Thinking, planning

[Kristaxhoward]

Hey there everyone.

I have done research on them before, but with living at my mothers.. I wasnt allowed to bring a snake home.

I'm finally looking towards moving out.. and also building a new enclosure for my beardy which i hope to work into having room for a snake or two.
I'm just kinda posting to confirm the requirements and ask a few questions.

*From what ive understood, they live happy in about a 30 gallon tank size..
Im building a custom enclosure.. it's 3 units stacked. each unit 24"x48"x24"
Could I divide one of the units into two for two seperate balls? or would leaving one to have alot of room be better?
*Also from what ive read the only lighting requirement is for heat.. while i would love to figure out how to give them their belly heat. that might be a little two hard with the custom wood enclosure, though my father may be able to figure it out(Electrician)..
*what type of substrate would be best? I'm using slate tile for my beardie. whatta bout this guy? :-/ I've heard the aspen shavings alot.. any other options? I want his enclosure to look rainforest natural..

Questions:
I am a bellydancer. I want to dance with my snakes!!! Can you guys suggest some really good socializing tips? I want to be able to take him out, him be relaxed, totally at ease and be able to have people approach me while he is on me.



Otherwise as far as everything else goes, I'm good so far.. they need a hide and a bowl they can for the most part submerge in..


one last question..


http://www.ralphdavisreptiles.com/co...clutch_2_4.jpg

What is that morph called? :|

[redstormlax12]

If you mean ball pythons by they then heres what advice ive got. Yes ball pythons can live in 30 gallon aquariums but the custom enclosure you want to build would be much better. Splitting the 4x2 cage in half would be great for two bp's. But a word of advice, dont make it 2 feet high. Your bp wont climb and it'll just make more space you have to heat. And with bp's bigger is not always better. They like cramped spaces. Not to say an adult should live in a ten gallon. But a 2X2 could work. Maybe not for a big female, but for a male i believe it would be fine. Now about lighting. There is no real need for it. Not like for your beardie. I like to have a day/night cycle with my herps but that can be debated. You dont need uvb light. Any fluorescent will work. Now to heat your custom enclosure i would go for radiant heat panels. Especially if you live in a cold climate. Radiant heat panels are the best and in the long run the cheapest way to heat. They're efficient and will save you money on your electric bills. Id suggest buying them from Pro-Products. They will tell you what size and wattage you need for your cage and their product is amazing. I have two panels myself. One for my bp and another for my SD retic. Now for substrate. Ball pythons dont come from the rainforest, so making it rainforesty wont be beneficial to your bp. blue iguana products has a great cocofiber based substrate with natural bacteria to help with cleanliness in your enclosure. I havent tried it out but im deffinetly considering it. As for now i use newspaper. Its basically free and easy to clean. It might not look great, but it is a great substrate. You can use aspen, just NO CEDAR OR PINE. They are deadly to your herp. As for socializing, your bp will never be social. They will tolerate handling to a point, but shouldnt be constantly stressed from handling. They are very reluctant to bite though. Your bp wont love dancing with you and i really dont think you should dance with any herp. They're not like our dogs or cats. They rely on instinct, not cognitive thought. Handling your bp on a regular basis will help them to be more comfortable with the handling but he/she will never be social. He/she will hide most of the day in their hide. As for that morph, Im almost positive they are super pastels. They range in the 800's i think. But a regular pastel is relatively inexpensive. Around 100-200 dollars depending on the sex and the grade.