Few questions

[jeffreybas]

Hi all I am new here and hopefully soon to be new to owning a BP.
I have Bern thinking of getting a BP for a while now and have finally decided to look into it seriously. But before I go out and buy a bunch of useless junk I wanted to get some info on what I should be doing.

Tank size... is it best to just go straight to a 40 gallon or should I adjust as the snake gets bigger?

I read not to use a heat rock but instead use a heat pad under the tank...is this always needed? Or only if I need to get that side to the right temp?

I'm not a huge fan of having to buy bedding all the time and want something relatively easy to maintain. What would be some good options?

when starting out what are the must have things to buy?
I know big enough water dish, hide away and a branch of some type.
Are lamps needed?

Basically any info I can get will make this so much easier on me.

I'm sure a lot of these questions are answered all over these forums but I am using my phone and searching forums can be a pain at times so I apologize in advance.



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[TheWinWizard]

Start small with the tank, I'd do a 20 long. No heat rock, use an under tank heater with a thermostat. Between 90 and 93 degrees. for bedding use newspaper or paper towels. You don't need lamps. You don't need a branch, but you do need the water bowl and 2 identical hides, one for the warm side, and one for the cool side. Welcome to the forums.

[Jaxx]

Hi and Welcome to the forum. I am also new here and to BP ownership. While searching through this site, I came across this... http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet I wish I would have found it when I first decided to get a BP, I spent several weeks searching all over the net to get that info, when it was all in one place right here on this site. Good luck with your purchase. I am extremely happy with my BP.

[ogdentrece]

Firstly, welcome. Glad you're ensuring you got everything before you go ahead and get your pet.

As for the enclosure, best if you start smaller and work it up, but I guess its still pretty safe enough if you go straight for the 40, but if so try to include a couple more hides. Then as he grows remove the hides and replace with fewer larger ones.

Don't get a heat rock no matter what, whether or not you need it to control temperature. An UTH should be able to help you with the temperature. More on it in the last paragraph.

Newspaper and paper kitchen towels are of course the cleanest and most readily available. Problem with newspaper is that the sheets are so big that you have to remove everything everytime they go. I'd rather use paper kitchen towels where you can replace the individual squares which are soiled whenever he goes instead of taking everything out. But this of course is aesthetically less appealing than the other options.

I dont really know what you mean by keeping buying substrate, but with other substrates like mulch or aspen etc, you can just spot clean and remove the soiled parts everytime, changing it over every couple of months only. And a seemingly small bag of packed substrate can turn out to be alot when taken out and ruffled. It can last you quite a while and you dont have to keep going back to buy more.

HideS and a water dish are the bare essentials. I don't like lamps, they seriously suck humidity like nobody's business and makes it nearly impossible to control. You should be able to heat the floor up enough just using the heatpad alone. Just don't use an excessively thick layer of bedding. They do get pretty hot, so shouldn't be a problem, just please use with a thermostat. Note here that the UTH's may not raise the ambient temperatures of the tank very much, but as long as the floor temps are warm enough, itll be fine. Put a hide over it and the air in there would warm up quite a lot too.

Anyhow, I'd highly suggest setting everything up first, testing temperature and humidity and making sure everything's right and in place before bringing your new pet home.

[jeffreybas]

Thanks guys for the replies.

When I said buying bedding and all that all the time I figured I had to do a full change out weekly or so. IF its just spot cleaning and then a full change monthly I can deal with that.

I totally plan on buying everything but the BP at first and getting the tank set up correctly. I use to have fish so I am use to getting the tank right before even putting anything alive in it.

Once I get around to actually getting everything set up I am sure I will have more questions.

[jeffreybas]

actually well searching online right now I am having a hard time finding Accu-Rite digital thermometer/hygrometer that has the probe and shows the two separate temps. If anyone has a link they can share with me that would be great.

[Skittles1101]

Some good advice on this thread.

Hi all I am new here and hopefully soon to be new to owning a BP.
I have Bern thinking of getting a BP for a while now and have finally decided to look into it seriously. But before I go out and buy a bunch of useless junk I wanted to get some info on what I should be doing.

Tank size... is it best to just go straight to a 40 gallon or should I adjust as the snake gets bigger?

I read not to use a heat rock but instead use a heat pad under the tank...is this always needed? Or only if I need to get that side to the right temp?

I'm not a huge fan of having to buy bedding all the time and want something relatively easy to maintain. What would be some good options?

when starting out what are the must have things to buy?
I know big enough water dish, hide away and a branch of some type.
Are lamps needed?

Basically any info I can get will make this so much easier on me.

I'm sure a lot of these questions are answered all over these forums but I am using my phone and searching forums can be a pain at times so I apologize in advance.



Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

1) I personally think a 40 gallon tank is far too large for a ball python (if your getting a baby), although it's not impossible and plenty of people do it without issue. However, my personal experience is this. I made my own rack, and got tubs that are the same size as a 40 gallon tank. My ball python stopped eating once he was in it, and didn't eat again for 5 weeks until I bought a smaller sized tub for him. He had hides and all that stuff, but it was just so large...and he's not a tiny baby snake he was about 350 grams at the time.

2) No heat rock ever. They are not made for snakes and they will seriously burn themselves if you add that to the enclosure. Stay far away from them. A UTH is the most beneficial heat source for a ball python. Belly heat helps with digestion. You just put the UTH on (I'd tape it, as opposed to taking the adhesive off and sticking it to it, this way it's removable without risking damaging it.) The main issue with UTHs is they get VERY hot, my small Zoomed one was making my tank floor over 130 degrees before I got a thermostat. Thermostats are crucial if you use a UTH. I'd stay away from heat lamps, as they tend to get very hot as well and they suck the humidity out of the tank, which will give you bad sheds.

3) As someone else mentioned, you can spot clean bedding in between full blown cleanings. However, some substrate is harder to detect if they just urinate, leaving room for bacteria to build up. I use aspen in my quarantine rack and have had perfect sheds and easily spot any kind of fluids. BUT it does not hold humidity as well in a tank. Depending on where you live you will need to mist once or twice a day. People use everything from newspaper to paper towels for substrate, as long as you stay away from pine and cedar, you're fine.

4) You will need two hides, that are tight fitting for the snake. They like small spaces, I buy mine from Reptile Basics, they have some very nice hides that are easy to clean. One on the hot side, one on the cold side. You can use anything as cheap as a tupperware container or a tissue box. In my tank I have a larger water dish, to help keep humidity up, just make sure if you have a small ball python it's not deep enough for them to drown in, just to be safe. I have a suctioned fake plant for him to climb on, he loves it. Those cheap humidity and temp guages are useless, however my ball python like to perch across them lol.
http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instrum...6350876&sr=8-3
That is a digital thermometer and hygrometer, much more accurate that analog. I also own a temp gun, which comes in very handy because I have multiple snakes. You can find them as cheap as 25 bucks. Other than that, those are the main points. Good luck on your new pickup (when you get him/her)

Here is a list of the thermostats that I have used.
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...6351025&sr=8-1

http://www.reptilebasics.com/johnson...stat-pre-wired

http://www.coldbloodedsupply.com/pro...-SHIPPING.html

The last one is by far my favorite, but it's $118 shipped. The others work well also, the only problem with the first one is once the probe is gone, you have to replace the whole unit, and I don't know the life span on the probe.

[jeffreybas]

Is this a good thermostat/Hygrometer
http://www.amazon.com/TX5170-Indoor-..._ob_hg_title_3

[Skittles1101]

Is this a good thermostat/Hygrometer
http://www.amazon.com/TX5170-Indoor-..._ob_hg_title_3

That is a thermostat, and will not keep your UTH from getting too hot....

Thermometer reads reads, thermostat adjusts them.

I don't know anything about that thermometer, I've only really ever heard people suggest the Acu Rite one that I linked, which I use also

Oh, and I found the one I linked at Home Depot and Lowes for cheaper than Amazon, and you don't have to pay for shipping.

[jeffreybas]

lol meant Thermometer.

Looks like I will look into the one you linked then. If I buy both the acu-rite and the hydrofarm I can get free shipping so guess that would a good deal.