Begginer BP care

Hey guys, new to this forum, but some of you may know me from frogforum.net

Anyways, I'm in the process of convincing my parents to let me get a ball python. I will be attending the New england reptile expo in january, and intend to purchase one there. I've been reading a lot of care articles lately, and was looking to get peoples personal setups/ opinions. F/T vs. Live? Heating methods? Thanks!

-Dalton

Welcome to the site. :welcome:

I personally prefer tubs over tanks because I find it's easier to keep my humidity up. I do keep a few in tanks though. My first boa is in a tank in my bedroom and as a result she gets the most attention. :P

There is a lot of debate over live vs f/t. I currently feed f/t but only because I am not in a position where I can breed my own feeders which means I would have to go to the store at least once a week which to me is a pain. I can also buy my frozen feeders in bulk which saves me some money. As soon as I am able to start breeding feeders I will probably switch to live.

For heating method are you referring to heat f/t or heating a cage? For the first, I let mine sit out until they completely thaw and reach room temp, then I stick them in some hot water right before I feed. As for heating the cage a under tank hearer (UTH) with a thermostat is the best way to go in my opinion.

Heating the tank, sorry bout the confusion. My house gets down to the low sixties in the winter, so would a UTH be enough? I have a ten gallon that I figured I'd use until he/she outgrows it..Hopefully gonna get a male juv. The main argument my parents have is that if/when it escapes my dad will have to go through the house with a gun, because he'd shoot it before trying to capture it. Not to make him out to be a jerk, but he doesn't like snakes and doesn't realize how docile Balls are. Any argument ideas lol? Thanks for the reply :)

NO, the UTH will not be enough to heat the tank. My house is 66 right now and I have a uth "on a thermostat" set at 92 AND a Ceramic Heat Emmiter and my hot side is barely at 80 degrees. And no argument ideas for me, mines at my sisters house :D

Will have to use a Heat lamp to keep the temps up.

Since this will be your first snake, Heat lamp will be okay for now, but as you get more and grow, Heating a bedroom is a lot more cost effective.

Alright, thanks for the replies. Basking or Ambient bulb for the hot side?

I'm thinking something like this:

http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/...84/Diagram.png

Excuse my poor paint skills. What wattage for the bulb? 100 sound good?

I don't use lamps so I can't answer on that sorry, but I can help with the escape situation. A 10 gallon might be too small for a juvenile ball python, even a male. I think your best bet would be to invest in a 20 or 30 gallon Zilla cage. They have sliding locking lids which makes it much harder to mess up and allow an escape to happen. I have my boa in a 40 gallon and it's really easy to tell when I've put the lid on wrong. :)

I will definitely look into that. Could I just get the 20L version and that would fit him until he is fully grown? Or would a 20L be too big for a Juv? sorry for all the noob questions, just new to the snake world :)

You'll get mixed reviews on that. Honestly, I've found that as long as you provide enough hiding places to make them feel secure you can easily keep them in a cage that is much bigger than they really need. Just make sure the hides are the right size and you shouldn't have a problem keeping him in a larger tank.

Alright. For a juv about 2.5 ft long, what size mice should I feed? or maybe small rats?

I prefer rats because they reach a larger size than mice so you can feed one instead of a couple. When you feed you want to feed them something about as wide as they are. Another method of feeding you can use is to feed 10-15% of their weight.

If you don't have scales to weigh the prey, then pick a mouse or rat that is about the same size or slightly smaller as the largest point of your snake. My male is 4 months old and about 2 feet long and I've fed him mouse hoppers for three weeks now, no problem. The guy I bought him from was feeding him rat fuzzies but I cant get rats around here and I cant find a place with decent shipping for frozen. In the long run, rats will be much easier when your bp is grown because it will only need one rat opposed to several mice.

Got it..rats if I can find fuzzys, hopper mice if not. If I can even convince my parents. >.>

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Badger

Got it..rats if I can find fuzzys, hopper mice if not. If I can even convince my parents. >.>

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I don't know your parents, but I would say you are on the right track to convincing them. You are the time to do your research which is great. :gj:

I just want to reiterate on the importance of a thermostat for controlling the UTH :D

Thanks, and will do on the thermostat. how much does one of them go for? Link? Thanks again!

I just lol'd at your signature btw. great quotes.

There are a lot of really expensive thermostats out there but I believe some of the cheaper ones can get the job done as well.

This should work for you: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...ef=pd_sim_ol_1

Thanks!

so, so far this is my list:

UTH- 15 bucks

basking bulb-10 bucks

already own eco earth

python- 40 bucks

EDIT: Forgot to add the thermostat- 25 bucks
two thermometers/ hygrometer- 30 bucks

I own plant pots for hides and tupperware or other bowl for water.

If I get a tank add 70.

Sound good?

you can get a Acurite in/out thermometer/hygrometer for around $13 bucks at walmart.

Alright, so here's my list, and it all fits in/under budget. Here it is.

In/out temp/hygromter- $12

UTH- $15

Thermostat-$25

Baby ball python- $20

Zilla Critter keeper (20L)- $50

Own eco earth/hides/10 gallon while it's small.

What's a common weight for babies? What should I look for while inspecting a snake? Good questions to ask? Thanks guys, sorry for the newbie questions.