is this tub to big?

[liam_rokocoko]

i was looking at a plastic tub to buy and its 30" long, 18" wide and 6.5" high. i was just wondering if that was to big for a 2 month old ball python? if it is what size should i get and how long would he be able to live in it?

thanks for the help!

[Adam_Wysocki]

i was looking at a plastic tub to buy and its 30" long, 18" wide and 6.5" high. i was just wondering if that was to big for a 2 month old ball python? if it is what size should i get and how long would he be able to live in it?

That tub is enormous for a 2 month old ball python. While it can certainly be "made to work" with lots of hides and possibly crumpled up newspaper, it isn't "ideal" ... Picture standing in the center of a sports stadium that can hold 40,000 people when it's empty ... kinda makes you feel "small" and a little insecure .... I keep all of my hatchling ball pythons in tubs that measure 21.5 x 9.5 x 3.5 until they are at least 600 grams or about a year and a half old.

-adam

[muddoc]

That would be a perfect sized tub for an adult, but I would recommend something more along the size of 8x12x4 for a smaller snake. It could probably live in that container until it was about 400 grams.

[liam_rokocoko]

ok, thanks for the help. would a tub being 19" long and 14" wide be ok?

[elevatethis]

I'd probably go slightly smaller. I've kept babies in 15 qt tubs with success. That does them up until about 600-800 grams nicely. I wouldn't use anything larger than that for a hatchling, though.

A key concept here is that ball pythons, while shy in nature, are in a heavy "scared baby stage" as hatchlings and when kept in a large tub, they may be less inclined to seek out optimal temperatures as a result of the lack of security a large, sparsely furnished tub provides. When given the choice between security and heat, snakes choose security first.

Hope that gives a little insight.