Set Up Questions From a Noob

Hello! I recently have become very curious of the reptile world and i plan on getting a BP soon enough. I've done A LOT of research, naturally out of curiosity and a bit of obsession.. lol. I CANNOT WAIT to have my own beautiful snake, but I want to make sure that an enclosure works for both me and the creature :). I know about the BP husbandry and have heard mixed reviews about different types of enclosures, so I'm hoping the kind reptile community can help me out with my particular situation.

What I was initially looking into getting was a glass terrarium, mainly exo terras and zoo meds. I wanted a set up that i can put in my office at home that is nice for viewing and such. I don't plan on having many snakes, maybe 2 at most if my boyfriend takes a liking to them, but as of right now i'm only looking at only one little scaled fellow:snake:. So a rack system wouldn't be too ideal for me. BUT I've heard that glass tanks with screen tops are difficult to maintain humidity in. :(

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what enclosure would be best suited? Or what their opinion on Exo Terras are?

I know plastic bins are awesome for our slithery friends, but I really wanted to have something... sort of more visible if you will. Not for other people but for me. Lol. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

If you are going for a vivarium rather than RUBS, I would go with a wooden viv to help your snake feel secure as glass tanks, I read, can make them feel too exposed and lead to fasting and stress.

You can create a fabulous looking environment in a wooden viv too though :) xx

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Originally Posted by embrit345

If you are going for a vivarium rather than RUBS, I would go with a wooden viv to help your snake feel secure as glass tanks, I read, can make them feel too exposed and lead to fasting and stress.

You can create a fabulous looking environment in a wooden viv too though :) xx

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Totally agree with your advice , they could buy two matching vivs and have them separate or stacked . Probably best starting with one though and adding another later . Depends on their money situation .

I have gone for viv stacked although, to begin with have set up for the 2 rubs to go into 1 viv until they grow on :) xx

Animal Plastics, or similar PVC enclosures - look nice, and great for maintaining humidity and temperatures. AP sells dividers for theirs, so you can give a young snake a smaller space and adjust as it grows, or divide one cage for two animals (divider can be placed wherever you want).

I like white, lots of others prefer black. We're moving most of our snakes out of Exo-Terras into AP cages, mostly for humidity and temperature control reasons (as well as growth). We've got two T8s, and two more and three taller models on order for our various snakes. The sand boas seem fine in glass, but we'll move them to PVC if necessary.


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There are a lot of pvc enclosures out there that would suit your needs. They aren't ugly, and have glass fronts, so viewing is easy. Keep in mind, a happy BP is a hiding BP (at least most of the daylight hours). I get it though.. I wanted an enclosure I could see into, even if my snake doesn't care to come out and play.

The cages you mention look nice. They do require a bit more work to keep husbandry in check than other enclosures though. You'll have to cover the screened cover with something... foil, plexiglass, or something... to keep heat and humidity in.

If you are pretty certain you'll have only one snake for a while, I would consider pvc, something around a 36"x 20"x12"... or something close to that. If you think you MIGHT get another down the road, I would recommend an Animal Plastics's T8. It's large enough that you could house two snakes in it all of their lives, or at least for 2 years or so. They are bigger though... 4'x2'x12". So they have a big footprint. If you can easily accommodate this, go for it. For the money, it's a great investment. There are plenty of reviews here on the T8, and I don't know if you'll be able to find a bad review.

Above it was mentioned about wood... If it's sealed and built correctly, it can be a beautiful and long lasting enclosure. They are heavier than PVC, and personally, I'm always afraid the moisture is just going to get into the wood and lead to problems. That's just me though.

IMO nothing beats animal plastics enclosures. They do what they should and look good doing it.


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Don't really see a lot of pvc enclosures in the UK unless they are for green tree pythins and the like :(

Have you any pics pls xxx

I have had Exo-terras, would not recommend using one for a ball python.

If you get babies keep them in tubs (rubs) for a few months, set aside money for their adult enclosures, and scour the classified ads until suitable used enclosures pop up for sale in your area. I did find ad sites for the UK using Google, I just don't know how close you are to what's for sale.

OMG, AP T8 looks perfect! :bow: Ill probably go with that. Thanks guys! Wood is an idea i didnt really think about either, but id be afraid of heating and humidity around it. I've seen pictures of people do it safely, but I think I would be too paranoid lol. the t8 is exactly what I want. Don't know how I didnt run into it earlier.

Thanks Guys!:cool: