getting a ball python tomorrow

I said what the heck i'm getting a female normal tomorrow for a good price. She is short like 12-14 inches long but looks real healthy.
I need to set up a tub tonight/tomorrow before I get her. I want to use a tub instead of a tank due to cost and ease of cleaning.

What size tub should I start her off in? I want to use a UTH as its easier for me then flex watt. Can you guys help me with this??

i will go and buy the tub, uth,thermometer and hydrometer tonight. I want to have it set up tonight so I can monitor temps and humidity to make sure its ready for tomorrow.
What tub and size to get? Will go to wal-mart for that ready to buy now guys, pretty excited

tell me if this seems right to you.Tub size under 18qt, uth taped to the bottom on one side. Use bottle caps to allow air flow between the the uth and the stand the tub is on. Hide on each side, water bowl big enough to soak in. Paper towel or news paper for substrate

Since she's still fairly small, I would start with a 15qt or equivalent (I use Sterilite tubs). Just punch/melt holes around the tub for air circulation, get yourself an Acu-rite digital thermometer with probe & hygrometer, and rheostat or thermostat to control temps - that should do it! Not sure what you're talking about with the bottle caps, but I don't think that will be necessary. Oh, and I'd get the UTH made for at LEAST a 20g tank, since they're not super hot... flexwatt does work better and is cheaper, but shouldn't be needed for just one tub. Good luck & make sure to post pictures of your new baby! :)

Links to what I'm talking about:
http://www.weatherconnection.com/mfg...29964&mfgno=21
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...44440109016186 (the price is for a set of 10)
http://www.petstuffunlimited.com/zoo...hermostat.aspx
http://www.spyderrobotics.com/products/herpstat.html (more expensive thermostat, which I use for my rack)
http://www.google.com/products/catal...d=0CCoQ8gIwBA# (cheapest option for controlling temps)

well changed my mind i'm gonna go the tank route. my daughter is really happy about it and i know she wants to see the snake. I went to the pet store to look at tanks & they are cheap.

What size tank do you suggest for now? The BP i'm getting is fairly small, they had 5.5g 10g 20Long. With the size I'm thinking a 10gallon. How long will a BP be able to stay in a 10gallon??

The feeding schedule is every weds so how should I go about feeding since it will be changing homes. Skip a week or try to feed on weds anyway

Flexwatt is technically a UTH since uth stands for under tank heater, which is what flexwatt is.

I put flexwatt on shelves and sit tubs on top of the flexwatt(to the dismay of at least one person, lol) controlled by a thermostat, works well and I actually like the locking lided tubs better than my rack ;)

Taping the uth to the tub makes it difficult to thoroughly clean and sterilize the tub when needed.

i dont if i should get a 5.5 or 10gallon tank. they are reptile cages so it has a nice mesh lid that slides in. the snake shouldn't be able to get the lid off since it slides in. Nice feature since my girl does not like snakes at all lol.

I dont want to get too big of a tank, i dont want her too be scared but I dont want to buy something she will out grow in 3 months. i appreciate the help everyone i am real eager to get started

A 10 gal should be fine.

Jim Smith

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Originally Posted by bman123

i dont if i should get a 5.5 or 10gallon tank. they are reptile cages so it has a nice mesh lid that slides in. the snake shouldn't be able to get the lid off since it slides in. Nice feature since my girl does not like snakes at all lol.

I dont want to get too big of a tank, i dont want her too be scared but I dont want to buy something she will out grow in 3 months. i appreciate the help everyone i am real eager to get started

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be careful with the screen tops. If you want to go with a cage i'd reccomend professional made caging over the aquariums. BPs need 50% ambient humidity which can be very difficult to achieve with the screen tops.

Also, don't use the half log hides the pet store is going to try to give you. BPs want a smaller, tight fitting enclosed hide.

If you are doing everything right you aren't going to see your snake a lot. Balls are shy animals who spend most of the day sleeping and hidden. In all honesty they make a poor display animal.

As tiny as she is you can go with a 10, but make sure you have two nice tight hides so she'll feel secure.

Mesh lids SUCK for keeping temps and humidity correct. If they have mosty solid ones instead get one, otherwise you can use plexiglas or foil to cover most of the lid to help stablize things. Also, don't think for one second that your new snake won't be able to escape if it wants to. They are solid muscle, and can exert a great deal of force against something they want moved. Use latches or weights or even straps to hold the lid securely.

The Accurite thermometer/hygrometer you can get from wal-Mart real cheap is all you need for measuring temps and humidity. Make sure you get a thermostat to regulate the UTH.

A young BP should be happy in a 10 gallon for the better part of a year before you need to upgrade.

After you get your new baby, give it a week to get used to the new place before you handle or feed. The snake will be stressed out and need some quiet time to get used to things. Then go ahead and feed as usual.

Study the care sheets here, they are an invaluable source of info.

And welcome to the addiction!

Gale

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Originally Posted by bman123

well changed my mind i'm gonna go the tank route. my daughter is really happy about it and i know she wants to see the snake. I went to the pet store to look at tanks & they are cheap.

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If she wants to see the snake, I'd suggest getting a boa... LOL. ;) Like somebody else mentioned, BPs are quite shy & spend most of their time hiding. The up-side is that they're usually easy to handle, which makes them a good snake for kids. Just don't take it personally if they hide 98% of the time!

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What size tank do you suggest for now? The BP i'm getting is fairly small, they had 5.5g 10g 20Long. With the size I'm thinking a 10gallon. How long will a BP be able to stay in a 10gallon??

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10gal will be perfect for a young snake, and will last a year or so... then you'd get a 20gal, which should be sufficient for the rest of their lives. The others have already warned you about humidity issues, and I'll also add that glass tanks are MUCH harder to clean (compared to tubs). For one snake that won't be a huge deal, but when you get more - which I bet you will - definitely consider switching to tubs/racks.

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The feeding schedule is every weds so how should I go about feeding since it will be changing homes. Skip a week or try to feed on weds anyway

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You could offer the first Wednesday, but there's a good chance she won't be ready to eat yet... so probably best to wait until the following Wednesday, as taking a week (or two) off won't hurt a snake. Then she'll be nice and hungry for ya! :gj:

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Originally Posted by Lolo76

You could offer the first Wednesday, but there's a good chance she won't be ready to eat yet... so probably best to wait until the following Wednesday, as taking a week (or two) off won't hurt a snake. Then she'll be nice and hungry for ya! :gj:

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Oh, or you could just switch to another day, especially if there's one that is better for you... for example I feed on Tuesdays since I'm off work by 6:30 (often work later on other days), and the shop where I get feeders stocks on Tues & Friday. I promise, the snake won't even notice! :D

I found another local breeder today with something different. He wants $60 for a 1ft long male 100%het albino, a 10gallon tank with mesh lid and metal clamps. Everything for $60 sounds good, I saw pics of the boy tonight and he looks nice and bright.

Said he has fed 3 consecutive times no problem, is very nice and hasnt striked at him. I talked to the guy for awhile bout 20 mins. He seemed very knowledgeable and was asking alot of questions. I wanted a female first but I think this will be a good buy.

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Originally Posted by bman123

I found another local breeder today with something different. He wants $60 for a 1ft long male 100%het albino, a 10gallon tank with mesh lid and metal clamps. Everything for $60 sounds good, I saw pics of the boy tonight and he looks nice and bright.

Said he has fed 3 consecutive times no problem, is very nice and hasnt striked at him. I talked to the guy for awhile bout 20 mins. He seemed very knowledgeable and was asking alot of questions. I wanted a female first but I think this will be a good buy.

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This is an animal that can live for 20+ years, even up to 40 in some cases. Get what you WANT, not hat you think is a "good buy" unless what you want happens to be a good buy..

100% het albino means the male you're looking at carries the gene for albinism, he does not display it. He looks like a normal ball python. The only time the het would come into play is if you wanted to breed him down the road.

yeah i saw pics of him, I cannot afford to outright buy a super pastel or a albino BP.
If I do decide to breed tho I will be able to get a het albino female for cheap and produce my own albinos.

I just like the idea of a local breeder. The normal I wanted is gone now. I wanted a normal female first then get a male pastel later. I am just getting ahead of myself, I have a long time ahead of me. I just need to get this male and take it from here

Just a question (not just for you, but in general -- because I'm not sure if I know the answer). How do you know it is het albino? Does he have proof somehow?

I could sell my normal as het albino (although I'm pretty sure it's not!).

Just being the devil's advocate.

Later,

George

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Originally Posted by chapskis1

Just a question (not just for you, but in general -- because I'm not sure if I know the answer). How do you know it is het albino? Does he have proof somehow?

I could sell my normal as het albino (although I'm pretty sure it's not!).

Just being the devil's advocate.

Later,

George

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That's easy. It's called trust in the breeder and integrity of the breeder. So in other words, you better know this guy/guy pretty well, if you're going to buy a het for anything from them. That's why I've never been fond of hets from other people.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith