Petstore Kits

I'm wanting a snake, but I live in my grandparent's house so I have to get them to agree to it first. My Nannie has pretty much given me the ok, but we still have to work on my Papa. If I get it, I just want to make sure I have all my bases covered. The last time I had one as a pet I was a kid, and my dad took care of it. I was looking at PetSmart today at their enclosures, and they have kits that says it has everything in it. One thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't have the digital meters for the temperature and humidity, and I've heard that the digital ones are the best to use. They sell one seperately that measures both for 25 bucks. It also says it includes: a 10g tank, screen cover, reflector dome, day blue bulb, heat mat heater, and the liner. Does this sound like a good kit to spend the money on? I asked the guy there and he said that the kits save money as compared to buying it all seperately. I also wondered if the liner it says it comes with is what they consider the substrate. If so, it's like a mat, and I wasn't sure if that was the best thing to use because it seems like it would be difficult to clean. Newspaper sounds the easiest because you can just throw it out. Thanks for any advice in advance :)

Honestly the kits are useless and way overpriced. Once you start owning herps you'll realize the dollar store can be your best friend. Plastic tubs are much better for containing heat and humidity compared to glass tanks. The heat pads that you can order such as ultratherm heat pads are inexpensive and work great. As far as substrate just go with shredded aspen, paper towels, newspaper, basically the simple things. Then just two of the same hides on each end and a waterbowl, and the setup is basically complete. Then you just need a digital probe thermometer which you can pickup at walmart or pretty much any hardware store.

Once you become more experienced you'll notice how useless and overpriced most of the things are in petsmart and other pet stores. Usually the more simple the easier the enclosure it to maintain, which in turn keeps your herp healthy and happy.

i agree the dollor store is prety good sometimes.. ive really been liking their sterlite 6qt and 16qt tubs.. they are shorter with a bit more floor area also more square ,which works great for paper beding . the ones walmart carries are taller and have more rounded edges .but both styles have their place..you can also find some good junk to use as hides for cheap.

Definately don't get those useless kits at the pet stores.
If you don't want to use a tub, go buy a 10 gallon tank with a secure lid and your set with what your going to house your new friend in. That's just the first part of it. For heating the cage i would not use lights. Ive been through that (haha) they suck the humidity up. I mean if you want to spray down the cage every hour, go for it. Its not to fun. Id go with a UTH. Don't have to worry about buying bulbs, its easy, and it wont suck up the humidity. :)
Don't waste your money on those thermometers at Petco or Petsmart. They can be as much as 20 degrees off. Which is A LOT when your caring for a reptile. Get a digital probe thermometer from a walmart or hardware store.
I currently use newspaper for my my Bps substrate. Its so easy and simple! I just replace the old newspaper with the new paper when my snakes make a mess. Just so you know the ink is safe =D.

Check out the care sheet! http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

Good luck!

~ DZ

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Originally Posted by DZ Reptiles

Definately don't get those useless kits at the pet stores.
For heating the cage i would not use lights. Ive been through that (haha) they suck the humidity up. I mean if you want to spray down the cage every hour, go for it. Its not to fun. Id go with a UTH. Don't have to worry about buying bulbs, its easy, and it wont suck up the humidity. :)

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Would this work? If so, is one enough to heat the entire tank?

http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/204426/product.web

Thanks!!

I would try to get a larger UTH maybe 11 by 11, or something close to that.

Ok, thanks.. just wanted to be on the right track at least, lol.

Any under tank heater needs a thermostat. Herpstat or helix brand. It will cost more then anything else you buy. But it is a life saver for your self and your snake. No under tank heater should be left on without a thermostat ... ever. No pet shop will tell you this cuz they don't know anything. And do not use rock heaters they will burn your snake.

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Originally Posted by gman8585

Any under tank heater needs a thermostat. Herpstat or helix brand. It will cost more then anything else you buy. But it is a life saver for your self and your snake. No under tank heater should be left on without a thermostat ... ever. No pet shop will tell you this cuz they don't know anything. And do not use rock heaters they will burn your snake.

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While Herpstat and Helix are the best thermostats, I use 2 Reptitemp 500r's to control my rack (Link: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiT.../dp/B0002AQD9A ) and they work great! As long as your room temps stay within +/- 5 degrees, this thermostat will keep your temps at whatever temp you set it at. While not nearly as good as a helix or herpstat, it not only gets the job done, but it does it quite well, especially if your just a casual snake owner,not a breeder with 5 racks and 100 snakes, or your just short on cash (like me, im a poor college student haha). They are reliable too ( I just left my snakes for a week, came back and the hot side temps were perfect!) So theres another option for ya! :D

*Excuse the horrendous grammar haha

A good way to judge the size of a UTH is it should cover at least 1/3 of the floor space, but not more than 1/2. Hope this helps...