Here is my story.

[BryanAndrew]

Hello,
I got a ball pythong as my first snake and did not knwo what i was doing at first. Had lack of things to start with but i think i am to the point were i might be alright with what i have now. I just want some outside opinions ill try to get some pictures up if i can.
I am really not sure how old he is and not really sure if the vendor was right about the sex. He is full grown (a little over 4ft) and has not grown much since i got him last April. His set up right now consist of:
-ceramic heat bulb
-moonlight bulb
-red heat bulb
-zoo med light hood with day light bulbs and one night bulb (timer built in)
-a big corner water bowl
-smaller water dish right under heat lamp (water is replace daily and clean once a week)
-rove cave
-branch
-astro turf (basicly outdoor carpet)
-2 temp digital gages on each end of tank stuck to glass close to floor
-1 hygrometer by the rock cave
-all of this is in a 40gal long glass tank with lockable top
-80-82day on one size 86-88 on other , night-75-78 one side 80-82 other
-humidity is around 45-50% (not sure if gage is very effective)

Now my main question is do i need a under tank heater?
i hear many people say i need it, but the temp is quite controlable without one plus i have him on a plactic table.
Any sugestions onchanges i should consider

Another question that might have something to do with the others is my ball has not eaten in almost 3 1/2 months now. He still has good size to him though and his last meal was a larger size rat. Could this still be hibernation?

I would be very thankful for as much advice as possible please.

Thanks,
-Bryan

[dreese88]

A UTH isn't necessary if temps & humidity are OK...It seems as humidity might be a tiny bit low, but not too bad and your night time temps are a little low for some people, but I keep my hot spot at 84 year round, but you may want to see if you can bump it a few degrees just for good measure.

BP's don't need lights of any sort. I keep my snakes in complete darkness unless I'm in the room. They still eat, they still breed, they still shed & they still poo. So really the regular light & the moonglow bulb are unnecessary.

The only thing that I see in your setup that I would really make an effort to change though is the substrate. While the repti carpet may seem like a good idea, it can get riddled with bacteria from stagnant poop and pee. I would switch to either a shredded aspen or Cyprus mulch or news paper.

How has he been eating for you?

Hope this helped

[Bundu Boy]

Hey Bryan

That's a long list of bits n pieces you got there.

First thing that should appear on the list the UTH (heat pad). You honestly do not need any of the 4 lightbulbs you have mentioned. I'd only use a bulb for viewing, and then that would be a low wattage fluorescent tube that would be out of reach of the snake or behind a shield of some sort.

Balls need belly heat more than anything else, especially for when digesting food. They do not need UV bulbs.

I do not see a thermostat on the list, how are you controlling temps? Get hold of one to control the UTH which needs to be on the warm side.

Balls do not hibernate so I'm wondering if the heating issue is causing your ball not too eat.

My setup is as follows for one of my ball cages.
Heating pad on warm side with temps set to 92 ish - controlled by thermostat
2 x identical hides, one at each end of the cage
Ambient temps at 82 ish ( I use a panel heater to keep my snake room at about this temp)
one water bowl over the warm side to aid in humidity
Astroturf as substrate ( i use newspaper in my racks)
Some plastic plants for cosmetic purposes
3 sides of the cage covered

Those are the basic.

First thing I would do is get your heating sorted, UTH is a must....

Good luck

[BryanAndrew]

i have feed him frozen medium rats (6in) he has eaten with no troulbe before. The only trouble i have had he usually eats it the next day or the second try

[seeya205]

My setup is as follows for one of my ball cages.
Heating pad on warm side with temps set to 92 ish - controlled by thermostat
2 x identical hides, one at each end of the cage
Ambient temps at 82 ish ( I use a panel heater to keep my snake room at about this temp)
one water bowl over the warm side to aid in humidity
Astroturf as substrate ( i use newspaper in my racks)
Some plastic plants for cosmetic purposes
3 sides of the cage covered

That is an great example of a setup! You need the UTH! I only use a infered bulb during winter months to get the ambient temp up! I use coconut husk for a substrate but that is up to you! You need to get your warm side up to a constant 90-94 all day and night! You need to have two identical hides, one on cool side(80-84 degrees) and one on the warm side! You should have a digital thermometer with a probe right on the uth so you can get an acurate measurement of the belly temp. If you make these changes, he should start eating for you in about a week! Good luck!

[BryanAndrew]

just bought a UTH today and getting ride of some of the lights on the top.

[seeya205]

You also need something to control the uth! Dimmers are cheap and can be bought at your local hardware store but you always have to adjust them and watch the temps daily. Another way and the best way is a thermostat but they are pricey! UTHs get way to hot just plugged staight into the wall and will burn and/or kill your snake!

[tizzle89]

new at owning a ball.. ur setup is like mine only lights are a must in my situation lol live in alaska with a room temp of 55 to 60 max i just recently covered the back of my glass cage with tinfoil shiny side pointing into the cage.. this keeps alot of heat in since my lights bounce off it and back into the cage. uth are not as horrible as ppl are saying on this forum though.. buy a zoo med uth for a 10 to 20 gallon cage.. on the glass right over the uth in my cage gets to 93.1 max with no light.. but like i said my room is 55 degrees if you have an 80 degree room then yes you would push alot more heat . substrate i use is dirt with coconut fibers.. zoo meds eco earth like 3 bucks for 30 gallons of it.. cheap and very effective at keeping humidity..

on this forum imo you have to do what works for you and your snake.. ppl in vegas arent going to have the same setup or needs as alaskans... so keep this in mind before you go making your cage like others my biggest issue is heat when my room gets colder so does my cage so i have to up the wattage of my lights..

digi probe thermometers are the best imo you can set the prob under the hides to check the temp the exact temp lol just let them sit there and see what ur over all temp is if its to hot move some stuff around to cold ... move some stuff around lol

oh and dont subject your snake to these changes test everything while your snake is out of the cage .. you might stress it out even more then it already is

[Wh00h0069]

One thing that I would like to add is getting a digital thermometer / hygrometer, with a probe. You need it to properly measure your temperature and humidity. The stick-on types do not work properly.

[Vypyrz]

... buy a zoo med uth for a 10 to 20 gallon cage.. on the glass right over the uth in my cage gets to 93.1 max with no light.. but like i said my room is 55 degrees if you have an 80 degree room then yes you would push alot more heat . substrate i use is dirt with coconut fibers..

That's a very good point. The first tank I set-up had a small UTH with no controller. My room temps were 78-80. The first time I checked the UTH with a temp gun it was cooking at 103F. Fortunately, I caught it before my snake got burned. So yes, depending on alot of factors, ie. the individual heater, ambient temps, type of enclosure, etc... you may be able to get away without using a controlling device, but it is going to be a gamble that only you can determine whether or not you are willing to take. You can get thermostats that range in price from $25-30 all the way up to over $300. A relatively small investment for the health, welfare, and safety of your pet...