Note: I want to say this - I have done months worth of research on how to keep a Ball Python, and I do have some experience on keeping one a couple of years prior, so I don’t feel like I’m completely in the dark here. :)
Alright...


So, a couple of months ago, a friend of mine, showed me a picture of her ball python, and it instantly made me miss the one I had several years ago, so I went straight home, and re-did my homework and re-freshed my mind on what was needed and how do to things right. I’ve always had a deep love for snakes, or any reptiles, really, so I was super excited to finally be in this spot to get one. I was set on a glass tank for a while, but after some time, I really didn’t want to deal with the humidity and heat problems they could cause, and what not, so I switched for a sterilite tub instead. I feel like this was a good choice. I was originally going to buy from a breeder, but while at PetSmart, looking for supplies, I came across one of the two snakes they had, and ended up leaving with a pretty little normal bp, not having a clue what her gender was, knowing she was being underfed (Just switched to fuzzies, when she was already looking good for adult mice) and also knowing I was probably running some risk by buying her from a pet store, but I wasn’t willing to leave her sitting in the store, since she was the one of two there. I went to Petco, got her food, substrate, hide, and some fake plants. (since the previous store had none...) I then went to the local dollar store and wal-mart in my town, picked up a water bowl, and fake, silk plants. But overall, here is my entire set up and please keep in mind I was going for something more for ‘display’ rather than something that looked like a rack system :)


110 quart sterilite tub with latches
Binder clips to secure the lid
UTH from Reptile Basics Inc. 11” x 11”
Apollo Thermostat 68-108°F
Reptibark substrate - thinking about switching to aspen since it’s easier to find. Opinions?
Hygrometer
Thermometer - will be adding a second one soon
Water bowl - cleaned and filled daily
Log hide (hot side) - will be replaced with a black box shortly, as she’s already getting too big for the log
Cardboard box hide (cool side) - She did outgrow the one I had, so I changed it out with a empty cardboard box from my kitchen lol. Will be replaced with black box as well.
Fake decor to fill up space in the tub, since I thought it’d been too large for a hatchling, but she turned out bigger than I expected, and seems to be doing just fine.


Her humidity sits at abut 65-75% most of the time, and she has a hot spot that goes from 88-91F. She has yet to skip a meal, and I immediately bumped her up to frozen/thawed adult mice. She shed a couple of days ago, as well. It came off in pieces, but she was able to get all of it off by herself within a few hours, so I’d say it was still a pretty decent shed. I’m still not 100% on her gender, but a family member of mine, very, very gently tried the popping method, and when she looked, she found nothing, but as soon as I can, I’ll be looking for a breeder or exotic vet in my area to confirm that, since I’m scared to do it myself, and for now, I’m calling her a female.


Now that I feel like I’ve done a few things right, my next step is, I want to get one of my favorite morphs that I wanted before Bones (my current normal girl) but wanted to take my chance with a normal first, that way I didn’t accidentally slam down anywhere from 100-500$ on a snake, only to struggle with temps and set up problems, and risk making it sick, or worse. The morph is a champagne. I wont be rushing to get this one either. I’ll be taking my time, and continue to work with the one I have, and after a few weeks, and things are still going well, I’ll start gathering the supplies for the new one.


Anyways. If my normal, is in fact a female, I’ll most likely be looking to get a male, just so if I want to in a couple of years, to start breeding, I’ll have a pair, but I’m not worried about that right now, even in the slightest. I’m more concerned about their housing at the moment. Two 110 quart tubs seem a bit much for my small space, and I was just wondering, if anyone had any info on how well a 66 quart sterilite would fit a male and female? Both in separate tubs, of course. I’m wondering if they’d be able to house the snakes when full grown, or would I need to upgrade?
I love snakes, and only want the best for the one I have, and any future snakes I may get. :)


Any input is appreciated.


I also planned on keeping the cages pretty much the same, so the list I put above would be valid for the second snake as well.


Thank you!