tax! I think I will def get some longer tongs, and just stick with newspaper substrate for now. A scale will also be a good idea, never thought about that!

I'm glad I posted this before I went ahead and ordered everything!