Welcome home, Mr. Cuddles.

[Tex]

Late last evening our family brought home our new pet, Mr Cuddles the ball python. The children named him that because he was very friendly towards them, and curled up in their hands and sat there.

This is the first time I've taken care of snakes since boy scout camp some 25ish years ago. I purchased the setup as depicted in the picture I attached. Having read the guide here, it appears I have erred in some of my purchases.

I could use some help getting what we will need to give our new friend a long happy life. Right now he is in a 40 gallon tank, 36x18x16. The substrate is plantation soil (made from compressed coconut fibers). The cylinder thing is a cleaned out oatmeal container, I figured he could use another place to hide until I could get to the store. He also seemed to enjoy going into our shirts and such, so we put an old towel in their for him to slither in and out of. I actually have another overhead lamp, but I don't have a bulb for it right now, so it isn't on the tank. I read about humidity loss, so I have a towel draped over about 70% of the top, and since it is night time, I have the heat light turned off. I hope this is OK.

Thanks in advance for advice and help getting us sorted out straight.

[The Serpent Merchant]

Welcome to the site!

Your snake needs heat 24/7. 90 degrees on the hot side of the cage and 80 degrees on the cool side. No part of the cage should ever get above 95 or below 75.

If you want to use heat lamps I would suggest that you get an infrared heat lamp as they can be left on 24/7 without being too bright at night. Here is a a good bulb: http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmar...AvailInUS%2FNo

For more information on cage heating checkout this thread:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

You want to have 2 identical hides in your cage, one on the hot side and one on the cool side.

I like these hide boxes. They are cheap, durable, and make BP's feel safe.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

You want hides to be snug fitting.

This is a 200 gram (a few months old) pastel ball python in a small size hide from the link above. Note how the snake can touch all of the walls in the hide.



This picture shows the difference in size of the reptile basics hides (from the link above)
This picture shows the mini, small and medium size hides along with a 200 gram pastel BP



You will need to get some thermometers and a hygrometer (humidity gauge) I like this one. It costs $12 at Walmart and measures 2 temperatures as well as humidity. Simply put the probe on the hot side under the heat lamp and the unit on the cool side and you are good to go.



Don't waste your money on the junk thermometers/hygrometers sold in pet stores. They are inaccurate and short lived.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

[rlditmars]

Welcome to the site!

Your snake needs heat 24/7. 90 degrees on the hot side of the cage and 80 degrees on the cool side. No part of the cage should ever get above 95 or below 75.

If you want to use heat lamps I would suggest that you get an infrared heat lamp as they can be left on 24/7 without being too bright at night. Here is a a good bulb: http://m.petsmart.com/mt/www.petsmar...AvailInUS%2FNo

For more information on cage heating checkout this thread:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t-Thermometers

You want to have 2 identical hides in your cage, one on the hot side and one on the cool side.

I like these hide boxes. They are cheap, durable, and make BP's feel safe.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

You want hides to be snug fitting.

This is a 200 gram (a few months old) pastel ball python in a small size hide from the link above. Note how the snake can touch all of the walls in the hide.



This picture shows the difference in size of the reptile basics hides (from the link above)
This picture shows the mini, small and medium size hides along with a 200 gram pastel BP



You will need to get some thermometers and a hygrometer (humidity gauge) I like this one. It costs $12 at Walmart and measures 2 temperatures as well as humidity. Simply put the probe on the hot side under the heat lamp and the unit on the cool side and you are good to go.



Don't waste your money on the junk thermometers/hygrometers sold in pet stores. They are inaccurate and short lived.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Nice job Serpent Merchant. This should be stickied as it has everything for the first timer.

[BFE Pets]

^ agreed! sticky worthy!

[Tex]

Thanks for the replies.

Mr. Cuddles made it through the night, but he felt a bit cold this morning.

For the lamp, should I only get one for one side or 2 (one for each side)? ETA: 75 watts is good enough, or should I get a 100 watt?

Also, where in Walmart is that thermometer usually found?

I also appreciate the specific advice about the hides. I wasn't sure how big to get, I saw one at the pet store and it seemed he would be too big to fit.

[GoFride]

^ agreed! sticky worthy!

Yes!! Thanks, Aaron! Mods, can this info be stickied please?

[The Serpent Merchant]

Thanks for the replies.

Mr. Cuddles made it through the night, but he felt a bit cold this morning.

For the lamp, should I only get one for one side or 2 (one for each side)? ETA: 75 watts is good enough, or should I get a 100 watt?

Also, where in Walmart is that thermometer usually found?

I also appreciate the specific advice about the hides. I wasn't sure how big to get, I saw one at the pet store and it seemed he would be too big to fit.

It depends on the temperature of the room that the cage is in. A single heat lamp might be enough to generate the hot side and keep the cool side in the proper temperature ranges, but if the room is on the colder side a 100 watt bulb on the hot and a 50-75 watt bulb on the cool side (both hooked up to lamp dimmers. see link below) would be ideal.

Lamp dimmer: http://m.homedepot.com/p/Lutron-Cred...ite/100145680/

The thermometers are usually by the lightbulbs.

[Tex]

Thanks for taking the time to help me, I appreciate it very much.

Now, I got the stuff, and a bunch of more questions.

Where do I place the temperature probe? In the soil or somewhere else? I ask because there is a difference in the temps between the air below the bulb, and the soil. The soil feels cool to the touch.

I presume that I am supposed to leave the unit inside the cage, so where is the best place for that as well?

Also, I'm losing quite a bit of humidity through the top. What is the best way to deal with that?

Finally, is this cage too big? I got it because I was told he would get about 5 feet long, so I wanted him to have room to grow into. He seems to like it, at night he gets out and slithers around alot. Which actually raises another concern I had: he can reach the top of the cage where the heat lamps are resting. Should I find a way to suspend them above the cage or is leaving the on the mesh OK?

Sorry for all the questions, but I want to make sure I do the best for my pet I can.

Thanks again!

[towelie4365]

One thing you might want to consider is getting a heating pad for under the tank (this, for example), and regulate it with a thermostat. That will easily allow you to achieve the hot side temperatures, and your lamp should maintain ambient temperatures. As far as where to put the probe, I'd have it laying on the surface of the substrate where is is likely to be, since I assume he isn't burying himself under it.

As far as humidity goes, you could use cardboard to cover most of the top, or any other material you choose. And from there, just regulate how much is uncovered to maintain humidity.

If he has places to hide, and seems to feel secure in the cage, then you should be fine with the size. If not, you can add more objects to make him feel more comfortable.

[Tex]

I think you are correct, I will have to get a under tank heater. What is the proper size to get?