Hello everyone hows it going. I've been on this forum for a while and have learned so much. I just recently made an account so I could start browsing and posting so I thought I would introduce myself and my new BP.

My name is Nick and this is my new 4-5 month old Pastel BP Monty.


I've had him for about a month now. I got him at 160g and now he is about 230. He's a great eater so far and is eating live mice. While he is not my first ball python or snake for that matter, he is my first male which is why I had to name him Monty(from Monty Python of course, favorite movie as a kid). He just went through a shed yesterday so I was waiting to get some good pictures of him. So onto the pictures.

Pre shed:






Post shed:
As you can see there is a little shed behind his head going down his neck a bit just on the top. I just put some repti shed aid on it and ill wait to see if he can get it off on his own. Other than that one spot he got most of the shed off on its own although I had a tough time keeping the humidity up.


This picture shows some of his great blushing and pattern. He is very yellow( picture does no justice) for a pastel and he was the nicest one the breeder had.




Here is a picture of his enclosure that I have set up. ( Don't worry about the temps and humidity I had just cleaned the cage and put everything back in)


I love tanks because it is much more visual and you can look inside of it. But now I am second guessing it because of the humidity problems, especially with a tank this tall. I've contemplated putting some plywood over the top and cut out sections for the heat light to keep the humidity in but then my temps would be a little to high.
I am also using a 100w heat lamp and a 100w UVB lamp because the breeder/pet store(friend of mine) said Ball Pythons cant regulate the heat that comes from underneath and overhead heat is better so they don't burn themselves out. I have thought about getting a UTH and a thermostat but now i'm rethinking the whole tank thing all together. Here's where I was hoping for some feed back. I was thinking about either switching to a rack system or a t8 AP enclosure because I want to add another female BP to my collection to breed in a year or two.
For one I would love a t8 enclosure but they are a little out of my price range. I've been considering racks but I don't think I need them right now because I am not planing on keeping a lot of snakes at this time. I was wondering what some of you had for enclosures and why you liked them.(pros and cons) Do any of you use alternative enclosures that are similar to the T8 for a cheaper price? Maybe something you created yourself but can still see inside. Id want something big enough to keep them in for their life time so I wont have to keep getting new enclosures as they get bigger. I was also wondering if I even needed the UVB bulb. I have heard that it is good for growth and young snakes while a lot of others say there is no point.

Any advice or suggestions would be great I am open to everything. I am just happy to say hello and be part of this great community.
(I'm sure I left something out and ill add it when I think of it )