Soon to be BP owner seeking guidance

[Vudu_Meg]

Hello everyone, happy to be joining you all ♥
I have been lurking the forums for a long time now, im not new to herps but taking the leap but id like to aquire my first BP as soon as I get educated enough and have everything I need properly arranged and ready for him/her.

I've been getting a bit of conflicting info so I'm hoping that you may be able help me sort some of it out and figure out whats best for my situation. Although im sure many of you will have different views thats the beauty of these forums and I will listen and appreciate everyone's advice and opinions, thanks...

The equipment I currently have on hand which I plan on using is an exoterra 36x18x24, ive read how to set up a glass enclosure sticky so I will be following that as my guide. I have a heat dome I will be using with the red heat bulb to boost my cool side temps...I will be buying a large uth and themostat and waterbowl, blue shop papertowel as substrate and the tin foil tape, tin foil for the screen and the digital probe thermeter from walmart..im hoping they still sell thoses here in canada. I might stick a piece of java wood in there to aid shedding and for something in case he/she does in fact want to scale something, of course ill also buy most likely 2 small black hide boxes since it will be a hatchling/juvie.

The concern I have is the size of the enclosure... I had contacted the best place to get reptiles in my area and asked them about emclosure size because I was concerned that maybe it would be a bit too large since ive been reading a lot on the forums and watching vids a d more often then not ppl have smaller enclosures and bins than larger ones, stating that the snakes would rather be in smaller spaces than be in a larger enclosure. I asked the girl (its her and her boyfriend? Husband) hobbyists turned shop owners she told me,
Quote " a male would be ok with a 36 terrarium a female would eventually out grow it. we can talk in detail about how to set it up when you come in".

I also asked about morphs, im looking for the cheapest morphs to start out with since I still have to spend money on that other stuff... might get some of it for christmas from my hubby..lol... but still, not looking to breed just want a nice normal to start or a fair priced morph, but asked her pricing and they have a normal het ghost for 59.99 and a mojave for 149.99 they have a bunch of other morphs but I think they are way more than that so way out of my price range.

I did meet a girl on kijiji, which is camadian version of craigslist. She seems nice saw pics of her snakes she seems to have good husbandry, emailed back and forth and she gave me tons of info and she said that she thought the snake would be fine in that size terrarium as long as there were at least 2 or 3 hides so the snake felt secure. She was selling 2 cinnamon hatchlings left from a clutch that had 1 normal, 2 cinns 1 spider. Shes selling the cinns for 175 each which seems fair to me. I tried to attach a pic of her babies they look healthy but its saying I dont have permission to do that lol.. She says she will have another clutch hatching by next spring/summer if im not interested in her last ones this clutch. what do you guys think?

[Damondpeppers]

I brought my ball python for $20 he was a hatchling 1 month old when I got him I drove 2 hrs to pick him up off the breeder


1.0 normal Bp #jr

[Damondpeppers]

Now he 5month old


1.0 normal Bp #jr

[200xth]

36x18x24 is like 250 liters right?

It's big because of the vertical space, but the floor space is about the same as mine (37 qts) which you can use for both adult males and females. With extra vertical space you can put some stuff in there for it to climb on as it gets older.

While your snake is a hatchling, you may need to clutter it up a bit to help your hatchling feel secure, but with a bit of effort you can make that enclosure work just fine.

[KMG]

A tank that size can be used successfully. I did it. I like naturalistic tanks and the glass tank displays well so I still use two. The key is making the snake feel secure by giving it a few hides and objects that will allow the snake to feel hidden as it crawls from hide to hide and explores its tank. Being a naturalistic keeper this is easy as I use natural substrate, live and fake plants, driftwood, moss, and hides. This is a older pic of my tank.

This is a more recent one. I had to eventually take out the old plants as they got to large so I got young ones and started over. My snake is now a few years old and has always been one of my best feeders which is saying a lot since she is my only ball and the rest of my collection are known as great eaters. She has only refused a hand full of times and that was usually because of a shed.

One thing I would suggest is adding up what everything the tank is going to need will cost. Then think about how many snakes you plan on buying and multiple the total by the number of snakes you plan on keeping. Tanks are not cheap and you may find it a better choice to shell out the money for a rack that can hold 4-5 balls even though it may be a while until you have more than one.

If you think a rack may work you need to make sure where you want to put it will be able to produce warm enough air temps inside the tubs. Heat tape does nothing for the air temp so if you get a rack and place it in a cold room your air temps will not be high enough. Some find placing it in a closet(sometimes heated) works and others like me place them in a heated room just for the snakes.

There are many things that come into play when you start keeping snakes over keeping a snake. It can get expensive. Try to think out your plans first so you don't waste money on things that end up not being right for your plans.

As for the morph question the others here can probably give a better answer than I can. I just get what I like and I don't have any plans to ever breed balls.

[The Golem]

You can get this thermometer/hygrometer from Home Hardware, don't remember exact price but between $15-20.
http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/in...Ntt=hygrometer
Local store didn't have it in stock but I ordered online and it was delivered there within a few days.

and a Benetech IR temp gun,

http://www.dx.com/p/benetech-gm320-1...Q#.VG-jyovF-oQ

it's a good combo to have constant ambient readings in the tank and also take spot measurements of enclosure glass surface, thawed rats, etc. The temp gun is accurate when held about 2" - 6" away. Free shipping but it took around 3 weeks to arrive.

[Vudu_Meg]

200xth-
Thanks, ill definitely clutter it up if I grt a younger snake to make them feel more comfortable. I really didnt believe id have toget a new tank for a ball python, a boa or burmese ya of course lol.

KMG-
I really love the natural route as u did in your setups, I showed my hubby this post as we both love your tank pics...its making me think I shpuld change my mind about my substrate descision, I dont want to go the aspen direction though because im already going to have a difgicult time with humidity as it is so any advice on that front? Is cypress mulch or orchid bark expensive? Or should I go aspen with a bit wad of sphanum inside to add humidity?...any ideas would be appreciated. I have a few plants fake and real I could introduce had a cool idea after looking at your post, I have this nice and sentimental clipping of a christmas cactus my friend gave me before she moved away to montreal it blooms these wicked red blossoms during winter months..its meant to be a hanging plant, had an idea to hang it some how because it drapes so maybe I could rig up a shower caddy box turn that into retaining pot, since it doesnt need much water..and then suction it to the wall of the tank, I think it would be really nice I alsonhave one of the plants you have in your setup the suction one at the back there so ill use that as well...I have this weird one too but not sure where id use it.. its bendable so we will see

Golem- thanks for the links to those 2 items ill def go get those I have a lot of work ahead of me...so very excited, ill keep you all posted, thanks for the help. Keep your advice coming if u can think of anything else, its appreciated

[KMG]

I like cypress mulch and have used a good while. Recently I changed as I wanted a substrate that looked better than just straight cypress. I ended up mixing cypress, repti-bark, and eco earth. I mix all three in a big tub in the proportions that I thought would look best in my tanks. Once I was happy with the mix I scoop it into the cages.

One great tip for humidity is to create a humid hide by placing moss in the hides. When a shed is coming I keep it damp until the shed is complete. During regular times I make it damp and allow it to dry out before making it damp again. Using moss in the hide will make the hide more humid than the rest of the tank but since your snake will spend most its time in the hides it benefits greatly from it. Moss in the hides can also make a hide that is a bit to large feel smaller and more secure.

I would be cautious with putting a plant you really care about in with your snake. Some snakes can be kinda rough on plants as they crawl around and through them. Even being stuck on the back wall your snake will probably crawl and hang from everything you put there.

[Vudu_Meg]

Thought of another question, it was recommended in the sticky to grt a red heat bulb 75-100watt to improve the ambient heat for the tank but the tank used in the stick y was a 20g, my tank is the 36x18x24 so its going to be a lot higher resting on the screen...should I get a stronger wattage bulb then 100watt? Do you think the 100 will be strong enough to give me an ambient temp of aroynd 85? Im hoping to not have to buy bulbs twice and have to test them out lol...I was just doing a list now writing down all the stuff I need and checking prices out. Went to walmart they dont have the acurite digi thermo in canada walmart so ill have to check out the home depot for that brand, met an awesome guy though that worked at the walmart when I mentioned it was for a snake setup he owned a 12 foot burmese which he had to donate to a zoo, after he had to move to an apartment..we talked qbout reptiles for a good 20 minutes or so all during he was getting radio calls from coworkers and disregarding them lols...it was great, really awesome guy love when things like that happen.

[KMG]

a 75 or 100 watt bulb is to much for a 20 a gallon but should work fine for yours. Bulbs have tank size suggestions on the box. One easy thing to do is get the 100 watt bulb and put it on a dimmer. This extends the life of the bulb and allows you to adjust it to the perfect output. Make sure you get a regular style bulb and not a spot style bulb.

As for resting them on the screen I always recommend not doing that. Resting is on the screen makes you move it and being the heat they can put out you run the risk of melting things or even starting a fire. Also moving them and bouncing them around shortens the life of the bulb. I recommend using lamp stands, big box pet stores $20. These allow you o raise and lower, extend and retract the fixture so you can point and direct the heat and light exactly where you want it. A lamp stand also keeps the lamp over the enclosure the entire time so the tank does not cool while the screen is off and the light is moved to the side.A lamp stand can also be used as a dimmer. To get less heat raise the lamp and to get more heat lower it. Its pretty simple.

To give you an idea of what it may take to heat your tank I will tell you about mine. Its a 40 gallon in a room that's a constant 68F. I keep the screen mostly covered and covered three sides with thick art paper. To heat is I have a 100 watt che on the hot side and a 60 watt bulb on the cool side. Both fixtures are at full power but placed on lamp stands hoovers a few inches over the screen. My che has been pumping 24/7 for over two years now. They are a bit expensive but when used correctly they really pay for themselves. The trick is to use the wire basket style fixture made for them as they do not build up the heat and burn up the unit. Also I never move it or bounce it around since its on a stand.