Tank Setup

[Tyner]

Hi all..
I'm getting a 100 gallon tank tomorrow for my two ball pythons. Any suggestions as to what should go in it??
Obviously I have bedding, water, and a rock for them to hide in but I'd like to make it nicer.

[Skittles1101]

My suggestion is to never house multiple ball pythons together. That's a terrible idea.

http://squamishserpents.ca/care-info...-one-enclosure

[The Serpent Merchant]

My suggestion is to never house multiple ball pythons together. That's a terrible idea.

http://squamishserpents.ca/care-info...-one-enclosure

x2 Ball pythons should never be housed together... and a 100 gallon tank is not the best idea either.

For the cost of 100 gallon tank you can get PVC cage that is designed for reptiles (vs a tank made for fish)



http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...With-Pictures!

Check out these threads as well:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...04#post1845904

As for what to put in a cage this is what I have found to work best:

[DooLittle]

100g is too big for a bp, also your bps should NEVER be housed together. You need a thermostat to control your heat pad, hides on the hot and cool side, and an accurate thermometer. All the info you need is in the caresheet on here, so please check that out before you bring your snake/s home.

Thanks Aaron, looks like you got all the right links in while I was typing!

Sent from my ADR6350 using Tapatalk 2

[Kaorte]

Don't bother with the 100g it's meant for fish not reptiles!

As others have said, it's a good idea to keep them individually. They aren't social animals and they will thank you for giving them their own space apart from one another.

[kitedemon]

housing snakes together is not a great idea especially with out TONS of experience. The tank I would suggest side turning it this solves the tank issues if you have already spent the cash on it. It could be easily divided side turned as well. Open tops oddly do not vent as well as you would expect and they allow heat and humidity to escape. Custom designed are made to deal with both issues. Glass has the advantages of being super easy to clean and clean completely.


http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...arium-Solution

[Tyner]

Thanks for all the replies, but these snakes have been in the same tank since they were just babies. My fiance has had them for years, and they've always been together. We've had them in a 55 gallon tank for the last two years, and their as long (if not longer) then the tank is. We're getting the 100 gallon because it's 6ft long, and they'll both have room to stretch out. In the near future when I have the money to upgrade I want to get drift wood or something for them to be able to climb on. We are upgrading the lighting system too. What about putting plants in the tank? Should they just be the fake aquarium ones, or would real ones be better?

[Kaorte]

Thanks for all the replies, but these snakes have been in the same tank since they were just babies. My fiance has had them for years, and they've always been together. We've had them in a 55 gallon tank for the last two years, and their as long (if not longer) then the tank is. We're getting the 100 gallon because it's 6ft long, and they'll both have room to stretch out. In the near future when I have the money to upgrade I want to get drift wood or something for them to be able to climb on. We are upgrading the lighting system too. What about putting plants in the tank? Should they just be the fake aquarium ones, or would real ones be better?

Never to late to separate them! Just because they have been living together for years doesn't mean it is a good idea. Ultimately it is your decision how you house the snakes but I just want to give you a couple things to consider.

>Ball pythons are not social animals. They prefer to be alone and only get together for breeding purposes.

>Two snakes in the same tank might compete for the "best spot" Or one might lay on top of the other to absorb the warmth out of the other snake. This often looks like "cuddling" but let be the one to tell you that snakes don't cuddle.

>If one snake gets sick, they both get sick and that means X2 vet bills. It may not be an issue now, but you could find yourself treating two Respiratory Infections instead of one.

>Whose poop is whose? This may not seem important but if you find yourself with a particularly nasty poop that could have parasites, you aren't going to know which snake it came from. This also goes for regurgitation. If one snake regurgitates you will never know which it was.

>Unwanted breeding is also possible if you have a male and a female. This might sound great but it is a big responsibility. If the female is not the proper weight she could have problems with egg binding. This is a very serious problem and can lead to death. You would also need an incubator and space to house all of the offspring.

>While rare, cannibalism is also possible.


I'm not really trying to scare you. I am just trying to make you aware of all the possible harm that could come to your pets if you house them together. That being said, I know there are people who co-habitate with no problems but in my opinion, the risk outweighs the benefit.

If you are completely set on the 100g you could put a divider down the middle. I assure you that one half of a 100g tank would be PLENTY of room for an adult ball python. They actually prefer smaller spaces because they make them feel safe.


As for your other ideas for cage decoration... Live plants will most likely get destroyed by the snake slithering over them. So if you want a bunch of dead plants.... Best to go with fake ones. Driftwood for climbing? It might look nice but ball pythons are terrestrial snakes and are awful climbers. They will probably just fall if they try to climb the branch. You don't need any artificial lighting for ball pythons. While it might make the tank look nice, it is completely unnecessary. They are nocturnal and don't need a night/day cycle.

I'm really just trying to make your life easier. Cleaning a 100g tank is going to be a major pain. I know I wouldn't want to clean that out every few weeks... Its weight makes it hard to move and its height makes it hard to clean while it is in it's regular spot.

If I were you I would use my money to buy a cage made specifically for reptiles. Animal Plastics makes great cages and I think they look really nice too. Plus they are light weight which makes them easy to clean.


I could talk all day trying to convince you to house your snakes differently, but it is your choice. I can only make some suggestions on how to improve the quality of life of your animals. We are all animal lovers here and we like to provide the best for our pets and help others do the same.

[RetiredJedi]

Never to late to separate them! Just because they have been living together for years doesn't mean it is a good idea. Ultimately it is your decision how you house the snakes but I just want to give you a couple things to consider.

>Ball pythons are not social animals. They prefer to be alone and only get together for breeding purposes.

>Two snakes in the same tank might compete for the "best spot" Or one might lay on top of the other to absorb the warmth out of the other snake. This often looks like "cuddling" but let be the one to tell you that snakes don't cuddle.

>If one snake gets sick, they both get sick and that means X2 vet bills. It may not be an issue now, but you could find yourself treating two Respiratory Infections instead of one.

>Whose poop is whose? This may not seem important but if you find yourself with a particularly nasty poop that could have parasites, you aren't going to know which snake it came from. This also goes for regurgitation. If one snake regurgitates you will never know which it was.

>Unwanted breeding is also possible if you have a male and a female. This might sound great but it is a big responsibility. If the female is not the proper weight she could have problems with egg binding. This is a very serious problem and can lead to death. You would also need an incubator and space to house all of the offspring.

>While rare, cannibalism is also possible.


I'm not really trying to scare you. I am just trying to make you aware of all the possible harm that could come to your pets if you house them together. That being said, I know there are people who co-habitate with no problems but in my opinion, the risk outweighs the benefit.

If you are completely set on the 100g you could put a divider down the middle. I assure you that one half of a 100g tank would be PLENTY of room for an adult ball python. They actually prefer smaller spaces because they make them feel safe.


As for your other ideas for cage decoration... Live plants will most likely get destroyed by the snake slithering over them. So if you want a bunch of dead plants.... Best to go with fake ones. Driftwood for climbing? It might look nice but ball pythons are terrestrial snakes and are awful climbers. They will probably just fall if they try to climb the branch. You don't need any artificial lighting for ball pythons. While it might make the tank look nice, it is completely unnecessary. They are nocturnal and don't need a night/day cycle.

I'm really just trying to make your life easier. Cleaning a 100g tank is going to be a major pain. I know I wouldn't want to clean that out every few weeks... Its weight makes it hard to move and its height makes it hard to clean while it is in it's regular spot.

If I were you I would use my money to buy a cage made specifically for reptiles. Animal Plastics makes great cages and I think they look really nice too. Plus they are light weight which makes them easy to clean.


I could talk all day trying to convince you to house your snakes differently, but it is your choice. I can only make some suggestions on how to improve the quality of life of your animals. We are all animal lovers here and we like to provide the best for our pets and help others do the same.

Well said

[Ogre]

Never to late to separate them! Just because they have been living together for years doesn't mean it is a good idea. Ultimately it is your decision how you house the snakes but I just want to give you a couple things to consider.

>Ball pythons are not social animals. They prefer to be alone and only get together for breeding purposes.

>Two snakes in the same tank might compete for the "best spot" Or one might lay on top of the other to absorb the warmth out of the other snake. This often looks like "cuddling" but let be the one to tell you that snakes don't cuddle.

>If one snake gets sick, they both get sick and that means X2 vet bills. It may not be an issue now, but you could find yourself treating two Respiratory Infections instead of one.

>Whose poop is whose? This may not seem important but if you find yourself with a particularly nasty poop that could have parasites, you aren't going to know which snake it came from. This also goes for regurgitation. If one snake regurgitates you will never know which it was.

>Unwanted breeding is also possible if you have a male and a female. This might sound great but it is a big responsibility. If the female is not the proper weight she could have problems with egg binding. This is a very serious problem and can lead to death. You would also need an incubator and space to house all of the offspring.

>While rare, cannibalism is also possible.


I'm not really trying to scare you. I am just trying to make you aware of all the possible harm that could come to your pets if you house them together. That being said, I know there are people who co-habitate with no problems but in my opinion, the risk outweighs the benefit.

If you are completely set on the 100g you could put a divider down the middle. I assure you that one half of a 100g tank would be PLENTY of room for an adult ball python. They actually prefer smaller spaces because they make them feel safe.


As for your other ideas for cage decoration... Live plants will most likely get destroyed by the snake slithering over them. So if you want a bunch of dead plants.... Best to go with fake ones. Driftwood for climbing? It might look nice but ball pythons are terrestrial snakes and are awful climbers. They will probably just fall if they try to climb the branch. You don't need any artificial lighting for ball pythons. While it might make the tank look nice, it is completely unnecessary. They are nocturnal and don't need a night/day cycle.

I'm really just trying to make your life easier. Cleaning a 100g tank is going to be a major pain. I know I wouldn't want to clean that out every few weeks... Its weight makes it hard to move and its height makes it hard to clean while it is in it's regular spot.

If I were you I would use my money to buy a cage made specifically for reptiles. Animal Plastics makes great cages and I think they look really nice too. Plus they are light weight which makes them easy to clean.


I could talk all day trying to convince you to house your snakes differently, but it is your choice. I can only make some suggestions on how to improve the quality of life of your animals. We are all animal lovers here and we like to provide the best for our pets and help others do the same.

that was put amazingly well and informative. I personally only own one ball and i knew that when (not if) I get another that I shouldn't house them together but I didnt even think of why.