Soon-to-be Owner: Question on my setup

Hello :]
I found this forum and am very excited about the new addition (well...soon to be anyway).
I plan on getting my Ball Python sometime soon (in the next two weeks or so) and I wanted to come on here to make sure that everything I have so far is okay. I took a look at the care sheet provided on this forum- so I know I should have the habitat set up for at least a week before bringing him/her home.

I also did check out the Glass Tank Setup page a member wrote. After doing some research, it seems that whats on that list is a bit of "over kill" to have since these guys don't need to much (tbf she does state that).

Anyways, I wanted to leave my list of things I have so far and would appreciate any help if I'm missing something or advice on changing up what I have if its a problem? Thanks in advanced for the help!

Bedding = All Living Things Premium Aspen Bedding
Water Dish = ExoTerra Water Dish Medium
Climbing Stick = All Living Things Glass Mount Climbing Branch
House = All Living Things Desert Cave
Heater = ZooMed UTH
For Humidity = New Zealand Sphagnum Moss
Cage = 5.5 Gal. Reptile Terrarium
Readers = Thermo-Hyro Digital & Gauge (as back up)
Mister = Exo Terra Mister

I would use a simpler setup without alot of the things you listed. Also i dont see a thermostat on your list and that is a MUST. Its job is to refulate the heat of your uth. Otherwise you dont know how hot its getting and it could burn your snake.

You'll need a way to control your UTH.
I use these...
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...arm+thermostat

I would go with at least a 10g tank if you are going to use that, I really think you would be best suited to start out with an non screen top enclosure because it is a pain in the butt to keep the humidity and heat in there. You should also have at least 2 hides, one on the warm side and one on the cool side so your snake can go where it wants to regulate it's body temp. You don't want your snake to have to choose between warmth and feeling secure because that can cause stress. Definitely agree that a thermostat is required for a UTH. Welcome to the forum.

If you can spend more on a tstat, do it. I love the Herpstats. The basic or 1 would be good. But if you think you will need to control more items later check into the higher models.

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Quote:

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Originally Posted by KMG

If you can spend more on a tstat, do it. I love the Herpstats. The basic or 1 would be good. But if you think you will need to control more items later check into the higher models.

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

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A thermostat is the one thing you should invest in. Herpstats are AMAZING!

Also, your Bp should have two hides. One on the cool side and one on the warm side

Quote:

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Originally Posted by luvepriscilla

Hello :]
I found this forum and am very excited about the new addition (well...soon to be anyway).
I plan on getting my Ball Python sometime soon (in the next two weeks or so) and I wanted to come on here to make sure that everything I have so far is okay. I took a look at the care sheet provided on this forum- so I know I should have the habitat set up for at least a week before bringing him/her home.

I also did check out the Glass Tank Setup page a member wrote. After doing some research, it seems that whats on that list is a bit of "over kill" to have since these guys don't need to much (tbf she does state that).

Anyways, I wanted to leave my list of things I have so far and would appreciate any help if I'm missing something or advice on changing up what I have if its a problem? Thanks in advanced for the help!

Bedding = All Living Things Premium Aspen Bedding
Water Dish = ExoTerra Water Dish Medium
Climbing Stick = All Living Things Glass Mount Climbing Branch
House = All Living Things Desert Cave
Heater = ZooMed UTH
For Humidity = New Zealand Sphagnum Moss
Cage = 5.5 Gal. Reptile Terrarium
Readers = Thermo-Hyro Digital & Gauge (as back up)
Mister = Exo Terra Mister

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Instead of the climbing stick, perhaps consider another hiding spot or as others have mentioned, a thermostat. While yes, babies will often climb, providing multiple hiding places for your baby does much more good for them than something to climb on. Depending on where you are in the country, you *may* find that the aspen does not hold humidity well enough for you - consider cypress or bark instead, as those types of beddings typically hold a little more moisture and help with humidity much better than aspen does.

Otherwise, set up seems good to me! :) Good luck with your new baby!

-Jen

Change up to a 10gal tank. 5.5 is a bit small for a BP, even a hatchling.

Get a thermostat ASAP! Herpstat is the tops, but Johnson and Ranco are good if you don't have that much to spend. But you NEED one before you get the snake.

UTH pads (with a thermostat) work fine for heat. Make sure you leave the paper covering the adhesive ON and use foil tape to tape the pad to the underside of the tank, paper side to the glass.

As stated, you need another hide. Those caves are nice, but so pricey. Most of us here use plastic plant pots, cut down to about 3" high with a nice 'tunnel' opening in the side. Cheap and easy.

And tanks can work perfectly with just a little extra work. :) Insulating back and sides and putting the foil treatment on the screen is all I needed to have consistent spot-on temps and humidity. Good luck!

Thank you all for the help, I appreciate it so much!

To clear some things up:

1. I do believe the Thermo-Hyro Digital & Gauge I listed is also thermostat, right? (Lol, I might be wrong but I picked it up thinking it was a digital thermostat and picked up the Gauge as the second thermostat). If they're not, I shall return it and just pick up the basic thermostats they had at the store.

2. I will be exchanging the 5.5 gal tank I have for a 10 gal to accommodate another cave

3. Would I be able to make a cave myself using rocks and glue? (Sorry if this sounds a little stupid, I just want to make it pleasing and would think real rocks = awesome for any snake as a hide out). Plus it would look awesome in the tank :]

4. Would I just be able to plug the UTH into an outlet or is it a requirement to get that control?

5. Since winter is here, should I invest in one of those lamps to keep the tank from getting too cold?

Again, sorry if these are sort of stupid questions, I just thought I'd ask the experts :]

EDIT:

Scratch #1 above: I looked it up so now this is my other question-

1. Wanted to make sure that I'm getting this right- A thermostat is a "controller" for the UTH? And the thermometer I got (the electronic one I listed in my op) just measures the temperature of my tank, correct?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by luvepriscilla

Thank you all for the help, I appreciate it so much!

To clear some things up:

1. Wanted to make sure that I'm getting this right- A thermostat is a "controller" for the UTH? And the thermometer I got (the electronic one I listed in my op) just measures the temperature of my tank, correct?

2. I will be exchanging the 5.5 gal tank I have for a 10 gal to accommodate another cave

3. Would I be able to make a cave myself using rocks and glue? (Sorry if this sounds a little stupid, I just want to make it pleasing and would think real rocks = awesome for any snake as a hide out). Plus it would look awesome in the tank :]

4. Would I just be able to plug the UTH into an outlet or is it a requirement to get that control?

5. Since winter is here, should I invest in one of those lamps to keep the tank from getting too cold?

Again, sorry if these are sort of stupid questions, I just thought I'd ask the experts :]

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1. Yes! what you have are thermometers. However, I would keep them both. You need to be able to measure the temperature on both sides. Most people also have an infrared temperature gun to sheck their temps too.

2. Good! A 10 gal tank should last you for awhile (depending on how big your new babywill be). Eventually, you'll need to upgrade to a 20L and eventually to a 30-40 gal for an adult.

3. I would not use real rocks. Thet are pretty heavy and if it was to collapse, then it could crush your snake. A lot of times BPs will have a "favorite hide" and will prefer to sit in their favorite hide rather than be on the side of the tank they need to be on. For example, your snake LOVES the rock cave you bought it. If that cave is on the warm side, your snake will stay on the warm side and could get too hot. It is recommended that you use the same hide on both sides in order to prevent this. Also, if it's a smaller snake (less than 300g or so), you can try a smaller hide to make it feel more secure and work your way into the rock hide that you both. Most people recommend hides like this: http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes

4. I would not recommend plugging your UTH into the wall. While you can do so, they can easily get 120*+ which will burn your snake. You need to have it plugged into the thermostat so your thermostat will keep it at about 90*. That way, your snake won't get burned! Also, for the cost of the hydrofarm (the one that was linked to you), you will save yourself time/money/hassle if your snake gets burned and has to take a trip to the vet. A lot of people have learned this the hard way. Learn from our mistakes!

5. Heat lamps will suck out your humidity! If the temperature of your house is in the low 70s, I would get a ceramic heat emitter to warm up the tank. That way you'll be able to salvage what humidity you can keep in! If you run into a problem with humidity, cover most of the screen top with damp towels, tin foil, a piece of plexiglas, something. That will help keep in that humidity.

Also, if you don't have some already, I would find several sets of cage clips to clip down the screen top. Your bp can lift up the top of the screen if it is motivated enough to do so. I don't want you to have to deal with an escaped snake.

I hope that helped to clear up some of your questions.