New BP Owner

Welcome to the forum! I was watching a video of a guy that has been breeding ball pythons for over 20 years and what amazed me is that he was totally self taught and never looked at any websites or asked around about what others do. Everything he did was completely opposite of what we repeat over and over on this forum. But it worked for him, I was actually amazed he had so much success. I think it can be a bit overwhelming at first because there is so much information out there and a lot of people have their own strong opinions about every topic. For now I would just act like a sponge and take it all in!

:welcome:

Let me preface this with “there is more than one way to skin a cat” that being said what will work for an experienced owner is not always what should be recommended to a new owner with limited experience. The key is to find what works for the animal then yourself.

When I give advice to new owner I do it based on what I know is foolproof and will work for them as they learn more about their animal and before they start experiencing around.

For example 8/9 months of the year I do not provide a hot spot at all, that’s right no belly heat, I also do not provide hides however those two things among many other I do are not things I would recommend to someone just starting.

To that you also need to add common sense and efficiency, for example why belly heat instead of side or back heat, because in the majority of cases especially when you have a cool room it is more efficient, less heat loss (keep in mind that heat also goes up)

So it’s really about providing proper heat which means never falling behind 75 on the cool side and in the mid 80’s on the hot side to facilitate digestion.

If you can do that and your animal is eating you are doing it right, now if you do not manage to provide those temps is when you will start having issues.

Do you need to relocate your UTH? Depends on your temps a little secret is getting a reading of the body core temp of the snake itself when being on either side.

So will the UTH being under be better maybe, maybe not, but it will be more efficient and less heat loss at the bottom especially in a cooler room, of course that means a T-stat which you should already have because even on the side it can get hot enough to crack the glass.

I dont think the heat source absolutely has to be located under the enclosure. In the wild, the sun bakes the Earth which in turn creates belly and ambient heat. In the same way, a ceramic heat emmiter will heat up the ground and also the ambient air and can be left on 24 hours a day as long as it is controlled by a thermostat. A lot of people on here seem to have multiple heat sources but unless the enclosure is very large, ie 8 feet plus, it's not needed. Just as long as the heat source creates a basking spot, maintains an ambient temperature and has a wattage appropriate to the size of the enclosure.

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Originally Posted by Valaryan

I dont think the heat source absolutely has to be located under the enclosure. In the wild, the sun bakes the Earth which in turn creates belly and ambient heat. In the same way, a ceramic heat emmiter will heat up the ground and also the ambient air and can be left on 24 hours a day as long as it is controlled by a thermostat. A lot of people on here seem to have multiple heat sources but unless the enclosure is very large, ie 8 feet plus, it's not needed. Just as long as the heat source creates a basking spot, maintains an ambient temperature and has a wattage appropriate to the size of the enclosure.

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I don't disagree. I only use one heat source a few months out of the year when the ambient temps where I live give me that option.
Deborah touched on this in her reply above as well, and I agree with what she said about it not being great advice for beginners. She mentioned giving newbies foolproof advice since they don't have the experience to identify stress or other issues.
When it comes to beginners I think it's best to stick to what is proven to work time and time again.

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

I don't disagree. I only use one heat source a few months out of the year when the ambient temps where I live give me that option.
Deborah touched on this in her reply above as well, and I agree with what she said about it not being great advice for beginners. She mentioned giving newbies foolproof advice since they don't have the experience to identify stress or other issues.
When it comes to beginners I think it's best to stick to what is proven to work time and time again.

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I think having multiple heat sources over complicates things though tbh. Having to set up two heat sources and ensure they don't over heat each other seems too much when it's not needed with a CHE.

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Originally Posted by Valaryan

I think having multiple heat sources over complicates things though tbh. Having to set up two heat sources and ensure they don't over heat each other seems too much when it's not needed with a CHE.

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It's not complicated at all, and, like I said, is proven time and time again. Is it the only way? No, but proven.

This is why getting things dialed in prior to bringing the animal home is recommended. Set your heat sources up on thermostats, tinker a bit, get it right, bring animal home, monitor, enjoy pet...

I use a Uth on the side for my water python and sunbeam snake right behind their hides, but only because the tanks are humid and with low ventillation, so the air and hides near the heater tend to form a "pocket" of heat.

I pulled up the how to build a glass tank enclosure sticky. I’m going to the store to get what I can. Can I have a compiled list of what I should have? I know I should have had this prepared beforehand but the lady at the store I got him from said the enclosure I purchased had everything I would need and I failed in that respect to be informed. I’ve been checking on him consistently and he seems to be fine, I just need a list so I can make sure I have at least the bare minimum to sustain him until I can order the remainder of what I cannot get front Petsmart online. I really appreciate all the help.

-THERMOSTAT!!! One for each heat source.
-2 proper hides (Not trees or half logs, but single entry caves)
-water bowl.
-digital thermometer/hygrometer
-infrared temp gun

The rest is up to you...but the above are the staples among with your heat sources.

Stay away from stuff made for aquariums or any hollow decorations/trees etc...

NEVER any tape or anything like it inside an enclosure

Unfortunately, you learned the hard way not to trust the people at the stores. They are often times uneducated on the animals they sell and driven by sales.
I always tell people to cross reference multiple sources before believing anything. Just because one person says it doesn't make it true...

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

It's not complicated at all, and, like I said, is proven time and time again. Is it the only way? No, but proven.

This is why getting things dialed in prior to bringing the animal home is recommended. Set your heat sources up on thermostats, tinker a bit, get it right, bring animal home, monitor, enjoy pet...

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Yeah that's what I did. I let the silicone dry for a week and then ran temps for a week to make sure.

I think husbandry practices are different across the pond though. Here in the UK more than one heat source is unheard of unless the enclosure is huge.

It's probably because we use wooden vivariums a lot more that hold a lot of heat.

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