Hi,

I may be getting a Ball Python in roughly a month and have been going through the interwebs for any info I can find. I've spent the last few hours reading through this site's FAQ's, Searching, and generally trying to answer as much as I can but I've reached a few road blocks. I'm planning on prepping the cage and getting it working to the best of my ability and wallet long before I get the snake.

I have a left over 10 Gallon tank, but upon inspection I wonder if I should go out and get a 20 Gallon. Would that be too much at first? Anyway, try to frame your answers in a 10-20 Gallon range for now if that is alright.

So, here it is:

1) Heat Placement
I appreciate the hard work put in by the members of this forum, but one thing I cannot seem to wrap my head around is placement within the cage. I've got a few wishlists going for items and I'll definitely be asking for help organizing that later, but I'm afraid I don't get the general idea

I am very much a visual learner and sometimes have a hard time wrapping my mind around walls of text. I've seen some good examples of tanks all over this forum, but I'm more interested in the science behind how they work.

With that in mind could someone explain to me both in words and pictures on placement of the necessities in a cage?

By this I mean things like the Ceramic Heat Lamp. Where does it go? Do I put the lamp on, say, the far right of the tank for a different climate? Do I put the lamp in the middle to keep ambient temperature up while letting an UTH do the job of climate gradient?

Depending on where the lamp and UTH go, where does the Hide (Say, an Exo-Terra Snake Cave) go? Under the lamp? Over the UTH? Do the Lamp and UTH occupy one side while Hide sits on the other side? I've seen differing opinions on whether or not 2 complete hides are necessary, and if they are do I keep one on either side? In that case, where do the lamp and UTH go?

Ontop of all of this... where does the water dish primarily sit? Do I put it under the Heating Lamp for maximum evaporation to keep humidity up, or would the mix of the water and the lamp "sunburn" the snake like it would a human? If not under the lamp, do I put it a short distance away from the lamp for a mix, or do I put it away from the lamp so that the water is cooler for soaking, while the other side of the tank exists for "dry" basking?

What I am primarily looking to know is how ventilation is going to work in the cage. Things like this intrigue me:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=90187

I'd like to understand the science behind that design. Does the air vent to the other side of the cage and fly out? Do you want to cover the airing the heat lamp is under as much as possible? Is the area of the lamp the highest or lowest humidity area?

You know... obsessive compulsive stuff. Visual, like, MS Paint mock ups of tank placement and explanation why would be very greatly appreciated.

2) Hides:
  • Should the water dish have a small Hide or be open air?
  • How many Hides overall are recommended?
  • How many till things get too noisy for the BP?
  • Are two Hides immediately necessary for a baby?
  • How many hides per 10 gallon?
  • If I was going for a Snake Cave should I go straight to medium?
  • Do the Hides have to be identical?


3) Substrates:
Is Compressed Coconut Fiber (Eco-Earth) a good Substrate? I've used it before with other animals and it seems great, but at the same time I wonder if the fibers would cause a health risk.

What about Fir Bark (Repti Bark)? I've seen it recommended, but is the bark harmful to be on at all times? I'm inexperienced with the skin of a Ball Python so I don't fully know what it can and can not handle and pieces of bark can come in a lot of shapes and sizes. Can the larger Substrate add a swallow risk, for example?

How about Cypress Mulch (Forest Floor Bedding)? It almost seems to be a medium between the two, with sharp bark and both small and large fibers with a "dirt" element to it. It also seems to be a very "wet" Substrate, but (at least through the bag) it does seem to have a nice texture.

I've used a lot of Substrate in the past, so I'm thinking of mixing roughly 30% Coconut Fiber with 70% Repti-Bark to get softer texture from the bark, as well as a little bit of a "sponge" action with the Substrate so that things don't evaporate too quickly, as well as acting as a "dirt" insulator against the UTH. I was also thinking along the lines of the Coconut softening the bark, while also keeping the bark's beneficial aid towards shedding. Under this mix I'd put a Terrarium Liner just in case the BP managed to push through to the glass bottom.

Thoughts? Am not entirely educated on how moist the Substrate should be and how often. Before anyone says anything, I am well aware of newspaper and so on but I personally don't mind cleaning cages.

  • How often should the tank be deep cleaned based on Substrate?
  • What should be done to Substrate before being introduced to the cage?


3) Heat/Lighting:
  • What Ceramic Heat Bulb wattage is ideal in a 10-20 Gallon Tank?
  • Placement of Heat Bulb within tank?
  • What should be under the Bulb? A Hide? A normal stone? A climbing stick? Nothing?


  • I've seen differing opinions -everywhere-, but is it OK to do a Day/Night cycle within the tank using a ReptiSun UVB and a Timer?
  • If a ReptiSun is against the rules (BP's being nocturnal in nature), would low-heat emission light be alright for day-time viewing (don't have the brightest house).


  • For a 10-20 Gallon Tank, how many UTH's are required if a Ceramic Bulb is also running?
  • Where would it/they be placed in the tank relative to Hides, Heat Bulb, Water, and so on?


4) Humidity/Ventillation:
I've been getting slightly different opinions on this depending on what book, website, caresheet, etc I look at and its got me looking a little too broad. Opinions seem to put the Humidity level anywhere between %50 and %70 normally, and %70 to %80 for shedding. %80 sounds about right for shedding, but I'm guessing I should middle ground for normal and try for a steady 60%?

I am also curious about how much circulation of air is needed in a tank, since I realize that a great way to hold humidity is to cover the top but assume a certain level of ventilation is necessary. I would also like to, as I mentioned above, know how the hot/cold and outside air circulate within the tank and how to manipulate that to your advantage.

5) Controls, Odds, Ends, and Wishlists:
See, at this point I'm not entirely sure how to -control- this mess and was hoping some of you wire geniuses could help me.

I have a few wishlist items that I've been thinking over and researching and would like some input on them:

Zoo Med Hygrotherm
Repti Fogger Terrarium Humidifier

The Day Light could also be placed on the wishlist. I've heard both good and bad about the Fogger and it seems to be a fairly polarizing item, but I've seen some promising reviews on it when mixed with the Hygrotherm. I have read some reviews on the Fogger being a little unreliable, but I also try to take in mind that even with a 99% success rate, the 1% will always talk the loudest. I have heard that over use can cause water build up, but I think I can avoid this problem by placing the nozzle over the water dish.

I've been looking over night/day timers and getting mixed results. I only need 1, but then I have to choose between digital and the mechanical and I'm not sure if the mechanical are all that reliable. At the same time, a single digital timer can go around $20-$30.

So, that leaves me with these electronics:

(1) Zoo Med Hygrotherm
(1) Repti Fogger Terrarium Humidifier
(1-2) Under Tank Heater(s)
(1) Dome Lamp Fixture and Ceramic Heat Bulb
(1) Terrarium Hood with ReptiSun UVB or Low-Heat Light Bulb

That puts me at about 5 cables, and now I draw a pictar!



With that set up I seem to have everything but the heating pad connected to a regulator. The Hygrotherm is definitely a budget item and I don't think I can afford the more expensive regulators right now, but it seems to do a decent job.

So, can anyone recommend an inexpensive regulator for the UTH? Alternatives to the Hygrotherm are welcome as well, but me and my sister would like to get the fogger if the Hygrotherm can indeed keep it reasonable. A spray bottle would indeed work regularly, but I'd like something to watch the snake while we're out of the house and keep the cage comfortably humid.

For now I'm not too worried about construction and sensor placement details, but rather sorting out the last kinks in my product list.

Anyway, thanks to anyone that read this far and I hope someone can help. I know its a lot of questions, but I felt it would be more appropriate to organize them in one thread instead of making a new thread for every problem.

Thanks.