From 10 gal to 30 gal??????

My male BP is 460 grams and 30 inches long. He is currently in a 10 gallon tank and it seems to me a little cramped. He cant even hide in his hide anymore :[ B/c he has outgrown that.

So I took action and originally set out to find an affordable 20 gal tank on craigslist. But ended up coming upon a great deal. A 30 gallon tank w lid bigger exoterra cave hide (whch is desperatly needed) a bigger water dish, some plastic vines, and a large log type structure for the snake to climb on. All for $40 :]

But my concern is that a 30 gallon tank is too big for my 3 foot long bp who is used to a nice and cozy 10 gallon tank.

Any ideas on what I can do to ease stress and make it appear to be more crowded in the new 30 gallon tank?. Also what size heat pad would you suggest?

Enough hides and proper husbandry and you'll be fine. It will be harder to keep humidity up, you will need more bedding, and personally I would throw everything out, buuuuut if you are going to keep it then make sure you treat the tank with PAM, and personally I would suggest cleaning everything with a bleach/water solution first.

Of course Imma nuke the tank before I transition my bp to it. Get the heat set up and finally go buy a accurite therm/humidity from walmart.

The previous owner said that he hasnt had a bp int he tank for over a year b/c he sold it awhile back.

Ive also been using paper towels as the bedding b/c i find aspen so messy and don't like the thought of spot cleaning. I usually remove all the papertowels wash all his items in hot water and soap then spray down his tank and replay everything after it airs out.

I do have aspen though but it is such a pain! Looks prettier tho!

Oh What would I do without you replying to my posts at 4 am? Thank you!

one way or another, clean it out, get everything set up.

With such a large tank I would block out 3 sides, for added security. I would also offer numerous snug fitting hides, for more security, and, perhaps, the old hide as well, as a kind of bridge over. Really the more stuff you have in it the more you have to clean, but at the same time the more places to hide the better off your snake will be in a large enclosure.

So, first get the humidity and temps right, after cleaning it, as you said. Then add about as many hides as you can fit in there, haha, that way the snake will feel secure and have lots of places to go. Hides can be easy and at that size the base of a decent sized flower pot would work (after cutting away an entrance).

As for being here at 4am, yeah I got off work a few hours ago and havent fixed my sleep schedule yet for school (though I should probably start). Aspen isnt necessary, really no bedding is (aside from basic newspaper/paper towels) if the temps and humidity are right.

To keep the humidity up there is always the aluminum foil trick. Also, check tomake sure the tank is secure and that YOU cannot force the lid off if it has clips. If you can, I would suggest going to walmart, getting yourself some vinyl straps (like backpack straps) and some clips (make sure you calculate the perimeter around the side of the tank, you may need 2 straps per each round you want to make), that way you can secure the lid, I used 2 sets of 2 (had to clip 2 together for each time it went around the tank) on my 65 gallon way back when I used a tank.

Oh, while I've got your attention.

You're about to go to college, right? First year?

Look, a lot of people go right after highschool and decide to putz around and get bad grades. Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, dont be one of them. Shoot for As, nothing less. Make yourself known to your teachers but not in a suck-up way, but in a decent way. Whatever your major is, that will be the group of teachers you want to form a good bond with, they'll be the ones writing recommendations for you in the future.

While you may go in just wanting your Bachelors degree, remember, Volunteer Work, Activities, and good grades, as well as your GREs if you are going for a science that it covers, are what decides whether you go on to grad school. This is important, extremely important. You may not have any goal to go now, but, look, the option will be there, NEVER limit your options in life in general.

And prior to taking classes, or at least during, either purchase or take out from the library my favorite series "For Dummies." Read them, use them to help you. I tested straight into Calculus when I started at this Community College and I'm now prepping for spring by reading Differential Equations for Dummies (got bored with physics, not high enough mathematically, silly basic calc based course). But you have no idea how helpful the information in those books are.

I wish you luck, you will need it, but if you work for it you really do have a world of possibilities before you, dont waste your chance like I see so many others around me doing. Work, work hard, have fun, but do well.

I wish you all the luck in the world.

I have my son's 800+ Gram in a 20 gal tank heated with a heat pad and have a ceramic flower pot that I turned into his hide, also took one of those fake climbing trees and laid it down as another "hide". Fang as my son likes to call him likes to ambush the rats from under there. I have a medium water dish on the cool side and also used tin foil to cover the screen lid. It has helped keep the humidity between 50-60%. I add damp sphagnum moss to his hide when he is shedding as well. With a 30 gal tank, you may want to add an extra hide and as Oxylepy mentioned, cover at least 3 sides of the tank with dark construction paper or some other material to give him added security.

I am going to be studying Primary Education as I want to be a reading specialist and grade school teacher. The school Im going to has one of the top vet schools, nursing schools, agriculture, and engineering programs in my State. haha And I choose Teaching!! I've realized you have to do what you love versus something you "think" you should do. I'm def gnna take advantage of college. I've seen too many ppl get free rides and totally blow them. My sis and my best friend! And Im like hello!! C'mon you can go to college for free!!!! and u are wasting it!!!!!!!!
Oh well. College isnt for everyone.

I'll update some pics of the tank later after I get it and go on a hunt for things to put in it like a lot of hides! lol Walmart here I come!!!!

And then Ill update as It transforms :P

My BP is 2', don't know his weight, and he's in a 30g tank. I used 2.5% limo black tint meant for cars on 3 sides of the aquarium. He has his two hides, his water dish, and some pieces of red slate rock to fill in space in the tank. There is also a piece of driftwood in there that he likes to climb on at night when he actually bothers to roam around. There is not a lot of crawl space the way I have it set up.

Just try to crowd the space up a little, get your temps/humidity right, do the foil treatment on the lid, and your snake should be fine.

My BP is only 20 inches long and about 175g and he is in a 30 gal. I got it for free so I couldnt give it up. My little guy is doing great in his 30 gal. Like everyone else said, be sure to block out three sides, offer enough hides etc. Humidity was hard for me until I ditched my heat lamp on the cold side and switched to two UTH's. I'm also using a small dish of wet moss to keep humidity up. The other thing I did that helped was make cardboard panels covered in tin foil to place along the top. Good luck!

I feel like Im broke lol and Im still not done buying stuff AHH! oh well its for a good cause.

Got the tank. Looks awesome, still need to clean it out. Hide is super big! oh my!!!

I went and finally got my acu-rite digital thermom and humidity gage w prob at walmart! A much much needed item!!!!!

I got a new bigger under tank heater. Cost me $35!!! :O

Now Im looking for a cheap way to adjust the heat pad temp. I dont want to pay $25 to get one specifically made for reptiles. Is it possible to buy a dimmer at Home Depot that I can plug the heater in and dim the UTH that way? It has to be possible right?

Also where do I put the probe?

Heres what All I got for $40 :]
Im very pleased. Bleached everything. Baked the wood.

There were some dangerously sharp edges on the inside of the exoterra cage that cld easily cut a snake. :OSo i sanded those down.

My dad is in the process of making me a dimmer.

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...0803001809.jpg

The hides you can put in the dishwasher. This is very effective for disinfecting. The log on top you can bake for 30 min. at 280 degrees and it will kill anything on or in the wood.

poor thing... I switched him and he is just active as can be flicking his tongue everywhere. I can't tell if hes scoping the place out or is stressed.

I put black construction paper on the sides like suggested, put aluminum over top. It has quite a few things in it. But when I go in front of the tank he just comes over to me and its like he want me to get him out.

How long will it take him to adjust?

Whew he must have not been too stressed b/c he just went into his hide :]

Here are some pics. Tell me what you think.

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...el11/006-1.jpg

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...shel11/009.jpg

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...shel11/008.jpg

http://i819.photobucket.com/albums/z...shel11/004.jpg

Looks good, have fun waking up to "SPLASH" though. My BP would always test the screen and then fall in his bowl when I had something set up for him to climb on.

Diving board!!!!! :] Haha That would be cute. It is a HUGE water bowl though! He is drinking out of it right now :] Must like it. My bp is the most laid back bp ever. He doesnt let anything throw off his groove.

As long as it feeds regularly I wouldn't worry. Every snake is different though. I use racks so I guess my 2cents are kind of useless in this situation. Ever since I've made the switch to racks, my snakes have done 100% better.

:[
As I was holding my snake I was like "Hey his tail looks so much thinner... Did he poop?" I look in his cage...nothing. And Im like oh crap. I had him on my bed while setting up his tank.

I turn my comforter over and bam! a big nice log and pee. Al over my sheet and down comforter. Now Im washing at 1am. He had 4 weeks to poop in his tank but no he had to do it on my bed!!!!

And he peed a couple days ago on my bed too. So now for the 2nd time this week im washing my bed linen...... :OOOOOOO

DARN DARN DARN
:rage:

I just got done washing linens too! First time it happened to me since 2008! Your bp must've gotten a hold of my bp and had some serious planning going on...

Haha why is it every time you clean their tank or ur linens they have to go pee or poop on them!!!!!

I guess they were like "Oh this bed is comfy" And they are so relaxed it just comes out.

Or they are getting back at us for something! Ahh

Their cute heads/faces hide their deceiving nature.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Generationshell

Haha why is it every time you clean their tank or ur linens they have to go pee or poop on them!!!!!

I guess they were like "Oh this bed is comfy" And they are so relaxed it just comes out.

Or they are getting back at us for something! Ahh

Their cute heads/faces hide their deceiving nature.

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Sounds like you have the same luck as I would have, which is why I don't let Bones crawl on my bed, nor do I sit with him in my $700 LaZboy recliner. With my luck, he will let it rip all over the place.

One question, though; does the snake poop stain the sheets or does it just come right out?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bones

I don't let Bones crawl on my bed, nor do I sit with him in my $700 LaZboy recliner. With my luck, he will let it rip all over the place.

One question, though; does the snake poop stain the sheets or does it just come right out?

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Im beginning to think thats the case with my bp. Idk if he should go on be on my bed anymore. I mean most times he will lay beside my leg or hide under the covers for quite awhile. But all the peeing and pooping is making me reconsider.

My dad was like "At least you didn't have to clean his tank"
Umm how is it better that he do it on my bed...where I sleep. lol

Yep it came right out! thank gosh!. It was sitting there for prob a good hr or 2. I just sprayed it with stain remover and then overloaded on the detergant lol. :]

No skid marks. Whew. :rofl:

Heh,

Since the horrible day I tried to take a pic of a snake on a silk shirt I check the poop chute before handling to see if it is locked and loaded. :ninja:

http://satanswombat.googlepages.com/...shirtcrap1.JPG


dr del

Wow that must've ruined the whole shoot!!
They like to poop at the most inconvenient times and places.

Its really hard to know when they are gna let it rip considering they stay locked and loaded for awhile. :rolleye2:

Does any one know if a snake favors one hide over others?
Because ever since i put him in the tank he has been on the cold side over where his old hide is.

I got worried abt him being too cold so I took the bigger hide out and placed the one he always wants to be in on the warm side. And ever since then hes been in there. Oi vey now imma worry abt him overheating.

He's getting used to the new environment and the big hide doesnt look too snug.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Generationshell

Does any one know if a snake favors one hide over others?
Because ever since i put him in the tank he has been on the cold side over where his old hide is.

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A lot of people say they will favor a certain hide and that to prevent this, the hides have to be the same size and have to be snug around the snake. My snake almost makes me want to believe that always doesn't have to be true. My snake's cool side hide is slightly bigger than his warm side hide and they're both a little too big for him. I noticed he was spending the majority of his time on the cool side, so I switched hides to see if he preferred one hide over the other. No go. He still preferred the cool side. Once I got my T-stat and was able to get the temperatures right on the warm side, he seems to spend time in both of them equally. He hides mostly all the time and has never missed a meal (except for when I tried to feed him rats). Maybe it has something to do with the fact that he has little to no stress. I only handle him once or twice a week and is tank is in the back corner of my room where there is no foot traffic. No one bothers him and he bothers no one. :)

If your hides aren't similar in size and you think he could be preferring one hide over the other, switch the hides and see what he does. If he still prefers that hide, then he is probably favoring. If he still prefers the cold side hide, then your warm side is probably too warm.

Im in the process of getting another hide that is similar in size to the one he loves. As soon as I put it on the heat pad he went in it. So hes def favoring that hide. Its just no where can I find one of those potting things to make into a hide...they seem to be all clear this season and not orange. :/

Finally got something that can actually control the temp of the UTH. Its not a thermostat but a Repti-temp Rheostat. Hopefully that will be decent enough for the time being.
Does anyone know what is the ideal temp for a UTH on the Acurite?

My dad also bought a big log shaped tunnel for "Henry"
I have no clue why my dad will not call him Xander.... hmmm lol
But his official name is Xander fyi :]

Once I can get the heat pad to the right temp (which i dont exactly know wat is the "right temp") and get another hide my Xander/Henry will be set!

Also I'm concerned about the log. Can i bake the cork log? Ever Since Xander Had mites im very paranoid about putting un sterilized things in the tank.

Here is the BP caresheet. It will tell you everything you need to know.
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

Per the caresheet, the UTH temperature needs to be in the range of 88-94. I keep mine on 91.

Those tunnel logs can be a pain when it comes to getting the snake out. Ideally, you'd want something you can lift off of the snake, not something where you'll have to reach your hand in to get it.

I've never heard of a cork log, so I don't know if you can bake those.