Setting Up a New Home for Sammy

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Originally Posted by BostonMacK

The rule of thumb from what i've learned here is that you want to maintain a constant 90-94/80-84 temp range with 50% humidity (slightly bumped for shed) at all times in your snakes cage. Fluxuations of 10 degrees is not good and needs to be fixed.

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So if one end of my tank is at 90-94 and the other at 80-84, do I need to worry about reducing temps for night time at all?

Also, I don't mean to play devil's advocate, just genuinely trying to learn more, but if the snake goes from one end to the other, wouldn't that do the same as a 10 degrees day/night fluctuation? What is the difference? That the snake chooses rather than is imposed?

Thanks,
Melanie

BTW, thanks for the everyone who gave me info on snake cages. I've looked at reptilebasics.com and Baoafile Plastics. Found some great looking 3x2x1 cages. Now, I'm trying to figure out if they will ship to Canada.

I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that because snakes are cold blooded you need to provide a means for them to regulate there own body temp. By moving from the cool side to the hot side and vis versa this is possible. If the temp in the entire tank drops 10 degrees and the your snakes body temp is too cool than there is no means for her to warm herself up.

When I searched "Ball Python Temp Drop" or "Ball Python Night Temp" I came across many sites that say a nightime temp drop is normal and up to 10 degrees is acceptable. However, I trust this site, the people on it, and the info given here more than anyone else thus far.


Here are some links to help you get pics up. (It took me a few days to figure it out).

Video
http://www.madwag.com/gallery.html

Sticky
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=32417

Hi everyone,

Ok, so I have looked at the cages that you have recommended. I have a few more questions.

Basically the cages at ReptileBasics.com, BoaphilePlastics.com and AnimalPlastics.com all look quite the same to me. Is there a company that is better than the others? For example, ReptileBasics.com's cages have a hole at the bottom for a thermostat probe. The other companies don't say if they do. Does that feature make it superior to the others? Or are there features from the other companies that outperform this one? What should I look for? And what features should I include when buying (e.g. a fluorescent light for the UVB rays?)? I have no clue...

Finally, would a 2 (deep) x 3 (long) x 1 (high) cage be large enough? Or should I go with a 2x4x1?

Thanks,
Melanie

PS. I have also looked at the Vison Cages but they don't look as nice in my opinion, if they are better for Sammy though, please let me know and I will go for them - nice or not. I really want what's best for Sammy - price is not an issue.

BigCe hit the nail right on the head as far as temps go. Your snake needs to thermoregulate because they are cold blooded and to do so they need those temp gradients.

As far as those cages go I don't think you can go wrong with either a boaphile or an animal plastics cage. Both get pretty good praise around here. I did read of someone having a huge delay in their expected ship date on a cage but I don't know which company it was.

You don't need any type pf light with your cage. Many people get by with just a UTH that does the trick for the entire cage. I had to use a RHP(Radiant Heat Pannel) in conjunction with my UTH to get my desired ambient temp of about 83-84. With the RHP I barely need to use the UTH yet it does kick on from time to time in the cooler weather.

A 36"w X 24"d tank should be fine. If it were me personally I would try and get it a little taller than 12" but I am sure 12" would be fine. My cage which I will show below is 17" high.

Also keep in mind that a large adult size cage can seriously stress your baby BP out. If you do use a large cage from the get go be sure to clutter it up with stuff in addition to the two standard hides. Crumpled up news paper would be fine for this.

Keep us posted on what you get!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...e9-2-07008.jpg

It's set up a little different now but this picture shows the heat pannel i'm using. I seriously dig these for heat sources and they don't ugly up your cage yet they can be a little expensive.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...il152007-1.jpg

Hello,

Thanks to everyone for the help with the cage for Sammy. I have decided on this one from Reptile Basics, mostly because of the great customer service I've received in helping me figure out what I needed:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/product...cat=257&page=1

I'm also getting a Helix thermostat along with that.

I just have one final question about lighting. They can add a fluorescent light to the cage but it's not a full spectrum light. I had heard that UVA/UVB was recommended for BPs but now I am not so sure... Do BPs require UVA/UVB lighting? If not, should I get a regular fluorescent light to provide light during the day?

Oh and do I need cooler temps at night if I am not intending to breed her?

Thanks again,
Melanie

PS. I will try to get some time to post pics this weekend. :P

Nope BP's don't require any special lighting at all. For viewing you don't want any sort of harsh white light either (remember these are nocturnal, shy snakes) or any lighting that gets hot if they can reach it (thermal burns).

Temps should be stable 24/7, 365 days of the year unless they are adults being cooled for breeding.

You've made a great choice. Rich from Reptile Basics has a well deserved stellar reptutation for product, delivery times and great customer service.

The temps in your tank should be consistant day and night. Just make sure you have a warm side and a cool side. As far as the light goes... I'm not 100% positive, but I don't think they require full spectrum lighting. However, I do have a full spectrum light (Daylight Blue Reptile Bulb from Zoo Med) that I use during the day.



Oopps, guess I type to slow, lol

Quote:

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

Nope BP's don't require any special lighting at all. For viewing you don't want any sort of harsh white light either (remember these are nocturnal, shy snakes) or any lighting that gets hot if they can reach it (thermal burns).

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Frankykeno,

Would I need any lighting of any kind in her cage then or just natural light coming into the room from the window is enough? I've heard of people putting their snake on a 12 hour light/12 hour dark routine... does that require a fluorescent in her cage to accomplish this or natural light is ok?

I'm currently using a 75W heat lamp combined with a ReptiGlo UVB 2.0, 12 hours per day, but I won't be able to use those anymore once I get her new cage...

Thanks!!

Personally we just go with natural light for all the snakes. As weather changes we might control that a bit with blinds or an overhead light on more often but basically just natural light coming in the windows. Remember though most of our snakes are in tubs in a fairly easily room just for them. The type of enclosure you are ordering isn't one I'm familar with so direct experience by people that have that enclosure would be more useful to you. When it comes down to it though these are snakes that spend a huge amount of their lives in rats burrows and deep in tunnels in african termite mounds so likely they just aren't designed to need certain light cycles. Some breeders control light cycles going into breeding season, some don't but that's for their breeding group.

Natural light is all your BP needs. Spend the extra money on some gadgets such as a nice infrared temperature gun to spot monitor the surface temps in your new cage. It just adds a little peace of mind which I found very useful.