beginner questions i havent found covered in depth

Hello all
My name is Bruce. I have been reading everything I can on the care of Ball Pythons and there are a few things I would like to dig into a bit deeper. This forum has been great to read so far and I noticed that a lot of keepers on here use tubs as opposed to aquariums . My main question is if I house a Ball Python in a tub how much of the bottom of the tub should the UTH cover I saw someone said the whole thing, and some said half but if the whole thing is covered how can you havea warm side and a cooler side. Any input would be appreciated. I've basically decided to start with a tub and a UTH and use a proportional thermostat to regulate it.
Thanks

Covering the whole thing would result in no cool/hot side difference.. no fluctuation for the snake to choose from. :]

I cover only about 1/4 with flexwatt and its on one side specifically. 1/4-1/2 covered is good. Whatever you need to keep the temperatures stable.

Hmm I don't use so I'm sure someone here can help you out more..

I used a rack that used tubs so thats basically the same thing, you do not want heat tape under the WHOLE tub (mine was a strip of heat tape at the back of the tubs, only covered maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of the back, just enough so the snakes whole body fit on the basking spot), not sure about what dimensions you should have for the tub you use - maybe if you post the dimensions of the tub you will have someone can point you out in the right direction as far as UTH or heat tape size goes.

(can't resist) "Hello, Bruce" (see if you can tell what movie that's from)

1/4-1/3 of the bottom should be the amount taken by a UTH. That way you have 1/3 warm, 1/3 'neutral', and 1/3 cool.

Also, tanks can work just as well as tubs. It all depends on the owners desires, the room environment, and the insulation of the tank. :)

Bruce from Bruce Almighty or Bruce Banner from anything to due with the Hulk.

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Originally Posted by Argentra

(can't resist) "Hello, Bruce" (see if you can tell what movie that's from)

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Finding Nemo!! :)

Rich at ReptileBasics who is pretty much the expert at heating tubs with flexwatt recommends that no more than 1/3 to 1/4 of the inside tub floor dimension be covered by the flexwatt which must be controlled by either of t-stat or a rheostat. Here's his Flexwatt FAQ to learn more about this very stable and cost effective heating option.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/Flexwatt-FAQ-sp-4.html

Whatever heating option you choose you need to have a good way to read temps at the substrate level where your ball python spends the vast majority of it's time. It's also best if you can set up the enclosure a few days to a week in advance so you can tweak anything that needs fixed prior to the snake being introduced.

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Originally Posted by icygirl

Finding Nemo!! :)

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:D You got it.

Thanks so much to all that responded. I'm going to try to get every reply into this post without quoting. First off I was named after Bruce Springsteen. That's what happens when you have a young mother and you're born in the 80's :). Second I figured it couldn't be the whole bottom so I'm very glad to hear it. I have a 75 gallon tank I would love to set up for housing. But after researching I realized to do it the way I want to it's going to cost a lot more than I have at the moment in thermostats etc. to maintain the temperature. Plus the snake I've been looking at is about 16 inches so it wouldn't hurt to start a little smaller i figured and piece the tank together with everything I need (herpstat pro etc.) over time. So anyhow thanks a lot to everyone and I'm sure I'll keep asking questions on this forum. It has been very helpful.

You'll find that a 75 gallon is impractical for a ball python, even a full grown one does not need that much space. Not to mention the heating and humidity challenges it will present. :)