ball python newbie

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Originally Posted by cornfuzed

i am looking in to getting a babby ball python (preferably a babby but if someone has one that they wanna sell or give me i would realy appriciate it) i have not had a snake before but i have spent the last 3months researching and i think that ball pythons are for me the reason i have yet to get one is because ate the
local petstore they havent had any and they are supposedly not in season(i did not know that their was a season for snakes) i was reading a post that someone bought one for $18.00( a babby ) i am in ohio is their any reputable breeders in ohio again i woulike to find one for arround $20 dose not need to be any special morph just a genaric or albino ball python and please if any of you have any advise i would really appriciate that also and again i am located on ohio

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I typed out a real long reply to this thread and the computer timed me out. So, I will try to do this again.

I question how much research you have really done. I think for 3 months of research, you would have found out that albino balls are NO where near $20 and that soil is not the best substrate for your ball python. Where did you do your research?
You also stated that you have never owned a snake before. Have you ever owned any reptile?
I would suggest getting a corn snake. They are very hardy and can tolerate some of the more common mistakes made by new snake keepers.
A ball python for $20 is likely going to be captive hatched or farmed animal. These are not always the easiest to get feeding. Even once eating regularly, they are known to go off feed for extended periods of time. This can be very frustrating.

I may be a stickler, but you might think about getting a spell checker program. It makes it easier to read and understand your posts.

Anyways, just my :2cent: .

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Originally Posted by cornfuzed

the reason i have 2 is becaouse the tank is in the living room and their are allways people going in and out and in ohio it gets cold in the winter thats why i
have a daytime light (the 100watt) and the night time light(50watt red so at night i can drop the tamp to about 75-78 but i keep my house 73 and i was told that 73 would be to cool at night)

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You should keep your snake in a low-traffic area, away from any drafts. The ambient temp on the cool side should not drop below 80 degrees. How are you measuring your temps and humidity and where in the tank are you taking the measurements?
I would suggest saving up your money for a thermostat to regulate your temperatures, especially with an under tank heater. They get way too hot and can cause some nasty burns to your animal. I do not advocate buying a $40 thermostat. :colbert: If you really are interested in keeping a snake properly, save up and get a decent thermostat BEFORE you purchase an animal. Some good brands are Ranco, Johnson and Helix. Personally, I use Helix. It is a great value for your money. You did not mention any hides in your setup. These are a MUST. You MUST have two IDENTICAL hides in the tank. One for the cool side and one for the hot side. Ball pythons thermoregulate and you should not make them compromise heat for security, doing so will only result in problems.
My advise to you at this point is to do more research. Browse BP.net some more and look at how other people have setup their tanks. Read a few posts about the necessity of thermostats and a few about how snakes will go off feed if their enclosure is not setup properly. There are plenty of both.