New BP owner needs help and suggestions!!

I've been reading up on how people have set up their enclosures, and I'm beginning to get very overwhelmed with all the choices there are. I have a glass 20 gallon terrarium with a sliding screen top, a mini ZooMed UTH, and a lamp with a sunshine bulb in it, which I believe to be 60w, that is sitting on top of the sliding screen. I'm using Aspen substrate, and I have one smaller hide on the warm side on top of the heating pad, and a larger hide on the cool side with paper towels stuffed inside so it would feel smaller for him. (I know that they should both be the same size, so I plan on going and buying two identical containers tonight). After reading about all the things I need to have to properly care for my 5 month old baby Ball, I'm not even sure what I should buy now. I'm so worried about Salazar, because I know that the conditions he's been living in have to be stressing him out a lot, and I know that he's uncomfortable and that kills me. I just don't really know where to start, and this is a huge problem because he's been living like this for about 2-3 weeks. I guess I kind of did know where to start, since I just ordered a Infrared TempGun. But I have so many questions, like, should i buy a Ceramic heating bulb? and would that be compatible with the lamp I have now? Would that be okay with sitting on top of the screen, or would I have to buy a lamp stand? Or should I buy a night bulb and switch out the day bulb for the night one every night? And what about thermometers/hygrometers? Which ones would you recommend I buy, and where should i place them in the tank? (Because all I have now is one of those cheapo sticker ones, and I now know that that isn't good for reading temps at ALL, and I have a hygrometer, but it's one of those analog stick-on ones. Not good.) And then how do I control the amount of heat my UTH puts out? What's an effective way to make a heating gradient? This is all so much, and it's all my fault. I should've delved deeper into what I needed and got all of this set up before I brought him home.
Not to mention he's not eating, probably due to all the stress of not having the proper environment. I can't believe I took this long to reach out for help. So if I could have some assistance and advice and pointers and all that, that would be really, really helpful in getting all of this figured out. Thank you so much.

I'm too new to be of much help for you, but do want to say that beating yourself up won't help Salazar. You are reaching out now, asking for help, and that is what matters. There is sooo much to learn. Like you, I feel like I've done everything wrong and wish I had a "do over" button. But each small improvement will get you closer to where his environment needs to be.

Things that helped me:
- Getting a Herpstat thermostat.
- Putting a damp towel over most of the top of my tank.
- Using a 50 w red bulb for ambient heat on colder nights.
- Switching to coconut husk substrate
- Ordering a T8 enclosure. Knowing this will be on the way shortly keeps me from getting overwhelmed by the amount of adjusting and misting I have to do with a tank. My tank is way too big, and not ideal at all for a BP.

There is so much experience on here. People will help you get sorted out. Posting a pic of your setup can help them help you.

Hang in there!


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Thank you very much, I'll be sure and post a picture of my set-up as soon as I get home!!

There is also a recent post by The Serpent Merchant that includes photos for setting up a tank. Check it out!


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I'm looking at that right now!

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Originally Posted by tayloriero

I've been reading up on how people have set up their enclosures, and I'm beginning to get very overwhelmed with all the choices there are. I have a glass 20 gallon terrarium with a sliding screen top, a mini ZooMed UTH, and a lamp with a sunshine bulb in it, which I believe to be 60w, that is sitting on top of the sliding screen. I'm using Aspen substrate, and I have one smaller hide on the warm side on top of the heating pad, and a larger hide on the cool side with paper towels stuffed inside so it would feel smaller for him. (I know that they should both be the same size, so I plan on going and buying two identical containers tonight). After reading about all the things I need to have to properly care for my 5 month old baby Ball, I'm not even sure what I should buy now. I'm so worried about Salazar,

I love that name.

because I know that the conditions he's been living in have to be stressing him out a lot, and I know that he's uncomfortable and that kills me. I just don't really know where to start, and this is a huge problem because he's been living like this for about 2-3 weeks. I guess I kind of did know where to start, since I just ordered a Infrared TempGun. But I have so many questions, like, should i buy a Ceramic heating bulb? and would that be compatible with the lamp I have now? Would that be okay with sitting on top of the screen, or would I have to buy a lamp stand? Or should I buy a night bulb and switch out the day bulb for the night one every night? And what about thermometers/hygrometers? Which ones would you recommend I buy, and where should i place them in the tank? (Because all I have now is one of those cheapo sticker ones, and I now know that that isn't good for reading temps at ALL, and I have a hygrometer, but it's one of those analog stick-on ones. Not good.)

CHE's can work, I prefer infared bulbs for my glass tanks though. You can provide a day/night cycle if you want but most just use the infared or night bulb. Acurite makes pretty good systems from what I hear...I mostly just use my temp gun and a "cheapy" Zoo med probe thermometer. You may place lights on the screen, a stand does make a sliding top more convenient though.


And then how do I control the amount of heat my UTH puts out? What's an effective way to make a heating gradient? This is all so much, and it's all my fault. I should've delved deeper into what I needed and got all of this set up before I brought him home.

The heat pad may be controlled by simple on/off thermostat made by Hydrofarm for under $40...like someone else mentioned, proportional ones by Spyderrobotics are also available. The hydrofarms I use are monitoring Zoo med heat pads, a touch of silicon holds the probe to the bottom of the cage, under the substrate...a maximum temp of 92F is allowed because mine seem to have a 3 degree swing so it will cut off as it approaches 95F. Chill, we all trip up here and there, you want to do right by your specimen now that's what counts.


Not to mention he's not eating, probably due to all the stress of not having the proper environment. I can't believe I took this long to reach out for help. So if I could have some assistance and advice and pointers and all that, that would be really, really helpful in getting all of this figured out. Thank you so much.

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See bold and italics. I am sure he'll perk up, just give him time.

Check this link out. It will show you how to control the UTH and how a 20 gallon glass setup should be done. Hope this helps.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=201740

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I have the same tank as you. 20 gallon and sliding screen top. My set up is as follows

- UTH pad taped to bottom of the tank with aluminum tape
- thermostat hooked up to UTH and and I keep my UTH mat at 88-90. I tape the probe on the bottom of the tank on the outsideof the tank but in between the heat pad and tank,dead center .
-thermostat with probe??I keep the thermostat out of the tank and run the wire in the tank under the substrate and place it dead center of heat mat,held down with aluminum tape.
- I keep 90 % of my cage screen coverered with a sheet of aluminum foil and a heavy dry rag on top ( to help keep humidity in)
-I use a black light heat bulb at night and a reg day time heat bulb during the day. My double down is placed on the hot side of the tank,basically towards end of the screen.
- substrate I use a mixture of repti back and eco earth. With some sphagnum moss mixed in
- hygrometer,analog style on tank on inside,placed center of the tank about 3" up from substrate level.
- very large water bowl center of tank one hide on the warm side.
- some fake plants and fake vines throughout

As for the tape on the inside I use a few pieces and been for a while,never had a problem,just make sure your tank is 100% dry when u apply the tape!also make sure he can't slither behind the wires and pull it off the tape that is!do it right.best bet if you don't want to leave any wires along side of the tank exposed,go buy yourself a piece of 1/2" PVC,cut to height of the tank and run the thermostat wire through it :),to hold the PVC to the tank wall,u can apply a few dabs to the back of it using aquarium silicone,which you can find at pet stores..that's actually what I'm gonna do,I always forget to.

Please DO NOT EVER put tape INSIDE an enclosure. Bad, bad idea. A thermostat will control your heat mat/tape output. A cheap (and Imo temporary ) thermostat is a hydrofarm. Best option would be a herpstat from spyder robotics. This is a good basic start caresheet-
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=127203

You can get an accurite thermometer from Walmart. It will measure both ends as well as humidity. Those analog ones are junk. Accurite can still be off by a degree or two, but way better than analog. Or available at amazon-
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001BO...110_SY165_QL70


Glass aquariums with screen lids can be hard to maintain humidity and temps. Serpent Merchant has some very good threads about set ups and thermostats. Anything he says can be trusted.

Hides should be dark, snug, and secure. Think borderline too small and dark= perfect for bps.

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NYHC4LIFE8899

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

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Take a poll, see how many experienced keepers would put tape INSIDE their enclosure...

Again, do not put tape inside your enclosure. Take anything this guy says with a grain of salt...

thank you guys very much! this is all very helpful. i'm making a list of things to buy as we speak, and i'm also looking at Serpent Merchant's stuff, it's very good and i'm learning a lot! thank you!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by NYHC4LIFE8899

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

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Unfortunately, snakes are a lot more intelligent than you seem to think. I remember a member posting about watching their snake turn the locks of the screen top they had, and being able to get out. That situation was remedied by weight on the lid.

That example is a perfect example of how snakes learn, adapt, and tamper.

It may not be today, but in the future, your snake will find that tape. It will get stuck on it, and you will have to pull it off. It is not a good idea. The best, safest way to secure a thermometer probe is with hot glue. Be intelligent and let it cool some before sticking the probe down.

Tape is never a good idea, ever.

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So i just ordered 2 identical small hides, a Hydrofarm digital thermostat, and tomorrow I'm going to go to Walmart and buy an Acu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor thermometer and then go to Home Depot and buy a lamp dimmer, then i'm going to get an Infared bulb to use instead of the daylight bulb. Also, an update on the feeding situation: after making him a smaller, more secure hide a couple of days ago, I tried feeding him again tonight and he ate!! I'm very happy about this, and I'm really glad he finally did eat. I tried a new technique in how i fed him, and i guess it must've worked!!
Thank you all so much for your input and help, hopefully with the new purchases I've made I'll be able to set up his enclosure right this time around. I can't thank all of you enough!! <3

Oh honey, I know how you feel! These first few days with Oliver have been nerve wracking! He's such a precious little boy, and I'm scared to death of making a terrible mistake.

Take a deep breath, and know that it will all be ok. You are doing your best, which is all that anyone could ask of you. Make some of the recommended changes, and Salazar (great name!) will be a happy boy. We're all here to help and support you! Cheers, pamela




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Quote:

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Originally Posted by NYHC4LIFE8899

I can see the tape being a problem. But if ppl use the brain they were given and just apply small pieces and do it right,it's fine..I'm to lazy to take pics of my set up now or I would,but my ices are so small and right to the glass,impossible to do harm of any type. . I haven't had a negative expierience once and that aluminum tape sticks tightly to the glass especially when applied to "a clean dry surface",I can barely get it off myself and I'm 210 lbs,I don't see my one lb snake that has no arms getting it off easier,but the most I'll say is from your perspective it is "better to safe than sorry".. Which makes sense..a few small pieces will NOT do any harm if done right. It's not like u r using a entire role.

But I am switching over,I am going to home dept to buy some silicone and 1/2" PVC to run the probe wire through..cause I'd rather be safe than sorry myself. Though I don't see me every having a problem. But for the sake of my pets I will change what I have

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Not to overbeat this dead horse but tape will be a problem.

The heat and humidity of the enclosure will inevitably cause it to begin to lift at the corners as will cleaning etc.

Low tack painters tape is possibly going to be semi-ok but a couple of drops from a glue gun do the job far better with zero risk to the animal.

I once made a post listing some of the threads about tape from people who knew it wouldn't be a problem despite our advice. I only listed the first 19 or so iirc.


dr del

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tayloriero

I've been reading up on how people have set up their enclosures, and I'm beginning to get very overwhelmed with all the choices there are. I have a glass 20 gallon terrarium with a sliding screen top, a mini ZooMed UTH, and a lamp with a sunshine bulb in it, which I believe to be 60w, that is sitting on top of the sliding screen. I'm using Aspen substrate, and I have one smaller hide on the warm side on top of the heating pad, and a larger hide on the cool side with paper towels stuffed inside so it would feel smaller for him. (I know that they should both be the same size, so I plan on going and buying two identical containers tonight). After reading about all the things I need to have to properly care for my 5 month old baby Ball, I'm not even sure what I should buy now. I'm so worried about Salazar, because I know that the conditions he's been living in have to be stressing him out a lot, and I know that he's uncomfortable and that kills me. I just don't really know where to start, and this is a huge problem because he's been living like this for about 2-3 weeks. I guess I kind of did know where to start, since I just ordered a Infrared TempGun. But I have so many questions, like, should i buy a Ceramic heating bulb? and would that be compatible with the lamp I have now? Would that be okay with sitting on top of the screen, or would I have to buy a lamp stand? Or should I buy a night bulb and switch out the day bulb for the night one every night? And what about thermometers/hygrometers? Which ones would you recommend I buy, and where should i place them in the tank? (Because all I have now is one of those cheapo sticker ones, and I now know that that isn't good for reading temps at ALL, and I have a hygrometer, but it's one of those analog stick-on ones. Not good.) And then how do I control the amount of heat my UTH puts out? What's an effective way to make a heating gradient? This is all so much, and it's all my fault. I should've delved deeper into what I needed and got all of this set up before I brought him home.
Not to mention he's not eating, probably due to all the stress of not having the proper environment. I can't believe I took this long to reach out for help. So if I could have some assistance and advice and pointers and all that, that would be really, really helpful in getting all of this figured out. Thank you so much.

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Regarding the mismatched hides, they don't need to be identical sized. Stuffing the larger one with paper towels is fine. I've done almost the same thing when I had hides that were too big...fill the bigger one with stuff to make it smaller inside. He's not measuring the hides to see if they're the same size. :)

For the temp and humidity, a lot of people seem to like the Acurites. Something like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

Heat gradient is relatively easy. Put the hot spot and/or heat lamp at one end of the enclosure. The further away he gets from the hot spot, the cooler it will get.

Relax a little. He'll be fine. They're tough. They can survive long periods in bad conditions (witness a typical pet store snake that lingers in too hot, too dry, underfed conditions for months). Your's will hang in while you get things fixed and when you have it all sorted out, he'll pick up quickly.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 200xth

Regarding the mismatched hides, they don't need to be identical sized. Stuffing the larger one with paper towels is fine. I've done almost the same thing when I had hides that were too big...fill the bigger one with stuff to make it smaller inside. He's not measuring the hides to see if they're the same size. :)

For the temp and humidity, a lot of people seem to like the Acurites. Something like this: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Acu-Rite-I...mometer/896347

Heat gradient is relatively easy. Put the hot spot and/or heat lamp at one end of the enclosure. The further away he gets from the hot spot, the cooler it will get.

Relax a little. He'll be fine. They're tough. They can survive long periods in bad conditions (witness a typical pet store snake that lingers in too hot, too dry, underfed conditions for months). Your's will hang in while you get things fixed and when you have it all sorted out, he'll pick up quickly.

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Thank you very much. It's reassuring to know that he'll be okay, I just love him a lot and I'm one of those that tend to worry. Thanks again.