First Snake (hopefully)! Tips?

My parents are finally considering letting me have a snake. I've been asking since I was in kindergarten, so I'm really excited (they've been dead set against them since forever). My mother is pretty cautious about snakes, but she's coming around. My dad says it's fine as long as I pay for it. They came with me to the pet store to look at snakes, and we all loved the ball pythons. These are the only snakes they actually find cute. I've been researching ball pythons (among other snakes) for the last 2-8 months. However, I still have a few questions and was hoping to get some advice. I'd also love to hear any information for first time snake owners (the class pet was a corn snake, but he wasn't mine). :)

Is there any specific brand of tank you would recommend? I want something that is escape-proof and won't take too much hassle. I'd prefer a tub, but my mom wants something prettier. Is there anything with the benefits of a tub that is pleasing to see?

Any specific brand of heating equipment? Any specific type?

How much and how often do you feed your snakes? I've seen some mixed information.

I did have more, but of course I forgot it. Too late at night, lol.

Most wooden style, glass fronted vivariums are what you would class as pretty I guess. They are escape proof provided you use them correctly! I own a vivexotic one and find it very nice.

A heat mat should provide the correct heat that your snake needs, make sure this is connected to a thermostat so as it doesn't overheat. Again, big name brands will all be very similar.

And you can generally eye ball how big a prey item will suit your snake. One about the width of its body is what some people say. I normally feed slightly smaller. Feed an adult once every 7-14 days.

Hope this helps, and enjoy snake keeping :D

If you must go with a tank instead of a 41qt sterilite tub then Exroterra has some nice ones that offer good depth. You will want to look for one that is more in the shape of a square rather than a rectangle. I would get any of the UTH heaters that heat the tank from outside on the bottom. The cheaper ones at petsmart seem to work just as good as the ones at petco. You will want to get a thermostat to use with it so you can make sure you are not going to burn your new buddy which can and probably will happen without a thermostat. You can get a small UTH for 20 bucks and get a thermostat on sale for maybe 40, look online too. Breeders eat different then pets but I like to offer mine food every five days. Ball pythons are really cute for non snake people. The shape of their head and their little snout is enough to win most people over :)

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Originally Posted by Penultimate

Is there any specific brand of tank you would recommend? I want something that is escape-proof and won't take too much hassle. I'd prefer a tub, but my mom wants something prettier. Is there anything with the benefits of a tub that is pleasing to see?

Does your mom know that the pretty displays cost the most money? If your having to fund this yourself the pretty display style cages and tanks are going to be the most expensive option. Plus you are making a pretty display for a snake that you are hardly ever going to see out and about. I have a 40 gallon naturalistic tank and it is buy far my most expensive tank to keep. http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/...ps93d92ab4.jpg

That said I like both the ExoTerra and the ZooMed glass tanks. They both lock so your snake stays put. Starting with a young snake it is suggested to start in a smaller tank and upgrade later once it is larger. Again this is much cheaper with tubs as a 40 gallon sliding top locking cage will run you $130-170 bucks. I would try to talk you mom into at least letting you start out in a tub. Tubs are by far the easiest way to start out.

Any specific brand of heating equipment? Any specific type?

Well this is a lot of opinion but one thing all experienced keepers agree on is buy a good one. I like Herpstat and have 4 units. I have never had an issue with them but they are going to start at $100 for the basics and go up from there but you get what you pay for.

I have had the Hydrotherm that you may see suggested on here. They are cheap and ever since the one I had failed in about 3 months I no longer suggest them.

How much and how often do you feed your snakes?
The usual suggested feeding is every 5-7 days for young snakes then going to 7-10 days as they get older and eventually every two weeks depending on the size of prey you feed. The usual amount to feed is 10-15% of the snake body weight.

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If I were you I would start putting all the needed equipment on paper and see which method you can afford.
Your gonna need:

water bowl(dollar store)
two hides (could make yourself to save money)
cage
under tank heater
thermostat
thermometer

Then depending on your homes temp you may also need:
heat lamp with bulb or che
spare bulb or che

Then if you want a naturalistic setup:
plants (fake, real, or both)
substrate
other decor

People here have given you some good starting points and the care sheets will give you more,
take a minute and check them out.
I am going to suggest that you and your parents find a local reptile show,
look at the endless possibilitys that are there and talk to the breeders,
usually they know more than the pet store employees.
You also will find deals on animals and cages and supplies.
Pet stores usually charge to much and can't or won't help after the sale,
a breeder usually will.

Out of all of the glass tanks I'm seeing, ExoTerra looks the nicest, and if it works well, that might be a good option. My parents realize it's expensive, but it's also their house... I'm going to ask them if it's ok to start with a tub, though. I'd go to a reptile show if I could, but there just aren't any around here that I can find. What kind of ExoTerra would be best, measurements wise? I was thinking large low, but is it better to go large wide or something else? Thanks for your help!