Tell Me About Your T8/T10 Set-up!

[Pengil]

I think next week will be the week to bite the bullet and start the process for getting Horatio (almost 1 year old male BP) his AP T-10 enclosure, before winter hits and the ambient temperature in the room he's in go haywire. So far the plan is this:

• Sliding glass doors with locks
• Black pvc
• Blue LED lights
• ProProducts RHP
• Heat tape (?)

I'm undecided on whether or not to get both an RHP and heat tape, or just a RHP. The ambient temps in the back room where he is can get pretty chilly in the winter- I would guess maybe as low as 65- so the RHP to maintain proper ambient for him is probably a must. I'm also undecided on whether or not I should have them put in a shelf as well.

Thoughts? Other input? Pictures of your own AP setups would be lovely as well if you'd like to show them off!

[Virgil]

A few months ago I bought my own T8 from Animal Plastics, and I LOVE it. More importantly, my ball Virgil is much happier in there, because it has become so much easier to manage the humidity than in his old glass tank. Preparing for sheds has never been easier!

I originally got the T8 with sliding glass doors without the locks. However, I would definitely get the locks, because I discovered the hard way that Virgil figured out how to open up the doors. He ended up waking me up a few weeks ago by falling off of my 7ft bookshelf in my bedroom (his tank is in the living room) at 3:00am at night. Get the locks. I have 1/4 inch wooden dowels as my lock now.

I called Bob at ProProducts when I was getting ready to purchase my tank, and he said to only go with a RHP, because, for my climate, that was all that was necessary, and heat tape can apparently change how an insurance company will want to cover you, due to the fire hazard. However, I would personally call Bob if you haven't already and get his opinion. I live in a very warm climate with mild winters, and you said it can get cold where you live. My RHP is connected to a Herpstat 2. The Herpstat is great, in my opinion.

I have white LEDs and they fill the tank with bright light fabulously. I have them and the fish tank connected to a timer, so they turn off and on for a good day/night cycle.

I do not have a shelf, as I kept running into the opinion that it wasn't necessary for ball pythons. Virgil's hides are modified kitty litter boxes, and he chills on top of those when he wants to, so I guess he does have a shelf of some sort!

Putting together the T8 was very easy, but I would make sure that you have a second person there during setup because it makes life so much easier.

I highly recommend checking out this thread:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...-With-Pictures!

as I found it incredibly helpful when I was making my decisions on my T8, and when I was putting it together. Don't take my word on what you should do, go hunt down some experts' opinions! Call Ali at AP, call Bob at ProProducts, and read experienced people's opinions (like Aaron's, aka The Serpent Merchant) on past threads. Everyone in this community is so helpful, so take advantage of that!

My camera is broken, so I don't have any pictures of my setup at the moment. I do keep a 5 gallon fishtank on top of it with no problems, though! These tanks are tough! Make sure you have a good thermometer, like Acurite, not one of those dial thermometers you can get at PetSmart or PetCo. Since you are getting a T10, I assume you know better, but there is a wise saying about assuming...