Building a Cage

[frownifdown]

First of all, I'm very excited to find this forum. I finally convinced my mom to let me buy a ball python and I am getting a 5 month old one with a cage and total set up for $60, which is a great deal. I don't really want to keep it in a 20 gallon tank for too long, as a much bigger one that it can live in forever would be much more ideal right now. So I started building one and am currently waiting on the plexiglass to continue. I have some questions about building it...

My cage will be 3 feet tall and 45 inches long with side lengths of around 2 feet.

1.) Is there some sort of material I should coat my wood with to ensure it is safe for the snake? I will be completely sanding the back wall of the cage but the bottom is completely smooth. Just wondering if there is something I should coat it with in case there is any chance there are chemicals in it?

2.) What should I put in my cage to make it realistic? What is the best bedding? I would like to put a waterfall in one corner but I'm not sure if it is OK to do with a ball python. I would like to spend less than $100 on the inside of it and can add things as I go, but for starters what should I have in addition to a big water dish, heating pad, and a hideaway. Would a ball python climb in a tree at all?

3.) Is plexiglass the best option or is there something cheaper?

That's all I have right now. Thanks in advance!

[Fataltix]

First of all, I'm very excited to find this forum. I finally convinced my mom to let me buy a ball python and I am getting a 5 month old one with a cage and total set up for $60, which is a great deal. I don't really want to keep it in a 20 gallon tank for too long, as a much bigger one that it can live in forever would be much more ideal right now. So I started building one and am currently waiting on the plexiglass to continue. I have some questions about building it...

My cage will be 3 feet tall and 45 inches long with side lengths of around 2 feet.

1.) Is there some sort of material I should coat my wood with to ensure it is safe for the snake? I will be completely sanding the back wall of the cage but the bottom is completely smooth. Just wondering if there is something I should coat it with in case there is any chance there are chemicals in it?

2.) What should I put in my cage to make it realistic? What is the best bedding? I would like to put a waterfall in one corner but I'm not sure if it is OK to do with a ball python. I would like to spend less than $100 on the inside of it and can add things as I go, but for starters what should I have in addition to a big water dish, heating pad, and a hideaway. Would a ball python climb in a tree at all?

3.) Is plexiglass the best option or is there something cheaper?

That's all I have right now. Thanks in advance!

Hey there, I actually just finished building a cage for my ball python, he loves it .

A note on your dimensions. Three vertical feet is a complete waste of space, your BP will never use it, due to it being extremely rare for an adult ball python to climb. I would suggest going 3'x1.5'x2' (LxHxW), which gives you a nice size for a display cage. One and a half feed tall is all a BP would EVER need.

1.) Depends on the wood. Pine is a no-go, contains toxins that will kill your snake. I used melamine wood, which is pre-sealed shelving material. For coating/painting though I would use acrylic with a coat of polyurathane.

2.) I love cypress mulch for bedding, its cheap, looks great, and is fantastic for humidity. Waterfalls are awesome, I almost put one in my cage... But damn man, a ton of work. And chances are, your bp won't even notice . If you want your cage to look good, get him 3 really natural hides and some greenery. Then maybe wallpaper for the walls.

3.) Plexiglass for the front I assume? You can always buy sheets of clear acrylic (plexiglass is just a brand name for clear acrylic glass substitutes..) from Home Depot for very cheap. I started with plexi, but ended up going with tempered plate glass (custom cut) because it was much more solid feeling. The plexi had a lot of flex for the thickness I wanted (1/4"), and it wasn't that much more expensive to get real glass, about a 10 dollar difference.

Good luck with your cage mate, I'm sure you'll do a good job . Grats on the snake btw .

Cheers,
Fatal

[frownifdown]

Awesome answer, thanks so much. I put an ad on craigslist for plexiglass and a guy contacted me with two 4x4 sheets for $65 which are perfect dimensions. I think I'll use all of the plexiglass and make two levels so I can add another animal or animals on the other level. They are only .125 inches thick but I'm not worried about thickness at all.

I'll be using plexiglass for 3 sides and wood for the back. I'm plannin on using the jungle type wallpaper for the back. I may get some frogs or something like that that will appreciate more scenic tank accessories. Lol. I'll just put them on the other tank or one of the 20 gallons I have. I really just want to have a cool looking tank without having to shell out the big bucks.

How am I supposed to control humidity and what are the general requirements for that? Im not really sure what I'm supposed to do climate-wise in the tank. I know it needs to be more humid come shedding time.

[Fataltix]

I'd really recommend checking out some of the care guides on this site, they provide a lot of good information in regards to climate. But... just to sum it up, for a BP you want:

A cool side of about 80* F.

A hot side (often refferred to as a basking area) around 90-95* F.

And a humidity range from 40-50%, often bumped up to around 60% during shed.

There are a numerous different methods for maintaining such a climate. First we having heating. Most people like to use UTH's, or under the tank heaters. These are heat mats that heaat the bottom of the cage and allow the heat to radiate upwards (but not far). It is always important that you use thermostats with heat pads, as they can overhurt and burn your snake.

The other form of heating usually comes in radiant heat panels, as heat lamps and ceramic heat emmitters tend to dry out the cage. Radiant heat panels tend to be more expensive, but can be ideal for taller enclosures. I'd check out the panels over at pro-products.com, that's where I get mine. These too require a thermostat.

In order to monitor or alter the humidity, many things can be done. Two key things would be the substrate, something that maintains and holds humidity (cypress is great, so is coconut husk) and a large water bowl placed under/over the heat source. It also depends on the humidity of your local area. I'm from Utah, so the humidity is always very low, 10-20%, so I use cypress mulch, place my water bowls under the RHP's, and often mist during shed times.

Another note, when it comes to building a custom enclosure, you need to make sure it is well ventilated. Screen tops are baaad, they provide too much air flow and let too much heat and humidity escape. For wood enclosures I recommend cutting 1-3" (diameter) holes and covering them with screen in a few high locations to allow some humidity out and to prevent the air from becoming stale.

If you have any other questions, fire away .

Cheers,
Fatal

PS: If I were you, I'd only make the front of your cage out of plexi, snakes, especially ball pythons, are not very outgoing. They like to hide, and a fully clear cage doesn't let them do that and can stress them out. If you are set on all glass, make sure you provide pleanty of hiding places and greenery to hide him.

[frownifdown]

First of all, thanks so much. You've been an enormous help. I'll definitely check some guides on here later as I'm on my iPhone right now.

I'll check the guides before asking a bunch more questions but two I have right now are about heat and misting.

Why is a heat lamp better for tall cages? For mine if I make it 1.5 feet tall, would a uth be fine? I actually think the tank I'm buying with the snake has two heat lamps but I'm just curious.

For misting, does this just involve spraying the snake with several blasts from a mist bottle?

Ok one last question, sorry. Lol. I'm just really excited to get the snake and want to learn as much about care as possible so I can give I a really awesome home and life. Are there any special sprays or stuff like that that I'd ever need to buy? Like a medication type thing that I'd have to use under Amy circumstances? Again, thanks so much.

[frownifdown]

Oh I forgot to mention that I still plan on using plexiglass all around but will definitely take into consideration a bps desire for seclusion and provide plenty of shrubbery and hideaways. Which makes me think of one final question, at least for now
Do people ever put real plants in with a bp or is it too much trouble to deal with those too.

[Fataltix]

First of all, thanks so much. You've been an enormous help. I'll definitely check some guides on here later as I'm on my iPhone right now.

I'll check the guides before asking a bunch more questions but two I have right now are about heat and misting.

Why is a heat lamp better for tall cages? For mine if I make it 1.5 feet tall, would a uth be fine? I actually think the tank I'm buying with the snake has two heat lamps but I'm just curious.

For misting, does this just involve spraying the snake with several blasts from a mist bottle?

Ok one last question, sorry. Lol. I'm just really excited to get the snake and want to learn as much about care as possible so I can give I a really awesome home and life. Are there any special sprays or stuff like that that I'd ever need to buy? Like a medication type thing that I'd have to use under Amy circumstances? Again, thanks so much.

No problem man! We were all where you are right now at one point, its exciting to see a new member joining the community, I'm happy to help .

Ok, so first question.. I personally don't recommend heat lamps period. They can work, but it makes it really difficult to maintian proper humidity. The key thing to realize here is that you're getting a ball python, and while it isn't impossible for them to climb, its highly improbable. As such, ground temperature is most important. In a 1.5 ft tank a heatpad would be just fine. In taller enclosures, I've seen people use both, lamps or radiant heat for the air temp, and a uth for the ground. In your case, I think an under the tank heater with a thermostat would be just fine.

So for misting, you generally don't want to spray the snake, but very lightly spray the substrate or hides and other decor. The point is simply to increase the amount of evaporation occurring and as a result, the humidity. I usually just lightly mist the substrate every few days, just make sure the humidity is at least 40%.

Real plants eh? I know that some people have done it, but honestly, it sounds like a huge pain. I don't think that it would be a problem for the snake as long as they were welll maintained and healthy.. but you'd have to be careful. You certainly wouldn't want to just uproot some plants from your back yard, got to be mindful of lurking parasites and such.

About the special sprays... as far as I'm aware, no. You don't need anything like that. In the case that your snake gets mites or something like that, there are some sprays/cleaners available for such treatments, but I wouldn't go out and buy something like that until it happens.

A quick note on "sprays", make sure that whatever you use to clean the snakes cage is bio friendly. Some people use diluted bleach, others use clorohexidrin (not sure about spellign..) but I would just make sure it isnt harmful to humans, and wash out thoroughly as wel as make sure its dry before you put your snake back in .

Hope this helped..

-Fatal

[kitedemon]

I have skimmed the current posts for forgive me if I repeat things a bit.... As noted the height would be a problem all snakes can climb ball pythons do and can but as noted adults don't much sub adults do but that isn't really the issue heat and humidity are heating this large an interior is problematic at best.

I'd add my experience the enclosure will be much easier to heat and manage in general if the floor is something like 1/4 inch PVC (not expanded) or poly carbonate, rather than wood. Wood is hard to heat through. UTH, cable or flexwatt are the most efficient cost and operation wise to heat for a ball. They are best on the outside that means whatever the bottom is will have to allow heat to pass thru. Heavy plastics are poor insulators and will allow more of your heat to enter where the snake is, unlike wood. Easier to clean as well. Wood sides and top, plastic bottom and clear front.

It might sag so you may want to think on a foot or support across the bottom middle.

[frownifdown]

Question about UTH... Do I put it under the entire tank or just under the mulch/bedding

[Jeo123]

Under the entire tank