My first BP

Hey everyone. I'm Chris, and am going to be getting my first BP soon so I've been looking on here quite a bit trying to gather information on what I will need. I am going with a glass aquarium and plan to get all the goodies and equipment set up to where my temperatures and humidity are all correct before I even purchase a BP. I am wanting to do it right the first time so my BP is as comfortable as possible and I won't have to upgrade if something isn't working properly. Here are the items I am after so far:

Mesh Lid w/ Locks
Aspen substrate (noticed it was a favorite by quite a few people)
3 sides of tank covered with some sort material
Water bowl
2 Hides

Zoo Med UTH
http://www.petco.com/product/6353/Zo...k-Heaters.aspx

PE2 Temp Gun
http://tempgun.com/products/pe2/

Top Foil Treatment
What kind of light should I use for the spot that is open for a light?
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...tment-Tutorial

Ranco ETC-111000-000 Thermostat
http://www.etcsupply.com/ranco-etc11...ller-p-87.html

I'm sure I am missing some things so chime in as needed and let me know what you all recommend so I can update my list. Thanks a lot.

If you REALLY wanna do it right, ditch the whole glass fish tank idea. You're starting off with an enclosure that was never meant to house reptiles. Then you're trying to make it into something it's not by covering 3 sides, and putting some ghastly-looking foil treatment on the screen top.

I'm not trying to be mean. My first ball python lived in exactly the enclosure you're describing. I'll give you the advice that I wish someone had given me before I ended up with glass tanks all over my house...

http://www.boaphileplastics.com/322d.html

Light-weight, non-porous material that's easy to clean, stackable - so it can grow with your collection without taking up more space in your home.

Jeff Ronne will build your cage and install whatever options you want with it. Flexwatt heat tape, florescent lighting, radiant heat panels, latches, key'd locks, or whatever else you want. When it arrives at your house, set up is as easy as plugging in whatever electrical stuff you asked for.

Awesome, was going to go with the glass tank since I'm getting a free one, but I'll take your word for it and go that route.

So going that way, what all do I need to go with that 322D in order to have it BP ready?

You'll probably need a thermostat, hides and water bowl. You'll definitely need substrate. I'd go with reptibark rather than aspen. Reptibark will hold humidity much better than aspen, also there's low dust content compared to reptibark. If you want an easy clean then go with paper towels or news paper.

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While aspen is a favorite amongst most, you can also experiment with different substrate over time to see what fits better in your budget and what you/your BP prefers more (even though BPs don't necessarily have a preference, its more of a preference of what you like and what is more appealing). Not to stray you away from aspen (because I don't have anything against it and was a long time user of aspen), but experiment with using others such as paper towels/towels if you're on a budget. The only reason I switched to this from aspen is because of my budget and I found it's easier to spot clean messes, the aspen doesn't get caught in its mouth while feeding, etc.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Schriztopher

So going that way, what all do I need to go with that 322D in order to have it BP ready?

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Well, I'd go with this:


Black 322D Boaphile Plastics Cage - $209.00


Boaphile Plastics Under Cage Low Wattage Heat X 1.5 Installed Option - $30.00

Two Boaphile Plastics Black Hinges Installed Option - $8.00

Boaphile Plastics Florescent Light Installed Option - $39.00

Item total:$286.00

The black hinges and the florescent light are optional, but worth the money, IMO. The stainless steel standard hinges look terrible, and for 8 bucks, you get the nice black ones. The florescent light seems expensive at $40, but Jeff mounts it in the cage for you, and runs the wire and plug out the side through a small hole - very nice finished look.

Also, Jeff sells the same Ranco Thermostat that you're looking at buying. He charges $25 more for it, but if you want it to all arrive at once, there's that option.

I just talked to a guy at a reptile shop and he said all they use is a daytime heat lamp and moonlight lamp at night and has never had any problems.

This post really helped me.


http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...%20foil%20tape