Which tank is best for a b.p?

Hey, i am going to get my first snake, a ball python, and i have a question for you guys. I have the option of using a 20 long, fish tank, and a 20 ex. high(the same size as two 10 gallons stacked on top of eachother), which would be better? Also will my snake like branches to climb on? What basics do i need? Is a heat lamp, a hide, newspaper, and a water bowl good enough? Thanks for the help....

Tanks are for fish....get a rubbermaid. :D

Some BPs will climb, but mine never have shown the will to....also, a human heating pad from Wal-Mart will work much better than a lamp. BPs are nocturnal and don't bask so lamps are kinda pointless.

I bought a heater (like a human heating pad) that sticks to the bottom under the tank for ours and I think it works great!

The pad you're referring to is terrible IMO....you should never stick a heat source to the bottom of the tank....a small space between the pad and cage is a must-have when using a pad....otherwise you risk a firehazard or a burn to your snake. The pads they sell at petstores are overpriced and they suck. The human heating pads (without auto shut-off) are 10x better.

Actually it was only like $8 and yours is the first negative opinion. There is space between the pad and the animal. First, there's the bottom glass of the tank, then the substrate....nothing directly touching the snake....did it sound like I meant the bottom of the inside of the tank? Anyway, works for me so far.......but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the insight!!

OOPS, I didn't mean to submit that twice........sorry!! (I thought you could delete, but I guess not)

Fixed it, Caren. No sweat.

Shark, of the two options you've mentioned, the 20-long is the better choice for a ball python, although David is right that plastic housing is also a good choice (I have 4 of my BP's in Sterilite enclosures). You will need a hide for each side (warm and cool), and a heat source, for which I also recommend a human heating pad without auto shut-off. Chances are you won't need a humidity-killing heat lamp if you have the heating pad. Your water dish should be heavy enough that it is difficult to tip and big enough for the snake to soak in if it chooses to.

Also, you will need a secure top and if it is made of screen you will either need a room humidifier or you will need to cover most of the screen with something non-permeable such as duct tape or contact paper in order to maintain humidity. I also recommend a digital indoor-outdoor thermometer/hygrometer combination such as can be bought at WalMart for ~$15 to monitor your temps and humidity. The analog (dial type) thermometers and hygrometers like are sold at the pet store are often wrong by a significant amount (sometimes as much as 20F-25F).

Thanks for deleting my boo boo!
How do you set up the human heating pad? Isn't it kind of thick? I would like to use whatever is best for Sophie.......

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Originally Posted by sophie42204

Actually it was only like $8 and yours is the first negative opinion. There is space between the pad and the animal. First, there's the bottom glass of the tank, then the substrate....nothing directly touching the snake....did it sound like I meant the bottom of the inside of the tank? Anyway, works for me so far.......but I'll keep that in mind. Thanks for the insight!!

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You need a gap between the Pad and the CAGE....otherwise the heat cannot escape and can cause problems.

I just use chops sticks or a pencil to lift the cage off the pad enough to allow a small gap.

You plug it into the wall or a thermostat, whichever you're going to use, set it on low and monitor your temps. As David mentioned, it is best to leave space for airflow between the heat pad and container, but it only requires a little, like 1/4"-1/2", which can be done with rubber feet for electronics or furniture for a buck or two. The thing about the reptile heating pads is that they often get very hot -- 130F or more sometimes, have no built-in heat regulation (like Hi-Med-Lo settings on a heat pad), and often heat unevenly. They can cause glass to crack and plastic to warp, not to mention burns on a snake, particularly one that likes to burrow, as many do. It's not like they're evil (like heat rocks), but they are typically beat for features, price, and performance by human heating pads.

Theres a couple ways you could go with this.

Glass enclosures. No less than a 20 Gal LONG for when the snake is under 2 feet long. The 20G high like you mentioned is not appropriate because there is not ample space to provide an adequate heat gradient for the bp to regulate its body temp. In addition, you want to place a hide on both sides of the tank; one to hide and warm up, one to hide and cool down.

Glass tanks also make keeping adequate humidity a challenge. A lot of people cover the majority of the top of the screen lid to keep some of it in. Again, if you want to use a glass enclosure, be ready to deal with this issue.

https://ball-pythons.net/modules/cop...l_MVC-005S.JPG
This is probably the best example of how to set up a glass enclosure. (Thanks JamminJonah, your pic was the best one I could find.)

The advantage to glass is that it looks much nicer as an overall display than a rubbermaid container does. However, I've seen as many grown and happy bps in glass tanks as I have in rubbermaid containers. I think glass is just overall much more difficult to maintain, thus why those keepers with multiple snakes prefer to use rubbermaid containers.

Rubbermaid containers are easy to clean, keep humidity levels constant, and can be found at rock bottom prices. Its really all about owner preference. We can argue the glass v. rubbermaid till we're blue in the face, each really just has their own set of advantages and disadvantages; but both can be set up to successfully keep a bp.

As far as heating goes, a 50w lamp over a 20 gal long works fine. Mine provides a 90-95 degree basking area, and leave the rest of the tank anywhere from 78-85 degrees depending on the surrounding room temperature. A lot of people stress that belly heat is vital, but I haven't found this to be an issue (at what place in the wild would a bp get a perfect 80-85 degree surface temp???). When they need belly heat, they will go to the warm side that is being constantly heated by the lamp and get the heat they need.

Check out the care sheets here, they are really good and explain all of this in detail. Good luck with your new friend!

Looks like I'll be shopping for a HUMAN heating pad this weekend!! Thanks for converting me guys (and educating me)!!

Well Sophie, not that my opinion means much cuz i have only been in this game for a couple months, but i have not had any problems with my under tank heater. I just hooked up a rheostat to it & I have not had any issues. When the temps start to get too hot cuz the outside temps go up, i just turn the rheostat down. When it gets cooler, I turn the rheostat up. I have not had any issues with Hissy harming herself & with a glass tank, I don't think that I am gunna start a fire. When i go to a rubbermaid or sterylite enclosure, i will go human heating pad, but for the glass tank i have now, i am fine with my UTH.

I'm with Eddie. I've got a UTH under Caesar's cage. It's hooked up to a thermostat and I've had zero problems with it. (So long as little fingers aren't turning the thermostat knob... :roll: ) The main thing is to have the cage elevated (as Marla said) so that air circulates beneath it...but it doesn't matter if the air is circulating between the pad and the tank...or the pad and the table beneath them.

YEAH! My picture was useful!! That's a 20gal Long just so everyone knows.

Ball (Royal) Python Shopping List! :)


Pet Shop List
Tank - This can be a glass aquarium (20L is good), a large rubbermaid, or a nice little professional number found at vision, animal plastics, neodeshacages, etc. (See weblink section under caging - http://www.ball-pythons.net/Web_Link...ink-cid-2.html ) also this housing care sheet could help - http://www.ball-pythons.net/Sections...-4-page-1.html

LOCKING LID - a locking lid is very uesful as BP's are strong and can push off a typical lid. Be sure to get lid clips on a tank or clamps or very strong locking rubbermaid.

Substrate (bedding,litter,etc.)- Your substrate is your cage or tank flooring. You can choose many things the best of course is newspaper for economic and cleanliness reasons, then repile carpet ain't bad (be sure to get 2 pieces so you can clean one and have one in the tank). Cypress bedding also works well, as does bed-a-beast and eco-earth (ground husk types of bedding). DO NOT USE - anything even close to PINE or CEDAR unless you would like to poison your new pet.

2 Hides- One for the warm side and one for the cool - you can buy the rock or cocount looking ones at petstores or make your own from empty boxes, old clay pots, disposable tupperware etc.

Water Dish- It is very important to provide your new BP with fresh water daily. You can buy one of the fancy water dishes at the pet store (be sure it is big enough for your BP to soak in if he wants) or you can just get a heavy bowl from somewhere else, just be sure it isn't so light that when your snake tries to get in it tips. No fun cleaning up soaking wet substrate, plus your snake won't be able to soak.

Thermostat/Rheostat- How antsy are you? If you can keep your temps where they need to be without one than awesome, but if you are using a light or ceramic heat emitter you NEED either a rheostat or thermostat. Even if you are using a heating pad depending on the adjustment amount (L,M,Hi, or 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,etc.) you may want to pick up a rheostat or thermostat. Don't buy the petstore thermostat try to get the one from http://www.bigappleherp.com the pet store ones tend to eat up bulbs and such fast, the BAH one is a little easier on your bulbs and such. If you are comfortable/have the time to monitor temps regularly a rheostat is for you. Pet store rheostats will probably be fine.
EDIT: A sliding dimmer switch works as well and is a bit less expensive. -Thanks Jotay! :)

Tongs- Tongs are essential for feeding any snake from colubrid to reticulated. NEVER feed by holding the mouse with your hand it is a very n00b thing to do. Snakes have an INCREDIBLE sense of smell so unless you would like to get bitten use tongs and wash your hands after handling any prey items. NOTE: BP's don't have the best aim when striking so it is best to avoid any tongs with sharp points (i.e. tweezers) so that if your BP misses he won't slice himself on what you are holding the prey with.

Walmart List
Heat - this can be a human heating pad WITHOUT AUTO SHUT-OFF (recommended), A heat lamp with either a red or blue(*edit* Black light style) bulb, a heat lamp with a ceramic heating element,(pet store) a pet store style under tank heater, heat tape, or a combo of the above. You only want about 1/3 of the tank to have the heat source to keep a proper temperature gradient.

Rubber Feet - if you decide to go with a tank get some rubber feed that stick on the bottoms of chairs to prevent scratching the floor, these can be found at Walmart for cheap, get four to create some air space between your tank and your heating device (heating pad :) ).

Anti-Bacterial Soap/ Soapless Hand Dis-infectant - BP's can carry salmonella be sure to wash your hands frequently after handling your snake and especially between handling different snakes.

box of cheap latex/plastic gloves- You'd be amazed at how handy these come in - everything from cleaning out the nasty cage floor on cleaning day to protecting your hands from caulk while making the home made humidifier. :)

Thermometer/Hygrometer- This to some extent determines whether your snake thrives or suffers. Most dial thermometers are WAY off. A digital combo Thermo/Hygro from Walmart runs about $15 and can be used to monitor the temps on each side (one probe, other sensor is in the unit as is the hygrometer [humidity level meter]). This is the most important device of all - snakes can't talk so it is up to you to maintain the environment properly, if you aren't recieving good information (i.e. bad dials/sensors/meters) you can't maintain the environment well and the snake suffers and could die. So go the extra mile and dollar and get a thermometer/hygrometer you can put some confidence in.

OPTIONAL you could pick up some contact paper, or duct tape to use on the lid if you choose a tank it helps keep the humidity in (glass tanks have trouble holding humidity and heat at times). So you can get that while you're at Walmart if you feel you may need it.

About the sticky kind of heat pad i have one small one but i only use it if i am transporting my snake in a rubbermaid. The sticky kind sticks to the glass and glass is a great conductor of heat and this is good but can also be very bad. If you dont have a thermostat controling this heat source it will heat up the glass and the glass will get very, very hot. I tested all of this with a temp gun and the glass surface read like 113 degrees. If you are using news paper for substrate you run the risk of your BP suffering some very bad burns. So i changed to a human heat pad it cost me like 6 bux and it works much better first of all you have the option to change the heat setting i.e. LO-Med-Hi. If you have one of the heat pads stuck to the bottom of the tank touch the glass with your finger if you cant keep it there its too hot.

But i agree with David get a rubber maid they are like 6 Bux and they are easier to clean and dis infect and you have about 1/8" thick plastic which is a heat insulator but it will spread out the heat instead of letting it concentrate in one area.

Those teracotta pots work great for hides. They are cheap and they absorb heat really well. You can also get the plastic or terracotta plant bases they work good to my new BP Coco has 4 of them 3 for hides and 1 for a little water dish and they were 47 cents each. These guys are so easy to take care of.

What is the 'recipe' for making a homemade humidifier?

here it is: http://www.ball-pythons.net/Sections...-secid-11.html just click on humidifier

are you sure that's a humidifier?? looks like something else to me! :mrgreen: J/K!!

Engineering of one device can be very useful when making a related device. ;)

Damien, I see what you mean now. Yeah, it is imperative to have a rheostat or thermostat hooked up. I didn't have one at first &, like you said, the surface temp was WAY too hot. That ended up being why Hissy was on the cool side all day. Once I got the rheostat hooked up, i was good. And yes, it is absolutely true what Judy said, you hafta have SOME gap in the system. I have my tank elevated by those little furniture pegs so I am good there. Also, yes, substrate does play a role. I use the retile rug/carpet. That is good at mediating the temperature.

Jonah, you are the man, man!

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Originally Posted by Marla

Engineering of one device can be very useful when making a related device. ;)

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LOL! :lol:

haha...this thread is gonna go up in smoke if we don't get back on topic!

LMAO!! Anyway, the design looks pretty simple, I have all the 'ingredients' already (good thing I'm into fish & turtles as well).....I'll have my hubby construct one this weekend.....my only worry is that I have Sophie in a 10 gallon right now and there's not much room in there......guess she'll be moving up to something bigger......actually, I have plenty of rubbermaid containers lying around, guess we could move her into that for now (I like the tank set-up better for aesthetic reasons)...

Thanks for the help, I got her today! I will go get the rest of the stuff for her tomorrow.... thanks again!

Humidifier Tip! Let the caulk totally dry/set-up (about 12 hrs to be sure) before filling up the bottle and running it.. mine kept getting small leaks at first so I started over and gave it more time to form up and now it's fine.

PS: I just figured out how to make your words fun so sorry if i'm abusing my bold underline and itallics. :lol:

In place of the rheostat you can use a slide dimmer switch ( a little cheaper than a rheostat)
But Jonah has posted a good complete list ( yea! Jonah)

Thanks for the tip, we'll make it tomorrow and I'll let it cure until Sunday. I'll let ya' know how it turns out--if I ever get my camera fixed (probably will just buy a new one) I'll post a pic.

I use UTHs and they have never given me a problem. But they are expensive. I only bought them, instead of the cheaper human heatpads, because my friend owns a pet store and was able to cut me a deal. At your local pet store, though, they are way overpriced!
I would never dream of using a UTH without a "dimmer" or rheostat.

Back to the original topic... :)
I'd use the 20-long tank rather than the taller one, which has not much floor area and will be ahrder for you to reach into. If you want a good way to retain humitity, especially during shedding times, then do this: cut a piece of plexiglass to fit snugly over the tank, and tape it securely over the tank during shedding times. This keeps the humidity in my tanks at 80-90 percent for days. When shedding is over, I replace it with plexi that has holes drilled into it.
I never use screen lids! They can cut the snake's nose open if he/she rubs against them too often. The lone tank that I use (my other snakes are in sliding-door-type cages or rubebrmaids) is always lidded in plexiglass.

I put Dobby in a 10 for now with a lamp on him. I have a screen top, but also melamine on the half not covered by the light to keep humidity in. I had to put a screen in between the light and the snake cause he was going for it.

A 10g is OK for a very small hatchling. As long as you can fit a warm hide and a seperate cool hide in there.