beginner questions i havent found covered in depth

[Bruce1984]

Hello all
My name is Bruce. I have been reading everything I can on the care of Ball Pythons and there are a few things I would like to dig into a bit deeper. This forum has been great to read so far and I noticed that a lot of keepers on here use tubs as opposed to aquariums . My main question is if I house a Ball Python in a tub how much of the bottom of the tub should the UTH cover I saw someone said the whole thing, and some said half but if the whole thing is covered how can you havea warm side and a cooler side. Any input would be appreciated. I've basically decided to start with a tub and a UTH and use a proportional thermostat to regulate it.
Thanks

[blackcrystal22]

Covering the whole thing would result in no cool/hot side difference.. no fluctuation for the snake to choose from. :]

I cover only about 1/4 with flexwatt and its on one side specifically. 1/4-1/2 covered is good. Whatever you need to keep the temperatures stable.

[edie]

Hmm I don't use so I'm sure someone here can help you out more..

I used a rack that used tubs so thats basically the same thing, you do not want heat tape under the WHOLE tub (mine was a strip of heat tape at the back of the tubs, only covered maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of the back, just enough so the snakes whole body fit on the basking spot), not sure about what dimensions you should have for the tub you use - maybe if you post the dimensions of the tub you will have someone can point you out in the right direction as far as UTH or heat tape size goes.

[Argentra]

(can't resist) "Hello, Bruce" (see if you can tell what movie that's from)

1/4-1/3 of the bottom should be the amount taken by a UTH. That way you have 1/3 warm, 1/3 'neutral', and 1/3 cool.

Also, tanks can work just as well as tubs. It all depends on the owners desires, the room environment, and the insulation of the tank.

[MasonC2K]

Bruce from Bruce Almighty or Bruce Banner from anything to due with the Hulk.

[icygirl]

(can't resist) "Hello, Bruce" (see if you can tell what movie that's from)

Finding Nemo!!

[frankykeno]

Rich at ReptileBasics who is pretty much the expert at heating tubs with flexwatt recommends that no more than 1/3 to 1/4 of the inside tub floor dimension be covered by the flexwatt which must be controlled by either of t-stat or a rheostat. Here's his Flexwatt FAQ to learn more about this very stable and cost effective heating option.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/Flexwatt-FAQ-sp-4.html

Whatever heating option you choose you need to have a good way to read temps at the substrate level where your ball python spends the vast majority of it's time. It's also best if you can set up the enclosure a few days to a week in advance so you can tweak anything that needs fixed prior to the snake being introduced.

[Argentra]

Finding Nemo!!

You got it.

[Bruce1984]

Thanks so much to all that responded. I'm going to try to get every reply into this post without quoting. First off I was named after Bruce Springsteen. That's what happens when you have a young mother and you're born in the 80's . Second I figured it couldn't be the whole bottom so I'm very glad to hear it. I have a 75 gallon tank I would love to set up for housing. But after researching I realized to do it the way I want to it's going to cost a lot more than I have at the moment in thermostats etc. to maintain the temperature. Plus the snake I've been looking at is about 16 inches so it wouldn't hurt to start a little smaller i figured and piece the tank together with everything I need (herpstat pro etc.) over time. So anyhow thanks a lot to everyone and I'm sure I'll keep asking questions on this forum. It has been very helpful.

[rabernet]

You'll find that a 75 gallon is impractical for a ball python, even a full grown one does not need that much space. Not to mention the heating and humidity challenges it will present.