BP's absolute needs help me.

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Originally Posted by piebald95

what about heat lamps that still confuses me they say that the lamps just suck up alll the humidity/ night lamps

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CHE and Infrared Heat Lamps do eliminate humidity, but are sometimes necessary if you ambient temperatures are not high enough. A good way to combat humidity issues on your setup would be to move your water dish closer to your heat source and use tin-foil to cover the lid of your tank (assuming it is a mesh top). You can always wet a wash cloth and cover the top or a section of your tank to help with humidity.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

Those snake kits are 100% waste of money. You will have to replace 90% of the stuff that it comes with. IMO for a basic, safe set-up for someone with ONE snake would be:

A 20 gallon long tank
A UTH (under tank heater) WITH a thermostat.
Substrate, I use aspen
Two identical hides
A nice sized water dish
Black out the sides and back of the tank (I use Con-tact paper from Home Depot $6)
In some cases, you can get a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) to raise ambient temps, and even those should be connect to a dimmer.
And a digital thermometer/hygrometer (such as this http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instrum...0852211&sr=8-1)

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+1 to this. Those snake kits are terrible for ball python setups. First, ball pythons do best with belly heat since they're ground dwelling snakes that spend 90% of their time hiding. So, out of the gate, ditch the heat lamps and buy an under tank heater. You NEED to regulate the output of ANY heat source, so you will need to add a thermostat/rheostat or dimmer to any heat source you get. Next, the thermometers. The little stick-on dials that come in those kits are highly inaccurate. Ditch those too and pick up a digital thermometer/hygrometer combo. All in all, it's much cheaper to buy the higher quality components and eliminate all the other junk you don't need...

Okay, okay, this is starting to be information overload again.

So, you will have to tell us YOUR basic needs so we can reply appropriately.

Here are the questions:
1.) Is EASY maintenance one of YOUR basic needs or are you game with a "more involved" maintenance?
2.) Is a "nice to look at" vivarium a basic need for you or are you good with a plain plastic box from walmart?
3.) Do you have to stay within a certain budget - not only initial outlay but ongoing maintenance as well?
4.) Do you plan on getting a baby snake or a grown-up snake?
5.) What are your house conditions - temperature, humidity, and foot-traffic - of the area you plan to put the snake in?

The answers to these basic questions will drastically change the basic needs list.

I like the under tank heater + table-top lamp dimmer from Home Depot to control the temperature. But I used overhead heating lamps for several years. I did have more bad sheds, but the humidity problems only come up once a month at most. You can switch your heating later.

And a tank with a locking screen top is fine starting out. I recommend that for your first snake--- it's harder to secure the tubs without a full rack system, and you don't get to see the snake exploring in the evening.

They REALLY like hides. Especially the babies and juveniles. Make sure you have at least two. It's much better if you can remove the snake from them and clean them easily.

So, your basics are:

20 gallon tank, LOCKING screen top.
90F warm spot
water bowl
two hides (cool side and warm side)
bedding (aspen chips/paper towels/newsprint)

I recommend:

point-and-click IR thermometer gun (for checking warm spot temperatures)
something for climbing (I like watching them climb, but it is one more thing to clean)
spray bottle for misting the bedding during shed (or provide a moist hide with frog moss)
wall-mounted thermometer and humidity gauge (mount AWAY from heat sources)

And make sure you've located a good herp vet in your area.

Guys - just want to point out...

A snake under 500g in size in a 20L glass vivarium can be a pain in the neck to de-stress. You'll need a LOT more stuff in that 20L to get it feeling secure than just 2 hides, water bowl, and substrate. The snake is better off in a small plastic bin than that 20L setup.