First tank set up 65g

[SludgeRoach]

Hey guys,

So I was planning on setting up the standard tank and size for a ball but I found a cheap tank on kijiji. The tank is 36x18x24 and I'm going to black out the sides and back ok the tank and utilize the height by giving him something sturdy to climb.

Is this going to be a good idea?

[The Serpent Merchant]

That's fine, how do you plan on heating the enclosure?

[SludgeRoach]

UTH to start and I'll light from above as needed to get proper heat.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Do you have a thermostat for the UTH?

[SludgeRoach]

Yeah I have one from my Uromastyx tank I'm not using. I hope I have everything ready, seems very basic to care for snakes. At least ball pythons..

[Emily Hubbard]

"Basic" if you have some reptile experience. They do need humidity boosted up to about 75% while in shed, which is always hard in a glass tank. The biggest thing with ball pythons is they are very shy and must have places to hide. In a tank that large, you will probably want to provide some vegetation cover so the snake feels more secure when it travels between its two hides. And with a tank that size, I personally would also get a BIG water dish. You have the space and it will help your humidity.

[SludgeRoach]

I may get a piece of glass cut with the corners notched out, even if only during shed. I know from experience this helps raise the humity a ton and they don't require UV so it's not going to affect anything there.

[rabernet]

There is no way I'd want to have to clean that monster tank! And it's going to be very difficult to maintain proper temps inside that enclosure.

Be prepared to downsize the size of enclosure for your snake if it goes off feed in that sized enclosure.

Be sure to post pictures of your set-up when you're done!

[SludgeRoach]

The only big difference is the height. I guess it seems odd to me as this is one of the smallest tanks I've had, cleaning will not be an issue but regulating the heat may be. It's really not that big...

Opinions Are what I'm looking for since you guys know more than I do. It seems maybe I should get a nice expensive tank like I originally planned.

[Annarose15]

The only big difference is the height. I guess it seems odd to me as this is one of the smallest tanks I've had, cleaning will not be an issue but regulating the heat may be. It's really not that big...

Opinions Are what I'm looking for since you guys know more than I do. It seems maybe I should get a nice expensive tank like I originally planned.

How big is the BP you're getting? A tub setup is extremely cheap, and can accomodate any size (6qt for hatchling up to 41qt for large adult female). The largest tank a BP would ever need is a 40-gallon, and that would still be for a very large female. There are a lot of opinions for/against tubs/tanks, but tubs are just incredibly easy to me - great for maintaining humidity, cheap, and you can get a second one so you can just move him/her to a fresh tub when the time comes to clean the one that's dirty.