Proper enclosure size

Hello,

I'm a brand new ball python owner and this is an amazing forum with a lot of knowledge and experience.

Of course I have questions and tried looking through quite a few threads and didn't see this specifically asked, but if it was and I missed it, PLEASE forgive me and send the link as to avoid duplicate threads.

Why does it seem just about everyone, including the dealer I'm buying the snake from, say an enclosure has to be small for small snake and then larger for an adult? When a snake is born, it has the entire jungle to live in, not just a small area.

I'm going to order the Animal Plastics T8 (thank you Aaron The Serpent Merchant for the awesome write up) and in talking with Bob at Pro Heat, he recommended allowing the snake access to the entire enclosure as long as I provide it with several adequate hides (hot and cool zones). He made a good point in that with the radiant heater on one end and thermostat on the other it will heat the enclosure much like the sun heats the earth. 90 degrees in hot and 78-80 for the cool, allowing the heater to do it's job without the use of a "belly heater" as the radiant heat will also heat the substrate the snake will naturally find the "hot spot" to aid with digestion.

Thank you in advance for your input.

The reason smaller enclosures are recommended for youngsters is that they're even more agoraphobic when young than as adults. While it's certainly possible to provide plenty of security in a larger enclosure, it takes more furniture, fake plants, hides, branches, leaf litter, balled up paper towels, tunnels, whatever - more overall stuff in general. And that takes more effort and adds a dimension of complication, plus it's harder to find the poop in there. Plus it's easier for a new keeper to regulate heat and humidity in a smaller enclosure than in a bigger one.

And it's also because there are so many people who buy a young snake at Petco and come home with a tank, a water dish, a half-log, a dial thermometer, and a lamp. So the snake has one hide that isn't very secure, an expanse of empty floor, and glass walls that let it see how it's sitting right out on a table for all the predators to see. Not to mention poorly controlled humidity and heat.

Needless to say, there is a *huge* difference between a giant expanse of empty tank and a thoughtfully set up enclosure (whether it is a tub, a viv, or a tank) that actually provides what the animal needs. Basically, it takes less effort to make a small snake feel secure in a small enclosure than in a large one. And many young snakes have only ever lived in a shoebox in a rack before, so anything else is a big adjustment on top of that.

I'm of the opinion that a larger **appropriately appointed** enclosure is better than a smaller one, but a smaller one that provides for what the snake needs is definitely better than a larger one that doesn't.

For smaller ball pythons in a t8 your going to want more than just a hot and cold hide. they won't feel secure and you might run into feeding isues, adding some balled up newspaper or obstacles for them to hide in and around works well and can be cheap. clutter the cage so they feel save . just to make sure your aware the thermostat will be connected to the heat pannel to regulate it's output heat. research as much as you can now to save yourself heartache and hardship later, you have a good start and and great resource here if you need more help.