Burning question that needs a answer!

I will be getting Ball python in a couple of days. My question is the 60 gallon tank I have with wooden decorations were given to me by my brother whom before had a ball python in the tank but had to give away because he went away for the military. I cleaned the tank with dish soap and water. Should i reuse the wooden decorations? I didn't wash those becaie I didn't want them to fall apart from the water. Will my new Ball python sense the others snake scent from these decorations and get aggressive or have any other emotion towards being in a tank with them? Or should I just buy new ones? Should I also use the tank or just get a new one even though I cleaned it out?

I would reuse it all as long as there weren't any parasites in it when the snake was given away. How long has it been since there was a snake in there? Whatever scent was in there may have dissipated by now.

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Originally Posted by Viol8r

I would reuse it all as long as there weren't any parasites in it when the snake was given away. How long has it been since there was a snake in there? Whatever scent was in there may have dissipated by now.

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They,ve been in there months along with the previous snakes bedding and feces. How would I disinfect these if I could and needed to?

I read in several posts to preheat oven to 200-250F and let wooden decor 'bake' in there for a couple of hours.

How big is your BP going to be? Why I ask this is because typically they want smaller enclosures. Big enclosures can stress them out. But if you're getting an adult then I'm sure 60 would be fine!

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Originally Posted by cnavalta14

How big is your BP going to be? Why I ask this is because typically they want smaller enclosures. Big enclosures can stress them out. But if you're getting an adult then I'm sure 60 would be fine!

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Well I was hoping to get a baby. I know the enclosure is big but it has so many of those wooden decorations(things to climb on, hide under, ect) that the tank should feel like there in a very enclosed space. By brother used this for his ball python and never had any problems with him:). I've been researching and now concerned about something else. Do I really need a UTC heater? Would I put this on the hot side? I'm also gonna be using cypress mulch as the bedding from what I hear it holds humidity well.

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Originally Posted by The Golem

I read in several posts to preheat oven to 200-250F and let wooden decor 'bake' in there for a couple of hours.

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Ah that sounds helpful never thought of that to kill any bacteria on them without setting them on fire or getting them wet. Thank you :).

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Originally Posted by Poltergeist04

Ah that sounds helpful never thought of that to kill any bacteria on them without setting them on fire or getting them wet. Thank you :).

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You should also probably soak the wooden decor before baking it to avoid accidents. Bake until dry.

would freezing the wood work?

On the enclosure side...these animals live in Africa so a 60 g tank shouldn't be too large. What you would want to focus on is appropriate sized hides. Meaning when the snake is inside the hide he/she should be able to touch all/most sides. That's what they would look for in the wild so that should be provided for them in captivity. Sounds like you have a few options for him or her and you are on the right track! With a baby snake in a tank that size I would personally have a snug fitting hide on the hot and cold side then loose fitting hides on both sides as well. Sometimes after eating they need more room, and need a space to grow into. A UTH is highly recommended here along with the use of a quality t-stat. Bedding is up to what you would like your tank to look like and how much "extra" effort you may need to put in to it for good husbandry. Like I said you sound to be on the right track, so keep it up and let us know what animal you pick up and you your tank is progressing...

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Originally Posted by Viol8r

On the enclosure side...these animals live in Africa so a 60 g tank shouldn't be too large. What you would want to focus on is appropriate sized hides. Meaning when the snake is inside the hide he/she should be able to touch all/most sides. That's what they would look for in the wild so that should be provided for them in captivity. Sounds like you have a few options for him or her and you are on the right track! With a baby snake in a tank that size I would personally have a snug fitting hide on the hot and cold side then loose fitting hides on both sides as well. Sometimes after eating they need more room, and need a space to grow into. A UTH is highly recommended here along with the use of a quality t-stat. Bedding is up to what you would like your tank to look like and how much "extra" effort you may need to put in to it for good husbandry. Like I said you sound to be on the right track, so keep it up and let us know what animal you pick up and you your tank is progressing...

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I'm confused on something I've been reading multiple sites saying I don't need a basking spot and I do. I have a large lamp that I would like to use for the hot side with a infrared bulb for the night and a Normal light bulb for the day does that sound fine? To keep the temperature up on the warmside I will also be using a under the tank heater what temperature does the under the tank heater need to be at? And how long could my snake go without one I'll hopefully be able to pick one up with him tomorrow with a thermostat.

Basking spots are for reptiles that need the sun. These are more nocturnal animals. The uth is usually kept in the low 90's not to exceed 92. I have a reptile room so everything thing is the same for all of my animals. 82 degrees during the day with a 2-3 degree temp drop at night. The light bulbs will work, a ceramic bulb is better, then uth/heat tape or ambient topping out the field of heating...

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Originally Posted by Viol8r

Basking spots are for reptiles that need the sun. These are more nocturnal animals. The uth is usually kept in the low 90's not to exceed 92. I have a reptile room so everything thing is the same for all of my animals. 82 degrees during the day with a 2-3 degree temp drop at night. The light bulbs will work, a ceramic bulb is better, then uth/heat tape or ambient topping out the field of heating...

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So I can still use the bulbs to help create humidity with the water bowl on the hot side? Any specific wattages I need for the day time bulb and night infared bulb?

Actually the bulbs will do more to suck humidity out of the cage, especially with a screen top, which I am just assuming is what you have. If not then that may not apply. And I would not exceed 200° while baking the wood, it's not necessary. As for the cage being large, more hides, more plants, and just more clutter in general. They like to be able to move around largly unseen. Around here, I get fairly decent looking fake plants at the dollar store for things like this. Cheap and effective.

Here's the sticky for setting up an aquarium.. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-With-Pictures! This is for 20 long but it should help you figure out how to set your 60 up. I never used a light bulb since they are mostly nocturnal.

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Originally Posted by Viol8r

Here's the sticky for setting up an aquarium.. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...-With-Pictures! This is for 20 long but it should help you figure out how to set your 60 up. I never used a light bulb since they are mostly nocturnal.

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I'm gonna post a picture soon of him/her in the enclosure :) My temps are fine but having a hard time keepimg the humidity up even with spraying its drops to a little under 50 when I spray I can get it over 60 for some time then it drops. I have the lamp on the hot side with the water bowl in the middle. I have the other half of the tank covered with tin foil any other ways to keep the humidity up? I'm using aspen bedding until I decide to get the cypress mulch.

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Originally Posted by Poltergeist04

I'm gonna post a picture soon of him/her in the enclosure :) My temps are fine but having a hard time keepimg the humidity up even with spraying its drops to a little under 50 when I spray I can get it over 60 for some time then it drops. I have the lamp on the hot side with the water bowl in the middle. I have the other half of the tank covered with tin foil any other ways to keep the humidity up? I'm using aspen bedding until I decide to get the cypress mulch.

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I should keep this comment handy...lol

"I have this comment on another post, but feel it may help with your humidity issue as well. "My room is temp/humid controlled now, but when I was dealing with individual tanks I used a small burlap cinch bag you can pick up at any craft store or Walmart. I filled with moss and soaked it, then squished the bottom to get excess water off. Do that every 3-4 days as needed will keep you from having to spray all the time. I soaked everything in scalding hot water before using." "

Just wanted to so thanks to everyone for the help. I was able to get the humidity up from 10% to 30% just by adding moss. I'm gonna be changing out my bedding from aspen to Eco earth and just continue misting. That should definitely get me at a comfortable range if humidity for my little guy. :) Sunday is feeding day! Little nervous! Gonna try to switch him over to frozen instead of live. The pet store fed him every two weeks and he usually eat twice. Should I switch to once a week but bigger food? Or stick to that schedule?

You should be feeding every 4-7 days until they're adults then you could switch to once every other week. My 2 biggest boys will only eat every other week. They're both just over 1k grams. My only breeder girl on the other hand is putting them down every week, but she has also been "working out" :hump: lol

Well, everything turned out pretty good. Changed the substrate to eco earth and holding a steady 45-55% humidity for a long period of time. Today was feeding day and I fed Genesis(name for my snake :)) 1 frozen medium mouse. The pet store was feeding Genesis live but I wanted to feed Genesis frozen and he/she had no problem at all eating the frozen one. Fed him/her in a box separate from the tank, as soon as I put the mouse in within 5 seconds he/she went right for it! Just wanted to say thank you to everyone for helping me as a new owner!:):):):):)