New Ball Python Owner - Setup & Pics

Hi everyone,
Firstly I just want to say this site is a must for anyone new to this hobby. We bought my first snake home 3 days ago, a juvenile male Mojave BP we called Monty, and have spent the last week and half taking in the massive amount of experience and advice given by this forums members. To that end and because i am new to these stunning animals. I wanted to post a picture of my setup and possibly get some feedback and advice on what to change, add, remove or keep.

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/...psff709ea3.jpg

20g Tank with mesh lid.
UTH placed on the bottom of the tank under the hide on the right.
1 Temp probe placed under the substrate in the hide, reading 97 deg (I have a thermostat arriving from amazon tomorrow)
1 Temp sensor mounted to the side of the tank on the far left, reading 78 deg
1 Hygrometer sensor mounted to the back of the tank visible just above the smaller water bowl reading 65% (after placing a damp towel to cover 3/4 of the tank based on the advice given here).
2 water bowls, 1 on the cold side and 1 next to the hide
2 decorative logs and some fake greenery.
I have no heat lamp or lighting of any kind next to the tank other than ceiling lights in the room.

Any advice on my setup would be greatly appreciated. My only interest is keeping Monty as comfortable and stress free as possible.

Also I have to post a picture of Monty....just to show him off lol

http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/...psdd6cdc74.jpg
http://i1074.photobucket.com/albums/...psa14efc67.jpg

You need a thermostat to regulate your UTH temperatures. I never recommend cheaping out on them, and always recommend herpstats.

Do you only have 1 hide? Usually we like to see 2 hides in the enclosure, one on the warm side and one on the cool side.

Welcome. Monty is beautiful.

The logs you have on the cooler side can work as an additional hide; you may want to try adding some moss in there to help with humidity. The moss plus the foliage plus the logs leads to a secure little area over there for your snake to hide in/under, and works as a nice looking cool side hiding area.

A thermostat is always a great idea; one of the best tools you can have for taking good care of your snakes. :)

Otherwise, set up looks good to me!

-Jen

Has he been soaking in his water a lot?

No this is the first time I've seen him in there. But that was before i placed a damp towel on the top of the tank to increase humidity which as i send this is at 68%, a huge increase from 45% which it was yesterday.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by LLLReptile

The logs you have on the cooler side can work as an additional hide; you may want to try adding some moss in there to help with humidity. The moss plus the foliage plus the logs leads to a secure little area over there for your snake to hide in/under, and works as a nice looking cool side hiding area.

A thermostat is always a great idea; one of the best tools you can have for taking good care of your snakes. :)

Otherwise, set up looks good to me!

-Jen

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Thanks for the advice, i'm going to look into getting some moss later today. Do i just stuff it down the back of the logs directly on to the substrate? He's actually curled up under the logs right now.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CatandDiallo

You need a thermostat to regulate your UTH temperatures. I never recommend cheaping out on them, and always recommend herpstats.

Do you only have 1 hide? Usually we like to see 2 hides in the enclosure, one on the warm side and one on the cool side.

Welcome. Monty is beautiful.

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I did have two hides. You can just about make out the second hide in my avatar pic. I took it out in favor of a larger water bowl on the recommendation of the guy at the reptile store. He does hide under the logs i have in there also. Seems to spend most of the day either under the logs at the back or in his warmer hide and normally moves every cpl hours between the two. I wish i'd just gone out and bought a thermostat now rather than wait until tomorrow for Amazon. I bought the Hydrofarm MTPRTC, it has been mentioned here before with a few members using it with no problems. Fingers crossed!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MontgomeryBP

1 Temp probe placed under the substrate in the hide, reading 97 deg (I have a thermostat arriving from amazon tomorrow)

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UTH thats reading at 97 deg is way too hot and there's a possibility of your BP getting burned. Turn off your UTH for a day until your thermostat arrives or put it on a dimmer.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

You should also invest in a temp gun to get the surface temps, they are fairly cheap on amazon. My uth reads 95 but the temp above it on the substrate stays about 88

Sent from my N861 using Tapatalk

I "Would" get a different hide, That will not let him hide as 2 open sides. Look at the reptile basics black box hides Much better!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

UTH thats reading at 97 deg is way too hot and there's a possibility of your BP getting burned. Turn off your UTH for a day until your thermostat arrives or put it on a dimmer.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk

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Done, thank you!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CORBIN911

I "Would" get a different hide, That will not let him hide as 2 open sides. Look at the reptile basics black box hides Much better!

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I'll check them out, thanks!

ok , I could be totally wrong as none of the veterans caught this..."1 Hygrometer sensor mounted to the back of the tank visible just above the smaller water bowl reading 65%"....but if you place a hygrometer sensor just above a container of water, couldn't that give a slightly higher read out then what the rest of the enclosure is at? If i am wrong please point this out for my education and as well as if I am correct lol
thx

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SouthernVaper

ok , I could be totally wrong as none of the veterans caught this..."1 Hygrometer sensor mounted to the back of the tank visible just above the smaller water bowl reading 65%"....but if you place a hygrometer sensor just above a container of water, couldn't that give a slightly higher read out then what the rest of the enclosure is at? If i am wrong please point this out for my education and as well as if I am correct lol
thx

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That does make sense and its my fault for not making it clear in my description. I meant the wire is visible just above the water bowl. The actual sensor is tucked about an inch off of the substrate behind the logs. Again I'm not 100% sure if this is the best position for it but this is where Monty spends most of his day and so figured having it in the same place would be best.

Again 100% humidty isnt going to be an issue aslong as its not Too the extreme, i dont or havnt used them since stopping my glass tank, AS long as you mist your snake 1-2 times during shed daily, and spritz its 2-4 times a week non shed you should be fine... if he doesnt have a clean shed, spray little more, With a glass top id recommend Eco Earth compressed coco (similar to yours but finer) its amazing for humidity! and doesnt smell as bad as that stuff!