Possible enclosure too big?

[ja88er]

So my bp's been growing fairly consistently and I've been thinking of upgrading him to a larger enclosure, but most of the big vivs I've seen either cost way too much for me right now or are the kind of diy project I can't commit to. I swung by the container store the other day and saw they had those big long christmas decoration boxes on sale and figured I might as well get one and see if it can be modified into a decent enclosure.

My question is this: is a 19"x52"x13" tub too large for a three foot bp? It's got less vertical space than I'd like, and I know some snakes can get stressed out if they've got too much space to work with, but it was super cheap and I'd love to upgrade him if I could. If I end up not being able to use it it's no great loss, it'll just get used for normal storage.

[tttaylorrr]

there's no such thing as "too big" when it comes to an adult beep enclosure. provide plenty of hides and decor and they should be fine.

[Regius_049]

Given the size of your ball python, I would expect no major issues with the new enclosure. As tttaylorrr notes, just make sure it has appropriate hides and clutter, you should be good. Most of the time when I see ball pythons not eating because they don't feel insecure in their setups, they tend to be much younger / babies.

[ja88er]

Thanks guys! I'll probably post pics once I get it modified and set up, its gonna be fun having more space to play with in terms of foliage and furniture

[Godzilla78]

As long as there are tight hides, then big cages are fine. The ONLY problem with large enclosures is keeping them heated. The larger size, the more energy needed to heat it. For example, unless the room you are keeping the python in is 84F all the time, you will need a large under/tank-heater and some way to keep the ambient temps up.
I also use very large storage tubs for my pythons. I use a strip of 6” wide heat tape on one end and an infrared space heater to keep ambient rack temps up.

[Team Slytherin]

Your new enclosure is definitely not bigger than the wild, so I think he'll be fine Just give him several hides and lots of clutter.

[Starscream]

As long as there are tight hides, then big cages are fine. The ONLY problem with large enclosures is keeping them heated. The larger size, the more energy needed to heat it. For example, unless the room you are keeping the python in is 84F all the time, you will need a large under/tank-heater and some way to keep the ambient temps up.
I also use very large storage tubs for my pythons. I use a strip of 6” wide heat tape on one end and an infrared space heater to keep ambient rack temps up.

Agreed with heating, although I think the room heat can get closer to 80F and still be fine.

For a tub like this, a good substitute for a space heater would be a CHE or a RHP. Another member on here mentioned considering the RHP route, though I don't think they've updated the thread in a while. https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...stmas-Tree-Tub

I'm personally going to go the RHP route with this tub setup when mine outgrows her current 50 gallon tub. It'll have an Arcadia UVB tube and everything by the time I'm done modifying it, and I've already purchased the tub in preparation. I don't expect her to outgrow it within another year, but better safe than sorry imo lol.

[ja88er]

Ahh the heat's an excellent point, my room doesn't usually go over 75 and when it does I get uncomfortable, so that's not too viable. I've got a CHE going in my current tub and it works really well, maybe I'll get one or two more lamps to spread out the heat distribution so there's not a cold spot in the middle? And a larger heat pad for sure.