hows this cage?

i built this cage for my future 2 ball pythons. there are 2 levels but on the left there will be branches so they can choose were they want to be. i know balls like to burrow but a few friends have them and theres love to climb.what do you think? also i was told one basking spot would be fine but i was thinking that i sould put on on top and ne on the bottom.the basking spots will be on the left.heres a pic. the measurements are 5feet long,4feet tall and 18inches deep. each level is 23inches tall

http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoView.jsp?&...d=735147275103

Well, I can't see a photo but it certainly sounds like a big cage. How do you plan to provide belly heat for digestion?

I can't see a photo either. While overhead lamps are fine for providing supplemental heat, ball pythons are not baskers - they are nocturnal. Belly heat is much more important to them. There are a number of options for providing belly heat, such as heat tape, human heat pads, and heat pads made especially for reptiles.

Balls do enjoy climbing, and I'm sure yours will appreciate the opportunity.

You can click on the "Photo Gallery" link to the left and upload your pics to your own gallery there. Then we can all see them. It sounds like a very elaborate setup you've got going there.

ok the picture is in my gallery

i was thinking of putting flex watt on both the bottom and the 2nd shelf.

As far as belly heat goes, I'm somewhat confused as to why some say it is so necessary. In the wild, BPs are terrestrial; hiding in dark burrows. Where would any source of belly heat, that some say is so necessary for digestion, be present in the wild?

I'm just curious because I've read so many things that all have different stances on heating for BPs.

(I personally think that providing belly heat can aid in digestion, but I was just wondering if this is a concept found only in captivity, or one that we copy from the conditions in their wild habitat)

The sun heats up rocks and earth during the day, which continue to radiate heat for hours after the sun goes down. If you provided a nice natural stone shelter and a heat lamp, that would be the closest thing to mimic nature, but IMHO, radiant heat from overhead combined with plastic, wood, cardboard, or similar non-heat-retaining structures is inadequate for optimum digestion.

I use clay and corkbark hides, which she has used since the moment I put them in there. The clay hide is definitly warm to the touch all, it sits on the warm side under the heat lamp.

I also have the walmart heat pad that everyone here uses, I think that the bark doesn't dissipate heat quickly enough though, because I was having surface temps of almost 100 degrees.

Just out of curiosity, what would be a symtom of digestion issues?

I took a look at your photo. It's certainly a nice size, but I couldn't tell whether there was plexiglass or a screen on the front.

Symptoms of digestive issues would at the minor end of the scale not be likely to be detectable by you -- minor belly discomfort, possibly gas or minor bloating, tendency toward constipation as a result of its taking too long to process the food and more moisture being leached from it before it passes, that sort of thing. At the other end of the scale, it should be detectable by you, such as uncomfortable buildup from gasses as food rots rather than being digested properly, painful constipation, possible regurgitation, hesitation to feed.

If your surface temps are almost 100, you might want to try something like using the pad without supplementing with the lamp, increasing the thickness of the substrate, or raising the enclosure a little more above the pad. That's all assuming that the pad is already set on Low, if not that's the first thing to try. The clay hide should definitely be able to do some heat retention, but the type and thickness of clay will determine how long and well it would radiate heat.

on the left theres glass on the 2 doors there is screen

The screening will make it difficult to maintain sufficient humidity levels. Have you made any provisions for that, such as a humidifier? I'm not sure where you live. If you live in a hot, humid climate, it might not be an issue, but balls need a temperature gradient of about 80 degrees on the cool side and 90 degrees on the warm side with a humidity level of about 50 to 70%. Most of us who house our BPs in aquariums with screen tops have had to cover the top with contact paper, duct tape, or some other material in order to maintain temperature and humidity.

yeah i have a hot humidifier that i had for my iguana.

Great. Make sure you check out the ball python care sheet on this website as well as any other information you can get your hands on. And keep asking questions! We love them.

yeah ive been readin for about a month and talking to my friends that have them and ive learned alot