New Snake Owner... Some Questions

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Originally Posted by Basketball303

Since this is sort of a new snake owner thread I thought I would put in my two cents, since I am a new snake owner as well....here's the basic set up for my ball.

45 gallon tank
2 heat lamps
large water dish
big hiding place
currently the temp on the hot side is reading around 88 and the cool side is about 85.

my question is:
my ball is constantly curled up in one corner of the tank. I've handled him a few times and fed him today(thursday). I just wondered if anybody knew why my snake was constantly in the corner.

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I'm going to be a bit blunt here.
If your snakes a baby, get a 10 gallon. If it's an adult get a 20.
BPs don't need to soak, so a large water dish is a waste of space, a small one is fine.
Replace the heat lamps with a UTH on the warm side with a thermostat or rehostat, and the temperatures will be much more controlled and accurate. They need to be upped.
Measure your humidity around 60%, which is very difficult with that size of a tank.
Get two identical hides that are the same size as your snake.

Also make sure he's on the proper bedding (such as aspen or newspapers or papertowels).

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As for the OP.
You seem to know things pretty well for being a new snake owner. The substrate can make a difference of 2-3 degrees, so 95 is perfect under the substrate. Through the glass it can be 10 degrees sometimes.
Generally, your setup sounds pretty good. You can keep a lamp as long as the humidity is alright and you have a dimmer so it doesn't affect the temperatures much (except if you need better ambient air temperatures, which it can help). If he's still cold to the touch because he likes a specific hide and refuses to thermoregulate, then switch the hides, and have his favorite on the warm side.

Good luck! :gj:

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Originally Posted by blackcrystal22

As for the OP.
You seem to know things pretty well for being a new snake owner. The substrate can make a difference of 2-3 degrees, so 95 is perfect under the substrate. Through the glass it can be 10 degrees sometimes.
Generally, your setup sounds pretty good. You can keep a lamp as long as the humidity is alright and you have a dimmer so it doesn't affect the temperatures much (except if you need better ambient air temperatures, which it can help).

Good luck! :gj:

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Thanks! I really did a lot of research, asked tons of questions, and read 2 or 3 books before I finally took the plunge. I think I debated about 6-7 months before finally committing myself. Although, I did kind of go against alot of what I had read and heard with my initial set-up. However, it is now all fixed, and soon Tabitha will be moving into a new 20L tank!!!

When I got my baby ball I put him in a 20L tank with plenty of cover and he adjusted in about a week which seems normal. He eats, sleeps, poops, and thermo regulates just fine and has since I got him. IMO a 20L is more versatile and lasts longer for someone that doesn't want to change tanks a lot.

Thanks for being blunt...I want the most direct answer that I can get, after all it's a living breathing animal I'm caring for. Now here's my next question, if I were to get a female ball and put it in the same tank will that compensate for some of the space or is that just a bad idea all around? You guys are awesome, thanks for the clarification on my questions.

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Originally Posted by Basketball303

Thanks for being blunt...I want the most direct answer that I can get, after all it's a living breathing animal I'm caring for. Now here's my next question, if I were to get a female ball and put it in the same tank will that compensate for some of the space or is that just a bad idea all around? You guys are awesome, thanks for the clarification on my questions.

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I wouldn't recommend housing two snakes in the same tank

I do have aspen bedding in the tank and I am currently working on getting some humidity in there. Is there any problem with a mesh wire top when it comes to humidity, from what I've read, I basically just need to get wet moss or some sort of water substance in there to create humidity.

I do have aspen bedding in there for him. And just a few clarification points, the hide is the typical upside down log that measures about 5 inches long and about 3-4 inches wide. He has gone in there before and seems very comfortable. To create humidity I understand that I basically need some sort of water source in there, does a wire mesh screen matter in this process? I don't think he's a baby baby, right now he's about 1.5-2 feet long, and from what I've seen at the local reptile shops, he's definately bigger than the baby balls they have there. And I'm pretty sure he's getting ready to shed.

Your going to have to cover the screen top to keep your humidity at the correct level. To help, use the moist moss in a humid hide.

To answer both your questions...
a water dish is necessary regardless if it's for humidity levels or not.
You can use a towel (folded, doesn't have to be damp) or plexiglass or some sort of fairly solid object to cover 2/3 of the tank top to help keep in humidity. Use a spray bottle to mist the tank (warm water) once a day to help keep humidity levels at a normal range.
If absolutely necessary, you can put the water over the UTH area or under a heat lamp but here's two downsides: warm water = breeding ground for bacteria, evaporates the water faster which means absolutely necessary frequent water changing.
Hope this helps =]

Is it normal for a ball to burrow? I woke up this morning and he's under the substrate. Let me just say one more time, you guys are awesome, thanks