ball python caging questions ( please answer) for any year of experience

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Originally Posted by bmeza2

Questions

1. How many years (or months) of experience do you have with ball pythons
2. How many pythons do you own
3. what type of cage do you keep it in ( bio environmental, paper towel/ newspaper, soil, )
4. pros and cons of cage
5. behavior of the snake ( calm, anxieties, violent, always out and about, always hiding, etc)
6. Personal opinion on the reason why you choose this type of set up

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1. 11 years of owning ball pythons, 5 years of working with all shades of snakes and other reptiles (colubrids, pythons, boas, monitors, alligators, etc.)

2. Currently own 9 snakes, but might (probably will) have a few more by the end of the year. I just recently came into the space, time and money to grow my collection so I'm on a roll!

3. When I first started, I used vivs. I've always used reptibark or coco substrate, and when they were in vivs I'd bake safe to use branches and make things as pretty and as natural as possible. I switched to a DIY rack when I got my 3rd bp, because space and time. In the last few years I've been using RBI and TGR racks and while I may not be able to see my snakes on display, they're happier and it's much, much easier for me. I still use reptibark substrate, and they have hides and fake plants in their tubs, too. The whole nine yards. I really, really miss having a display animal though, so I've been toying with the idea of getting a BRB or GTP and a nice, custom, fancy cage to go with it.

4. Pros for rack: space, faster cleaning time, snakes seem happier. Cons for rack: Not as fancy as a beautiful display cage, and on average more expensive. Installing heat tape can sometimes be a pain in the pooper, too. At least for me, anyways.

5. My albino is an anxious snake, never defensive but he stresses very easily. I feed him, clean him, make sure he's healthy and leave him the heckin' heck alone. I don't even like to take pictures of him. He's only ever been in a tub for as long as I've had him and I don't think he'd do very well in a viv at all. Before he came to me I have no idea what kind of space he was in, but he was in piss poor shape.

My pewter, enchi firebee and my super emperor pin are defensive and like to try and kill you when you slide out the tub, but once they're out they're ok. The only one that's ever tagged me is the enchi firebee, but it was one time when I unboxed him and didn't realize he was feisty. The pewter was my 3rd snake ever, and he was the catalyst for the rack system. He wouldn't flourish in a viv no matter what I tried. He was 5 years old when he came to me, and was in a rack for those 5 years so I think the change to a viv was just too drastic.

Spider, super pastel, fire pastave, and super mojave are all as docile as can be. Super pastel and spider were just fine in a tank, and are just fine in a tub. This new bamboo something-or-other seems pretty laid back too, but I just got her today so who knows if she'll stay that way or end up being sassy once she's settled in and eaten a few times.

They all hide 99% of the time, unless they've just pooped/shed or decide to take a stroll at 2 in the morning, but for as long as I've had a rack system I've never had a snake pace out of stress. Even in the quarintine tubs when I first get them, they've never really paced out of stress. The bamboo girl I got just this morning ran to the hide and has stayed there as far as I know. I've only peeked once since she went in but she was still in the same spot.

6. I had vivs when I first started because I tripped headfirst into the herping rabbit hole and I couldn't afford a rack system. I started with only two bps so I thought only 2 snakes didn't justify shelling out a bunch of money for a rack system (at the time I didn't realize you could get single level racks, and I'm not sure if that was even an option 11 years ago.. probably was but I was younger and thought I knew all the things). When my collection grew, and the vivs got bigger and took up more space and the one snake was miserable, I shelled out the money and made my friend help me build a 6 shelf rack. I kept only the 4 snakes for a long time because I couldn't afford more than that. The DIY has since been replaced with the RBI and TGR systems. The racks have just been easier to manage. Temps and humidity are no issue, cleaning is easier, snakes are happier, and I have much more space than I would if I had 9 vivs hanging around.

Sorry if most of this is rambling. I'm really good at rambling. :oops:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bmeza2

1. How many years (or months) of experience do you have with ball pythons

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Been keeping snakes (including ball pythons since I was a kid), probably somewhere in the ballpark of 20-25 years experience

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Originally Posted by bmeza2

2. How many pythons do you own

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Currently have 8 ball pythons

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Originally Posted by bmeza2

3. what type of cage do you keep it in ( bio environmental, paper towel/ newspaper, soil, )

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I keep them in a combination of Constrictors NW caging (48" x 23" x 18") and tubs. Tubs for the younger snakes and the larger plastic caging for adults. I use paper towels and bio-active substrates. Currently in process of moving animals over to bioactive substrates.

paper towels:

Pros - cheap, easy to change out, do not "bread" thawed rodents in substrate, health problems easier to observe
Cons - aesthetically poor, defecation usually results in entire cage needing cleaned

Bio-active substrates:

Pros: facilitate in more natural and diverse enclosures, require less frequent cleaning, supports natural fauna and bacterial growth, some snakes appear to feed better in this type of (natural) setup, aesthetically pleasing
Cons: addition of plants usually results in them being smashed, substrate get all over prey items, substrate can get stuck in nostrils, around eyes/mouth, etc., require taller / larger enclosures for deeper substrate, more difficult to heat using UTHs

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Originally Posted by bmeza2

4. pros and cons of cage

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Tubs:

Pros - smooth inside seams allow for easy cleaning, inexpensive, lightweight and easy to move around, easy to heat using UTH, can make difficult eaters eat more regularly
Cons - aesthetically displeasing, defecation usually results in entire cage needing cleaned, can be difficult to view snake when closed, difficult to raise ambient temperature without heating room

Plasic or PVC enclosures:

Pros - Can make very nice setups and great looking reptile rooms, side door entry, compatible with many heating methods while still in stacked setup,
Cons - More expensive, takes up more space, inside seams require sealing, more effort to setup

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bmeza2

5. behavior of the snake ( calm, anxieties, violent, always out and about, always hiding, etc)

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Varies from snake to snake, but are typically a mix or hiding in hide or roaming about during nighttime hours. Behavior pretty similar across most ball pythons: Docile, slow moving, unlikely to be bit unless you're holding a rodent

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bmeza2

6. Personal opinion on the reason why you choose this type of set up

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It is hard to argue that tubs are not ideal for raising young snakes. They fit all the basic criterion and are cheap, meaning you won't have to spend a ton as your snake grows in size. A small snake can be more easily overwhelmed by a large setup. Paper towels make clean up very easy and are inexpensive to use. They also allow you to monitor the health of new arrivals more easily with the downside being that they soil quickly and can't really be spot cleaned. My #1 complaint is that if you go on vacation and a snake defecates, it mucks up the whole cage a lot of the time.

For adults, I am an advocate of large enclosures with more space regardless of substrate choice. I consider the 48" x 24" x 12"/14"/18" setup to be ideal depending on substrate. If you are using aspen or paper towels you can get away with a shorter enclosure, but for a bioactive substrate, you really need about 4" deep. This is especially critical for large, heavy animals such as ball pythons that easily displace substrate. I keep most of my animals on bioactive substrates, but admittedly, ball pythons are not the most ideal candidates unless you have an extremely large enclosure (like 5' x 3' x 3') that can accommodate very deep substrate and larger, more robust plants. My #1 complaint with particulate substrates is that you can't just throw a F/T rodent in there without substrate getting all over it. I have not personally observed any ill effect from snakes swallowing substrate, the theoretical risk just bothers me.

For my bioactive ball python enclosures, I only use substrate/soil, leaf litter, and cleaner microfauna. I gave up on live plants because they were all getting crushed, often times putting them in pots was not enough to save them.

Questions

1. How many years (or months) of experience do you have with ball pythons? 2 years
2. How many pythons do you own? 2
3. what type of cage do you keep it in ( bio environmental, paper towel/ newspaper, soil, )? 20 gallon and a 10 gallon glass tank.
4. pros and cons of cage?Humidity is the issue and tweaking it to get it correct.
5. behavior of the snake ( calm, anxieties, violent, always out and about, always hiding, etc) both are chill
6. Personal opinion on the reason why you choose this type of set up? ​Easy start up cost

Salazar! Haha my BP is a Salazar also :)

Going to do this now so I'll have something to compare after I've had my girl for a few years. This will either be informative or embarrassing to look back on. lmao

How many years (or months) of experience do you have with ball pythons:
4 months of keeping, I've admired them since I was a kid though.
How many pythons do you own:
Just the one for now.
What type of cage do you keep it in ( bio environmental, paper towel/ newspaper, soil, ):
50 gallon sterlite tub, dimensions 39x21x18 inches for a hatchling ball python, with plans to upgrade when she outgrows it.
Uses coco chip for substrate, with plans for bioactive when upgraded.
CHE & UVB light on hot side, UTH attached to side of tub on cold side.
Pros and cons of cage:
Pros: Lots of room to add climbing opportunities, gives space to roam around and get exercise at night, plenty of places to hide. Holds humidity well.
"Cons": It's big, so you have to clutter it up a lot more than a smaller tub. You may have to use two heat sources to keep the temps in appropriate ranges when it's colder.
Behavior of the snake ( calm, anxieties, violent, always out and about, always hiding, etc):
Very calm when handling during the day, very curious and doesn't take long to start exploring around my hand.
Hides during the day, comes out at night to explore.
Never seems anxious, and tends to come towards me when I open the tub at night. Climbs right out into my hand when given the opportunity.
Personal opinion on the reason why you choose this type of set up:
I wanted to give mine room to explore and engage in natural behaviors while also providing security with plenty of hides and (fake) plant cover. She will be upgraded to a larger enclosure as she grows, as she has proven that she will use every inch that is given to her.

1. How many years (or months) of experience do you have with ball pythons
   6 months
2. How many pythons do you own
   2
3. what type of cage do you keep it in ( bio environmental, paper towel/ newspaper, soil, )
   Glass Aquariums. 20L and 10 gallon
4. pros and cons of cage
   The Pro is that I already had the tanks and that is pretty much the only pro. Maintaining heat and humidity is a challenge and the tanks had to have a number of modifications to get them stable. Coconut substrate, UTH and CHE, foam core board to black out three sides. I also have screen tops that I have covered with heavy clear vinyl with holes cut for the CHE domes with about a 3/4 inch allowance around the fixture.
5. behavior of the snake ( calm, anxieties, violent, always out and about, always hiding, etc)
   My snakes are super gamey feeders. Mostly hide but are often active in the evening. Very easy to handle.
6. Personal opinion on the reason why you choose this type of set up
   For me it was a matter of cost and convenience. I knew basic care needs and thought that the glass aquariums would be sufficient. Turned out I was wrong about the convenient part. There was quite a bit of trial and error into getting the cages functional, which was mostly done before I had my first snake. Happily with effort my animals are thriving but I'm saving for some PVC display cages.

I have a few years under my belt!

I have nearly 50 snakes, not sure exactly how many, I'd have to go down and count them LOL. This is my first big year breeding, soon to have nearly 200 snakes including my hatchlings if all goes well, of course I'll sell and wholesale them as they hatch out.

I have them all in ARS rack systems along with two rat / mouse combo ARS racks. The ARS racks allow me to keep everything in a very small space (200 square feet!), easy to heat and clean and keep track of everything since it's all in a tight space. The ARS rack with grey tubs and coconut husk chips substrate is the ideal setup for ball pythons, they have a crazy appetite and aggressive feeding response. And since I just switched over to live feeding for all of them they all eat every time even multiple rodents as much as I can feed them, never a missed meal. I have to hold myself back from power feeding them LOL. This is also my first year breeding my big 30 pound dwarf reticulated python, hoping to get lots of eggs from her!

Questions

1. How many years (or months) of experience do you have with ball pythons5 years give or take
2. How many pythons do you own Currently, I have five, with room for one more.
3. what type of cage do you keep it in ( bio environmental, paper towel/ newspaper, soil, ) I keep my snakeys in PVC terrariums (Animal Plastics T12, T10 & T8) that are heated by radiant heat panels and controlled by two Herpstat 4s. I use coconut husk since it's easy for me to get and holds humidity well.
4. pros and cons of cage I absolutely love my setup. Everything is controlled automatically. I don't worry about keeping up temps or humidity. The only drawback is space. My three terrariums take up a whole wall of my office.
5. behavior of the snake ( calm, anxieties, violent, always out and about, always hiding, etc) Most of my snakes hide during the day and come out exploring in the evenings/night. One of my females will be out during the day waiting for me to feed her because she's a fatty.
6. Personal opinion on the reason why you choose this type of set up I love my setup because it gives my animals enough room to explore and provides them with security as well as constant heat and proper humidity.