Advice On Glass Tank For First Ball

First post on the forums, my names Ty and I'm from Las Vegas. I'm looking to get my first ball and have been doing nothing but research for the past few weeks. I've tried reading as much as I can but I'm still not 100% sure on my setup.

Anyhow, I've been in the process of setting up a glass tank. I wanted to get everything in and watch temps, etc before I put a snake in there. After reading this forum and researching, I think it may be best to scratch it and go another route. The tank I have is a 4' long, 1' wide and about 1 1/2' tall. Looking at how big the tank is and reading about humidity issues with glass seems like it may not be the best idea.

Before I get too far, let me show you the guy I'm wanting to take home first.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...310R/image.jpg

I found him through a private owner who says he's a 2010 het pied. He seems to be large enough to be comfortable in that tank but I'm just not sure and since I've never owned a ball before, I want to make sure I'm going the right direction.

Should I stick to my plan and get everything completely setup with the tank I have and see how it works out before I bring him home? Or is too big and going to be better for the snake to get something smaller and easier controlled? I'm not so much concerned about the work involved as I am with him being comfortable and as stress-free as possible.

A glass tank set up correctly can be a perfectly fine home for a ball python. It may not be the easiest, but it's completely do-able. What gallon tank are you using? I have one of my ball pythons in a 20 gallon long tank. I use an under tank heater (UTH) connected to a Hydrofarm thermostat (http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1900974&sr=8-1) for belly heat. Mine is set at 96 or 97 I believe to keep the hot spot at 90. I used black Con-tact adhesive paper from Home Depot for $6 for black out the sides and back of the tank. Also two hides, one on each side should be identical. Fake plants can help clutter the inside so it doesn't seem as big to the snake. Other than that, I use aspen bedding, maybe 1/2 inch on the bottom, and a large easily cleaned water dish. I have used a heat lamp on a dimmer for a short time in the winter...but I live in MA and you may not need it as it kills humidity.

Get a nice digital thermometer/hygrometer unit at Home Depot to read temps. I also have a temp gun...the PE-2.
http://tempgun.com/

Also cover the top with anything from a towel to plexi glass to tin foil 1/2 to 2/3 of the way, it helps keep humidity in the glass tanks :)

Try this... it has worked for my glass tank so far.

I've got my UTH and the thermostat to control it. I've also got Aspen bedding, 2 hides and a water dish. I'm going to Wal-Mart tonight to get some thermometers and hygrometers. then I planned on getting some plants and like a tree type thing for climbing.

I believe the measurements of my tank equals 45 or more gallons and judging by what I've read, it just seems too big. Even with my plans, I feel like I've got to much space and it's gonna stress him out.

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Since you're living in Nevada you just want to watch your humidity, covering the screen top with either plastic wrap or even some plexiglass will help a lot! Good luck on your new snake :) I'd love to have a pair of het pieds.

45 gallons is rather large for a small ball python, but the contact paper and the fake plants to clutter may help. Worse comes to worse, you can always sell your giant tank and get a smaller one for less. The hides should be rather tight fitting as well, makes a huge difference in their security.

Looks like everyone else has covered the basics, so I'll just go ahead and say welcome to the site. It's nice to see other members from my city! :welcome:

Ok, well I'm gonna stick with what I got. Hopefully I can keep my temps steady. Thanks everyone!

Kymberli, I didn't think there would be any Vegas people on here. Very cool. I'm up in North Las Vegas too just off Ann & Valley.

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Originally Posted by ylerT

Ok, well I'm gonna stick with what I got. Hopefully I can keep my temps steady. Thanks everyone!

Kymberli, I didn't think there would be any Vegas people on here. Very cool. I'm up in North Las Vegas too just off Ann & Valley.

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I've seen a few other Vegas people here, but not many. I honestly have no clue where that is. I just moved here from Southern California on July 1st. :oops: I'm off Owens and Nellis. I really only know my little area so far, lol.