Adopted Ball obviously not cared for right. first time owner need help.

Will the layer of woodchips not protect her from burn?

Will the heat from the halogen bulb be sufficient for a week and a half? (next pay period)

Our house is usually pretty cold.
She seems more content with the pad.

Would it work to have the pad on at night and the bulb during the day?

I will definitely be making sure her environment is suitable before worrying about upgrading the size of the tank.

She was supposed to come with "everything"

But i was also under the impression she was a lot smaller and that the tank was larger.

I will try and get a closeup of the scale that concerns me.
It's a tan color compared to the white ones that surround it.

sorry just saw the part about how much we're charged.

Not much 100$ for "snake and everything she needs"
doing payments since it's lining up with rent being due

I was planning on adding one to the family sometime this year but not this soon.
She came from an acquaintance.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

Will the layer of woodchips not protect her from burn?

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No, ball pythons burrow, she will push the wood chips around.

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Will the heat from the halogen bulb be sufficient for a week and a half? (next pay period)

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It should be ok.

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Our house is usually pretty cold.

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In Florida? I thought you guys were warm this time of year.

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Would it work to have the pad on at night and the bulb during the day?

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No, a heat pad can get hot enough to burn in 10-15 minutes.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

In Florida? I thought you guys were warm this time of year.

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Which is why the house is cold inside lol.
My husband and roomate are from up north they keep it cold.


If the UTH is a nono I may be able to still take it back.
What would a better heat source be.


our electric company here is pretty high so husband is concerned about energy efficiency.

What is a good efficient heat source for her?

Goodnews is I called the petstore i got the heating mat from and I can still exchange it will go tomorrow after work.
But what type of heating bulb would be the best for heat and energy efficiency?

The heat mat is great, you just need a thermostat. Hydrofarm from Amazon is the cheapest. . .I think $29 right now. Any heat lamp will be higher wattage than a UTH, I think they're usually 10 or 15 watts, can't beat that. So if energy efficiency is a concern the UTH is best.

You don't need to hurry with the new tank---it's not an emergency, but I do think you'll want to upgrade. I have a 700 gram BP in a 20g long, and there's just no room for anything. 2 hides and a water dish? Haha, no way that's going to fit. I have the smallest water dish possible and it still doesn't really fit, plus he tips it over all the time. Can't imagine a big girl like that in a 20g long. You can find leaker tanks cheap from craigslist or other classified ads. No reason to pay for a new water-tight tank if you don't need to.

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

My husband and roomate are from up north they keep it cold.


If the UTH is a nono I may be able to still take it back.

You need the UTH, but not without a thermostat


our electric company here is pretty high so husband is concerned about energy efficiency.

Seriously? If the house is kept that cold, then a UTH won't even move the needle on your electric bill


What is a good efficient heat source for her?

The UTH is the best source. But it has to be regulated

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Originally Posted by MoonSong

Goodnews is I called the petstore i got the heating mat from and I can still exchange it will go tomorrow after work.
But what type of heating bulb would be the best for heat and energy efficiency?

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Get a CHE. They're more efficient than any bulb in my experience.

Ultimately you'll really want to go with this...

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-Basics-*DUW*

After all is said and done, it's the least expensive way to control your BPs environment.

Okay I misunderstood.

UTH is unplugged.

As far as house temp. I'm a florida native anything in the 70s is cold to me.
I usually turn the AC off when his brothers not home.
he's the one that will turn the AC down cold but we pay the bill.

Anyways thank you for the advice I appreciate it.

I will order a thermostat as soon as i get paid next week.
Going to get her a small-medium rat this week and see if she'll eat since I don't know for sure when the last time she ate was.


As far as her eventual tank upgrade I'm going to keep researching what would be best for our space and home family/other pets etc.

My niece and nephew stay with us for weeks at a time during the summer so I definitely need a locking lid so they're not harassing her when they think we're not watching. They're very sneaky kids (so they think)

I'll take some pics of her scale that concerns me tomorrow

Set the house HVAC thermostat to 78*F. He'll adjust and your electric bill will decrease a lot. I'm also from "up north" (and in the mountains, deep snow, ice, etc. etc.); acclimating to heat takes time but it can be done. Ceiling fans help too.

For energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness a UTH beats a bulb or CHE easily. Not only does it draw less electricity, you aren't replacing it every few months. Just get a thermostat.