Substrates ?

I just got a ball python a few days ago from a friend i am setting up a new tank for it and was wanting to know if insead of bark or shaveings i could use stone or ceramic tile for the bottom of the tank

i dont think stone or ceramice tile would hold enough heat to provide the belly heat the ball needs. if you have newspaper or paper towels they would work just fine.

Yeah, tile gets too cold. Newspaper works well though.

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Originally Posted by Crazy4Herps

Yeah, tile gets too cold. Newspaper works well though.

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Technically, the tile doesn't get colder than the substrate.

It just transfers heat faster, that's why it feels cool to the touch.

Just being a little nerd. :gj:

but with a under tank it would stay just as warm anyhow every floor i have put in with the eletric floor warmers have so i would think natraul stone or ceramic would stay as warm as you want it to with a under tank heater and a regulater

I have ceramic tile under my hot-side hide buried underneath the substrate (currently reptibark). It helps disperse the heat evenly. I didn't put tile on the cold side because then, it could get too cold. You might not want to do just tile without newspaper or papertowel or the shavings because then you won't have anything to absorb urine/urates and your snake will bath in it.

ok i can understand that thank you

Stone tiles will hold bacteria...a lot.

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Originally Posted by Slim

Stone tiles will hold bacteria...a lot.

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Depends on the type of stone/tile. More porous stone/tile would be much more problematic come cleaning day. Although if it were sealed I guess I don't see a problem with it. I would think its not very natural for the BP though. I try to do my best to keep their enclosures as close to natural as possible - you know their own little piece of Africa in my living room ;) Sucks to suffer from OCD :D

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Originally Posted by STORMS

Depends on the type of stone/tile. More porous stone/tile would be much more problematic come cleaning day.

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I wanted to say that, but I didn't know how to spell porous....everytime I tried, it looked funny. Was trying to put an "e" in there.