I've never owned a reptile before, but I've done research.. I have some questions

[Cin]

Yes hello. 14 year old here. I live in Alabama, U.S. I've done tons of research in the ball python.. Spending every day for the past few weeks browsing and verifying information. I've never owned a reptile, but I'be wanted a snake ever since I was a smol 6 year old. I've just never had the money/been in the right living conditions to care for such an animal. I'm planning on buying a baby cinnamon ball python online. I'm going up to the Home Depot my mother works at to buy a tub for the snake. I'll order a heat pad or a heat cable from zoomed on Amazon - as well as a digital humidity/temp reader or two. Finding a suitable water bowl will be easy. I'm using money I've saved up on all of this stuff. I plan on using paper towels and newspaper as substrate, but I'm willing to experiment with aspen and the like.

Now then, that established, time for le questions.

I plan on buying from snakesatsunset.com, as I've seen a few reputable you tubers buy from there and I've heard good things. Is this a good place to buy an uberyoung cinny? Also, I was planning on getting a male at first.. Because of the shape of the tail. But with the fact they can get inverted hemipenes.. And female get bigger/have a larger head.. The females at said website cost a bit more than the males. Which sex do you recommend I get first? I think I plan on breeding a few clutches here or there, just to take full advantage of the experience. I liek dem big sneks mhhhhHMMM.

I know ball pythons are shy and stuff.. And that most agree you should use a hide. However, it was put in my head by a youtuber(that has many happy animals and claims to work at some sort of snek friendly pet store) that the snakes, after all, don't require a hide and shouldn't have one. Something about the hide becoming some sort of safety blanket they rely on, and they'll become more defensive and stuff. She said experts agree.. But didn't cute any sources. However she has some first hand experience proving this true. Is it though? The safety blanket(not that she used the term 'safety blanket') deal makes sense.. But they're instinctual creatures. Apparently breeders don't use hides either. In a good rack system, I know they generally don't. Maybe it depends on the individual snek..? Eh. That's why I'm asking.


i don't think there are any hero vets nearby. Is it alright if I buy from that website, but don't take them in for a checkup? How many holes should I put in the tub for ventilation? How expensive are the various forms of food one can buy?



i have more questions, I just can't think of them off the top of my head.. Would someone kindly answer?

[danielwilu2525]

I can answer the first question, since I do live close enough to drop by every once in a while. I would say that buying from there is an awesome experience! I haven't bought from there, but many of my friends have. They have a nice selection of morphs. However, I'd rather buy from a small hobby breeder. They have a bunch of other snakes, and I worry If I'm not getting a perfectly healthy one so be careful. I wouldn't worry too much though, the store is kept really clean. There's not much of a difference on gender, but if you are planning on breeding then get a female, they take longer to mature than males.

I never heard of a ball python with no hide, unless It's in a rack system. Sammy would be really stressed out If he had no hide, I provided two and he seems safe and sound. I would offer a hide, especially If he's shipped out to you. I recommend the hides from reptile basics, Sammy loves them!

I HIGHLY recommend looking for a vet that has experience with ball pythons, you never know what might happen, better be safe than sorry. It's ok if you don't take him In for a checkup, but annual checkups are recommended. It took me a while to figure out how many holes Is good for him, through trial and error humidity stays at a good level with 3 rows of 5 holes on the sides, back and front i just put 3 holes. If the humidity is way to high for you then i recommend punching some holes on the lid, not too many though so go at a slow pace until it reaches a nice level. There are many different sizes of rats/mice, when Sammy was with his breeder he ate fuzzy rats, but now he eats rat pups. I buy mine from my local pet store for $2.29, that's considered expensive for a rat pup. I have a local rat breeder but they barely open and when they do i cant pass by, they sell rat pups for $1.25. Now, that's live, but if you want to feed frozen depending on size and quantity it can go anywhere from 15-60 dollar. (they come in packs and bring a lot of frozen rats/mice)

I hope I answered your questions, good luck!

[redshepherd]

You might have missed the single most important piece of equipment needed for any snake- a thermostat! (Not a thermometer) You need it to keep the heat pad in check and not fly over 100 degrees, injuring your snake. You can buy a cheap one off amazon, but not as reliable as Herpstat in the long run: https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Ce...tat+jump+start

Your youtuber suggesting not to use a hide probably uses a rack system, right? If not, the youtuber is silly and don't listen to them.

Ball pythons need a hide to feel secure, or a rack system that essentially makes their entire tub a giant secure, dark hide. But even in racks, baby ball pythons require hides nearly 100% of the time up until they grow bigger, if you want to just play it safe and normal, and don't want to deal with feeding and stress issues right off the bat. Every snake is an individual, but better to play it safe and do correct husbandry first than sorry later.

Also, using hides or not completely depends on the size and setup of your enclosure. Are you using a 15qt tub or a 20 gallon glass tank? (I don't recommend going with a glass tank for your baby, at least until he grows larger and is eating consistently)

I'd personally find a good breeder on faunaclassifieds.com and buy them them. Get a feel of the price range for the morph you want.

Snakesatsunset seems extremely overpriced... I just took a look at their albinos, and they are selling baby male albinos for $250. I bought my baby albino for $200 shipped to my doorstep over a year ago from breedingcircle.com, and this year other breeders already sell them for as low as $150 shipped. So it's telling that probably all of snakesatsunset's morphs are extremely overpriced.

Females are always going to be more expensive than males.

[danielwilu2525]

I highly agree with you! They're prices are way too overpriced. I'm looking for a pied and they're low white males are 450 plus shipping, while others on morph market go for as low as $275!

[Cin]

Thank you both for the answers! Surprised I got any.. Thanks for spending your time on meh.

And yes, I know about the thermostat(stupid me just forgot what it was called.. And I'm planning on buying one attached to/that comes with le heat pad or somethin)

I appreciate the links/wed bites and information. You guys are lifesavers - I've copied and pasted the info I know I'll forget in my notes.

I plan on getting a plastic tub, with the clap things, from Walmart or Home Depot. 15 or so gallons so I don't immediately have to buy a new one when the little guy grows up. But.. What I REALLY want is a tub that's really long but not at all that tall, would that be good for a ball python? Just tall enough for the hide. For climbing and exercise I'll handle them I suppose. BPs aren't all that active and are mainly terrestrial yes?

Also, should I just get a heat gun instead of a thermometer?

Heatpad, thermostat, and a thermometer/heatgun(if that's what they're called, and depending on the price)


or will will the probe that comes with the thermostat be enough? Though I'll have to buy something to measure the humidity anyway..

sorry for my plebeianishness

heh

[Cin]

And thank you for the hide information.

Would there be any good breeders here on this website?

[BPGator]

You'll want a thermometer/hygrometer to measure the temp and humidity. The thermometer will give you the temperature inside of your tub. The temp probe from the thermostat should be placed directly on your heat pad.

I would also recommend a hide. I use the reptile basics hides as someone mentioned previously. On their site, you can also check out heat tape. It's a lot cheaper than a zoo med heat pad.

I think a good cheap thermostat is the jumpstart found on Amazon. It's about $25. It'll be good to get you started.

As for breeders, a Google search will reveal a bunch of good breeders that ship. If possible, you may want to checkout a local reptile show.


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[danielwilu2525]

I use a 15qt for Sammy, It's not that tall. I use a the small size hide for him, once he's about 200 grams I'll switch him over to a custom hide because I heard the medium is way too large, so I recommend getting a small size hide for your little girl until she's about 200 grams. The perfect hide is a dark and really tight one, they feel really secure when they're "snugged" in. I recommend going on www.morphmarket.com best website ever for balls. You have a variety of morphs and breeders to choose from. That's where I got my little Sammy. Also once your little girl is about 500 grams you should switch her over into a 28qt, I believe at 1000 you should switch her over Into a 34qt, then anything 2000+ grams Is a 41qt.

Hope this Info helped!

[jbzapanda]

This just answers the part about where to get your noodle from!

I suggest browsing on YouTube and looking through the smaller bp breeders. That's how I found my little boy and he's happy and healthy as can be! I wasn't as comfortable buying from a big seller like SAS/BHB/RCD even though some of these big breeders are very reputable from what I've heard. I just much prefer a breeder who I know has taken the time to check on the animal and from time to time have handled them. Maybe just a personal preference, but still an option to consider!

[Willowy]

Baby BPs feel insecure in a large space. Since tubs are cheap, you can buy little ones and move up as the snek grows. If you really want to start with a larger one, buy a bunch of silk plants to clutter it up. Baby BPs feel a lot more secure when they can hide in the plants. After all, if they didn't hide well enough in the wild they'd be dinner pretty quickly, and they still have their instincts! Some species don't need hides once they're adults, but BPs are naturally inclined to cram themselves into a crack under a rock so they do like tight spaces.

I'm not aware of any heat mats that have reliable built-in thermostats. As already stated, a Hydrofarm/Jumpstart is a good beginner model. Best bet is to get a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer, and hot-glue (don't use the provided adhesive. Snakes are good at getting stuck to things and that tears up their scales. No sticky stuff in the enclosure!) the "outdoor" probe right over the heat mat, to make sure the thermostat is doing its job. Then also get a temp gun to monitor the rest of the temps.

You're gonna need to find a reptile vet. It's not a disaster if you don't get a new guy in for a checkup, but if your snake gets sick you don't want to be frantically googling and picking some random shmoe vet in a hurry. You might have to travel a bit. But definitely find out where you can go BEFORE something bad happens.

Oh, yeah, get your rodent situation hammered out before you get the snake. It turns out some moms aren't too fond of having a bag of dead rodents in the freezer or a cageful of live rodents in the house .

Females get bigger, and are less likely to go on extended food strikes. If you want to breed, get a female first. Other than that, not much difference.

Are there any reptile expos in your area? If so, that's a good way to buy a BP. Usually prices are lower, and you can see them before slapping your money down. If not, just take your time, find out who's offering cinnamons online, compare prices and quality, then google to see if that seller has any complaints, etc. There are a lot of really great options now so you're not limited to one or a few. Of my snakes, I got one as a private re-home and one at an expo, so I don't have any personal experiences with buying online.