Newbie here

[jjaxs93]

Hey everyone.. So I'm in the market to get a ball python. My buddy from work turned me onto them after he showed me his pied male he bought what a beauty. Anyways so as far as everything goes I've been doing a lot of research and asking local shops questions and was wondering if a 20 gallon tank would be sufficient. The lady at the reptile store tried selling me a 10 gallon tank saying it would save money and they don't need much space anyways. I didn't wanna buy it though to be safe. And another question I have is I was on the reptile report marketplace and found xyzreptiles.com I'm really interested in this site because the guaranteed live arrival, the price is phenomenal and all the stores around me are charging 70-130 for a normal color boa. Is this site reliable? And is there any opinions or help that you guys can give me. I have the tank. Two sets of thermometers, water bowl, bedding, and a hide in mind. Just a matter of getting the snake and supplies. And any tips on feeding or how it would work, handling, often if ever you've been bit, etc. Sorry guys I'm a noob here but don't want to get a snake and have it not in good standing.


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[NathanK22]

Hello there!! Don't worry I was in that same boat just in November when I got my first ball python. A 20 gallon is a great size that is why I have my male lesser ball python in right now. It sounds like to you have every thing that you need, make sure you have 2 hides one for te cool side and one for the warm side. About feeding I just fed my snake yesterday. It is really easy if you have a snake that will cooperate I know out there ball pythons will go off food and not eat for months on time but my snake has eaten every Sunday since te beginning of December. I have not been bit by him yet and I use 10"tongs to feed my snake in so that he doesn't bite me.

Alright about out the web site I can't really help you because I got my snake direct from a local breeder that lives about 1 1/2 hours away from me. So I drove there and got my little guy. Ordering online seems to be the most common way to get animals these days if you looking for a specific morph. Like I said I can't help ou with that sorry.

I hope this this was of help if you have any other questions feel free to ask I am not an expert but I still know a whole lot. Thanks!!

[stingermom]

Hi! I would not trust xyz- i researched them when i was on the market for my first as well. A LOT of their snakes are wild caught or captive hatched- but not captive bred. I googled them and found very little about them as well.

I ended up choosing my stingerbee ball from royal constrictor designs. Garreck Demeyer has NOTHING but good reviews!

Hope this helps!

[ReptiMoto]

Your tank is personal preference. If you want a hatchling, or baby, ball python then a 20 would be a little big. I personally recommend tubs (simple sterillite tubs). They keep the humidity in, cheap, and easy to clean and maintain. I am waiting for my ball python to be full grown, which at that point I will put money into a Pvc cage. I wouldn't get a 20 gallon aquarium or critter cage because of humidity issues (I bought a 20 gallon critter cage when I first got my bp and soon realized my humidity and heat problem). With a tub you also don't need 2 hides, or any for that matter (though I do have a hide in the tub). Paper towel substrate is clean. Aspen bedding I found to get VERY dirty even after spot cleaning. For heating I use a UTH but heat tape is common too.

[Coluber42]

There are lots of very useful "sticky" threads on this section and on the "BP husbandry" section. Those would be the first place to start.

A 20-gallon tank can be totally fine for a baby, as long as it has enough clutter in it - an assortment of hides, boxes, tubes, plastic plants, etc. What they really hate is feeling exposed and out in the open; they need to be able to get from one cozy hole to another to thermoregulate, without having to cross an empty scary wide open expanse to do it. In a glass tank, you'll also need to cover over most of the screen top in order to retain humidity, and you might have to wrap it with insulation around three sides to reduce heat loss, depending on the room temperature. And the snake will outgrow it eventually.

If you already have a tank and want to set up an enclosure you can see into that looks nice, a 20-gallon tank can work perfectly well. But if you don't already have one, it probably makes more sense to use a tub, since they're cheaper and require less modification, and the snake will outgrow it anyway. You could just get whatever enclosure you think you'll use when the snake grows up, but then you'd need to fill it up with even more assorted stuff, which you would then have to clean, etc. Baby-sized hides don't really take up much space.

[Yodawagon]

Xyz has some bad reviews. Check out dynasty reptiles, royal constrictor designs, and even the classifieds found on this forum site. Get a tub, GOOD thermostat, ultratherm heat pad, digital thermometer/hygrometer, hide, and some paper towels for bedding. there's way too many people out there that get hooked on the idea of a 20 gallon aquarium in a screen top with a heat light. they buy all that stuff and then come out here because they can't figure out what's wrong. Their whole situation is wrong. Glass is a very poor insulator of heat therefore you lose a lot at the using a tank. Also but using an overhead light to heat the tank you lose a lot of heat and humidity at the top. People want their stuff to be able to be seen but what they don't realize is husbandry needs to be perfect before anything else. Also comma as the snake grows, and they will grow fast, you will need to upgrade the enclosure. Don't spend the money on a big expensive fancy glass aquarium that is going to be too big for a hatchling and stress it out.do not listen to anybody at Petco or PetSmart. spend as much time as you can doing research on this site to find out what is best. do not cut corners on your thermostat. I wouldn't spend less than $100 on a thermostat because you get what you pay for and you can use it the whole lifespan of the snake.

[Yodawagon]

in your first post you also mentioned ball python and normal colored boa. are you looking to get a ball python or a boa constrictor? I think you have a lot to learn before you're ready to get a snake for a pet.

[DaNeal31]

Morph Market is a good place to find a reputable breeder. Any decent breeder will guarantee live delivery.

I'm 3 weeks into a 20 gallon tank and it suck. Looks great but really hard to maintain good numbers. I'll be moving to tubs soon. Look into tubs and vivarium type enclosures before you commit. Don't bother with dial gauges they are not real accurate. Walmart has Acurite digital thermometer / hydrometer for like 9 bucks. Don't buy a good thermostat but don't look only at the ones that say for reptiles. Some are for seeding or brewing and will work good too. Research your bedding also. One week on reptibark and I had scale rot. Most keepers I know like reptichip, it's coco husk, I like it. Keep in mind I'm a newbie too and this is all I've learned already in my crash course in BP keeping.

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[DaNeal31]

Morph Market is a good place to find a reputable breeder. Any decent breeder will guarantee live delivery.

I'm 3 weeks into a 20 gallon tank and it suck. Looks great but really hard to maintain good numbers. I'll be moving to tubs soon. Look into tubs and vivarium type enclosures before you commit. Don't bother with dial gauges they are not real accurate. Walmart has Acurite digital thermometer / hydrometer for like 9 bucks. Don't buy a good thermostat but don't look only at the ones that say for reptiles. Some are for seeding or brewing and will work good too. Research your bedding also. One week on reptibark and I had scale rot. Most keepers I know like reptichip, it's coco husk, I like it. Keep in mind I'm a newbie too and this is all I've learned already in my crash course in BP keeping.

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Sorry I meant DO BUY A GOOD THERMOSTAT!

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[jjaxs93]

in your first post you also mentioned ball python and normal colored boa. are you looking to get a ball python or a boa constrictor? I think you have a lot to learn before you're ready to get a snake for a pet.

Yeah I meant python sorry..

And thank you to everybody else who has replied.. I've been researching and researching all over this forum all the great info! My buddy is giving me his heat lamp and aspen bedding and a temp and humidity gauge the digital kind.. He told me to get an under tank heat pad and another set of gauges, two hides, water bowl and I should be all set.. Then it's just finding the right snake


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