2 New BP's

The thing about this site, and the internet in general, is that you have to sift through all of the parroted information (whether it be true or false), and try and learn from people who actually have experience dealing with the things they are talking about.

If you run an unregulated UTH, it may not currently be too hot to cause any harm to your snake, but there is no safety net if it for some reason malfunctions. If it's on a thermostat, it will completely shut off if something goes wrong.

Ball Pythons are pretty hardy snakes, which is why you get a lot of conflicting opinions on the best ways to do things. Snakes are pretty good at not showing symptoms of illness also. A new keeper may not be able to tell if something is wrong.

Safest option for an inexperienced person, house each snake individually. Definitely a great idea to regulate your heat source also. Provide a thermal gradient so the snake can pick and choose where it wants to be. 78-82 degrees on one end and 90-92 on the other. Keep the humidity at a reasonable level (50-60%) and give them places to hide.

Other than that, it's not rocket science. Good luck with your new snakes.

A lot of what is considered 'bad snakekeeping' seems to be largely based on opinion. Check out Al Coritz' channel on Youtube. I've noticed some of the things that he does, a lot of people here would bash any day of the week. But he's about a thousand times more experienced than most of those people.

Let's see. I too have spent a TON of time online reading stuff about caring for my BP. And I can always read more.

The auto mister I use is a Reptifogger. It works great, thought attaching the inlet is kind of interesting. I like it.

You do seem to need 1 more hide, as it would be stressful to make a snake choose between a preferred temp and feeling secure.

And as others have stated, please don't house them together... I know it is a small chance of cannibalism, but I don't think it's worth it if it is the slightest possibility...

Otherwise sounds good to me and :welcome:

Lookin' good!

I would get another hide for your cool side and make sure to get a thermostat for your UTH in case it malfunctions one day. You can get a Hydrofarm thermostat on amazon for $32.

Also, I wouldn't recommend keeping them together even if they are similar in size especially if you already have a second tank for one. Why take the chance of one harming the other or causing unneeded stress if you don't have to?

BPs can be picky eaters too in terms of husbandry and stress. When I bring new snakes home, I always like to think of their first meal as a test as to weather they are comfortable or not. I normally give them at least a week before offering food to let the acclimate to their new home. If something is off and one or both snakes are stressed or your temps are off, you'll know when it's time to eat.

Good luck with the new kids!

Also, if your sticking with tanks, you can cover 3/2 of the top with a damp towel to help with humidity.

I housed my two mojave's together for about 3 months while i awaited a new animalplastics cage.. they did good.. but the new snakes ive gotten whoa buddy..they WOULDN'T do well together it depends on the attitude of the snake.. :) I love this site.. 99% of people know their stuff on here! I used Herpstat's for my thermostat.. they are great and they ship same day 99% of the time.. i have two herpstat2's and one herpstat 4.. They are great little snakes..

Congratz and enjoy them!!

BTW i have two Exo-terra monsoon RS400's set up.. might be a little over kill for your set up.. but they work well for my animalplastic's T8's..

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Originally Posted by tbowman

The thing about this site, and the internet in general, is that you have to sift through all of the parroted information (whether it be true or false), and try and learn from people who actually have experience dealing with the things they are talking about.

If you run an unregulated UTH, it may not currently be too hot to cause any harm to your snake, but there is no safety net if it for some reason malfunctions. If it's on a thermostat, it will completely shut off if something goes wrong.

Ball Pythons are pretty hardy snakes, which is why you get a lot of conflicting opinions on the best ways to do things. Snakes are pretty good at not showing symptoms of illness also. A new keeper may not be able to tell if something is wrong.

Safest option for an inexperienced person, house each snake individually. Definitely a great idea to regulate your heat source also. Provide a thermal gradient so the snake can pick and choose where it wants to be. 78-82 degrees on one end and 90-92 on the other. Keep the humidity at a reasonable level (50-60%) and give them places to hide.

Other than that, it's not rocket science. Good luck with your new snakes.

A lot of what is considered 'bad snakekeeping' seems to be largely based on opinion. Check out Al Coritz' channel on Youtube. I've noticed some of the things that he does, a lot of people here would bash any day of the week. But he's about a thousand times more experienced than most of those people.

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Before I got my snake I set up my tank a month in advance to get everything dialed in, my unregulated zoo med UTH got to 158F measured on the glass inside the tank with an accurite thermometer. That would burn the hell out of a snake without doubt. With my Vivarium V100 it runs between 89-94.

So today I got to visit a local Herpetologist. He ran me threw some basics, and took me threw his setups. His first suggestion was to keep the UTH, to put a piece of slate or tile overtop of it. This thermal mass will GREATLY reduce the heat transfer threw the glass. I picked up an other hide today we well, its on the hot side of the warm side of the tank.

So, right now I have a pretty nice setup for one snake, I will be buying the "Stuff" for the second tank when I can get back into town to do so. Since I will be feeding them dead fuzzies i will pick up a small plastic container for that. Ill be feeding one at a time.

I would still get a thermostat for the UTH, even with the slate dispersing heat. If they malfunction, they REALLY malfunction. And keep in mind, hot for the snake is not hot for us. You know how the temperature can be comfortable but you can still get sunburnt? It's a lot like that for snake burns. You're not just trying to avoid flash burning - you have to be wary of the "slow cook" as well.

As far as feeding goes, I'm not saying there's a right or wrong way to do it, but IF they don't eat well for you, it may be due to the stress of being moved to and from a separate container. Not all snakes are delicate flowers, and they might do just fine, but that's something to consider if they do give you trouble. It seems like you'll have the second tank up and running soon enough anyway though! :)

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Originally Posted by Smitty33

Before I got my snake I set up my tank a month in advance to get everything dialed in, my unregulated zoo med UTH got to 158F measured on the glass inside the tank with an accurite thermometer. That would burn the hell out of a snake without doubt. With my Vivarium V100 it runs between 89-94.

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Nowhere in my post did I say that an unregulated UTH will not burn a snake.

So, 2 years later I would like to make some updates.

We still have UTH, but all are on thermostats. We also use IR lamps when we need them (In the winter months).

We now have 2 BP and one RTB. SO, its a growing collection.

I am looking into CHE's and protective covers to add into the mix to more readily regulate the heat and humidity. Any suggestions / warning / guidance on this? i dont want to burn anyone, or cause undue hardship either.

thanks again,