Inspect my shopping cart!

I'm finally purchasing my first ball python within the next month! I'm still doing lots of research and contacting various breeders to find out where I'll be purchasing him from. If you guys have any recommendations for online breeders please post them! I'm interested in purchasing a normal ball python.

I have been slowly collecting supplies for my new ball python and I already have:
- Tub
- Spray Bottle
- Flexwatt
- Hide
- Water dish

In the meantime I have been getting together a shopping cart from amazon and wanted you guys to have a look.

The rest of the items are in my cart:
http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l1...AmazonCart.png

I have some questions though:

1) How good will that substrate work? Its really cheap and I don't mind the extra labor cost to save me a few bucks.
2) Where do you guys buy food?! I haven't had much luck finding online retailers so fill me in on some popular websites.
3) Am I missing any important items?

I understand some of these items are on the cheap side, but I just need them to last until summer time when I'm working.

Looks good but if you want to use Eco-earth and flexwatt you will need to make sure that they layer of substrate is 1/2" thick or less so the heat can penetrate. I would go with a paper based or corrugated wrap substrate but Eco-earth can be made to work.

I buy feeder rodents from rodent pro

Yeah I'm still debating if the eco-earth substrate is going to be worth the time, money, and effort.
Thanks for the advice, I'll be sure to check out rodent pro too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

Looks good but if you want to use Eco-earth and flexwatt you will need to make sure that they layer of substrate is 1/2" thick or less so the heat can penetrate. I would go with a paper based or corrugated wrap substrate but Eco-earth can be made to work.

I buy feeder rodents from rodent pro

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Where do you get the corrugated wrap from?

I use newspaper as a substrate, it's cheaper but you need to change often. You will enjoy the cleaning and changing of the newspaper for now, I am quite sure. #qualitytime :D

I order it online there are a few different places it depend on where you live for which one is cheapest (because of shipping) just google it the first few hits are all good.

This is the site I get mine from: http://www.papermart.com/Product%20P...x?GroupID=4608

If you're looking for a hatchling, I'd just go with paper towels for substrate for now. It's easier to spot problems like mites, as well as see when you need to clean. Once they're older (500g or so), I switch mine to cypress mulch.

Speaking of weight, make sure you get a digital kitchen scale for monitoring your new BP and his/her prey size.

For holes in the tub, you can get a cheap soldering iron from Home Depot (or pretty much anywhere else) - it leaves MUCH smoother edges than trying to get clean holes with a drill.

For online feeders, I use RodentPro as well.

Oh, and I would go for 16" tongs, not the 10", so your BP doesn't outgrow them. I can't imagine having my hand only ten inches away from my big girls on feeding day! :O

And just in case you haven't, review the caresheet to see if there's anything else we're missing: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

Good luck! :gj:

I like the eco earth myself works great with extra humidity if needed you may not with a tub set up. Forget the feeding tweezers they don't hold anything well and find a pair of hemostats. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemostat
they actually work.

I am not a fan of flexwatt stuck on a tub it sags and is a bit odd also Flexwatt is a fast heating and can get very hot very quickly the hydrofarm t-stat delivers 100% power until 2 degrees over the set point and then shuts off and waits until 2 under. Not a problem with a slow heating source or a heavy enclosure but a light enclosure with fast heating source could generate rapid high temps when the unit first comes on. Especially with hydrofarms the probe is slow responding (metal tipped). This is 100 times more pronounced in cool room temps (77 and cooler).

I might suggest that either a different heat source or T-stat. There are a number of safer heat pads that are lower wattage and lower heat than flexwatt something like a ultratherm or exoterra rainforest. the ultratherms rarely produce 100º unregulated and the rainforest 110 at the max. They are lower wattage and slower to heat so they take longer to get hot and don't swing as far on the high end due to this. (ultratherms have a much better rep)

A proportional T-stat (herpstat, helix, eco zone, habistat) don't allow the heat source to ever full heat up or cool the switch them on and off rapidly (many times a second) and deliver the set temp basically all the time the source is a constant temp. The heat source is not an average temp system like on/off methods but a constant temp.

for buying a snake i would try and find a reptile expo near you first that way you get to see alot of stuff in person and prices will be cheaper because you wont have to pay shipping and some breeders will gie you a deal....but as for online breeders check out ralphdavisreptiles.com or bhbreptiles.com

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

I like the eco earth myself works great with extra humidity if needed you may not with a tub set up. Forget the feeding tweezers they don't hold anything well and find a pair of hemostats. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemostat
they actually work.

I am not a fan of flexwatt stuck on a tub it sags and is a bit odd also Flexwatt is a fast heating and can get very hot very quickly the hydrofarm t-stat delivers 100% power until 2 degrees over the set point and then shuts off and waits until 2 under. Not a problem with a slow heating source or a heavy enclosure but a light enclosure with fast heating source could generate rapid high temps when the unit first comes on. Especially with hydrofarms the probe is slow responding (metal tipped). This is 100 times more pronounced in cool room temps (77 and cooler).

I might suggest that either a different heat source or T-stat. There are a number of safer heat pads that are lower wattage and lower heat than flexwatt something like a ultratherm or exoterra rainforest. the ultratherms rarely produce 100º unregulated and the rainforest 110 at the max. They are lower wattage and slower to heat so they take longer to get hot and don't swing as far on the high end due to this. (ultratherms have a much better rep)

A proportional T-stat (herpstat, helix, eco zone, habistat) don't allow the heat source to ever full heat up or cool the switch them on and off rapidly (many times a second) and deliver the set temp basically all the time the source is a constant temp. The heat source is not an average temp system like on/off methods but a constant temp.

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That's some great advice, I'll dump the flexwatt and look into something that heats slowly. I'm hoping amazon carries something that will work as I have a gift card there and no shipping/sales tax! I think I will def get some longer tongs, and just stick with newspaper substrate for now. A scale will also be a good idea, never thought about that!

I'm glad I posted this before I went ahead and ordered everything! ;)

I highly recomend Justin Kobylka Reptiles if you are looking for a snake, the prices on his site include shipping and he is a great guy. With most big breeders they have much more than what they can post on a website so if you don't see something you like just shoot them an email or call.

http://www.jkobylkareptiles.com/index.php

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

...There are a number of safer heat pads that are lower wattage and lower heat than flexwatt something like a ultratherm or exoterra rainforest. the ultratherms rarely produce 100º unregulated and the rainforest 110 at the max. They are lower wattage and slower to heat so they take longer to get hot and don't swing as far on the high end due to this. (ultratherms have a much better rep)...

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x2 on the Ultratherm. I got one almost a year ago and it works great.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RetiredJedi

x2 on the Ultratherm. I got one almost a year ago and it works great.

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Awesome. Looking forward to getting everything setup!

And they are pretty inexpensive. THIS is about the same price I paid at a local Repticon.

DOnt use Eco Earth in a tub, You will have high humidity issues like no other.

Eco earth is mostly for thoes needing to raise humidity up in a tank setup, but tubs dont need it unless your house is absolutely dry

Quote:

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

DOnt use Eco Earth in a tub, You will have high humidity issues like no other.

Eco earth is mostly for thoes needing to raise humidity up in a tank setup, but tubs dont need it unless your house is absolutely dry

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I'm def going to start out with newspaper first but if I ever get tired of it what other substrate would you recommend in a tub? Would aspen be my next best option?

Thanks again for all the advice. I have been lurking these forums for a very long time and everyone is so helpful...what a great community!

I use the eco-earth and love it! It holds humidity really well, and is movable enough so that you can push the water bowl into it so your BP doesn't spill it :P

You can also spot clean with it, unlike newspaper.

EDIT:

Never mind, eco-earth IS a bad idea in a tub setup. Disregard prior comment.

I use papertowels, Once you go that route you wont go back

How does everyone using paper towels maintain proper humidity levels? Frequent misting? I would think they would absorb moisture but dry quickly, or maybe get too soggy?

newspaper and paper towels are hygroscopic they absorb water from the air and trap it. i tend to believe that a tub should have good ventilation and if the water bowl is removed and just the snake is in it with a dry substrate it should stabilize to the rooms RH in less than one hour. Many keep snakes in low ventilated conditions where even with no other source of humidity the tub will be more than the room. To my mind the thought to use exhaled breath as a source of water vapour is crazy. Water need to come from some where. Water bowl or substrate or both. Eco earth hold tons of water and releases it slowly. Under some conditions it is a great advantage and sometimes a huge problem. I use in tubs but I use it completely dry not expanded with water just mechanically separated. I also run a room that is humidified to 60% RH so I don't need to add much extra humidity to anything. When a snake goes into shed all I ever do is change the water bowl from a 4 inch to a 6 inch diameter and that gives me a 7-10% bump.

If you are in a dry room you may need something extra. eco earth is one option some mix wood fibre substrates with it, some just chip based. But just keep in mind water bowl and its placement and how much water is in a substrate and how fast or slow it dries should be the control for RH not cutting off air flow.