Saving up for bp

Hi I am planning on saving up for a ball python and eventually purchasing one within the next 2 years. I have been looking up all sorts of care information and am just feeling a bit overwhelmed by the options. I have a few questions and would really like talking to someone about them instead of trying to sift through the care guides that are causing my stress.
At the moment I am curious about looking for pythons at rescues vs breeders or pet shops, how easy it is to transport a snake if I need to move, what kind of utensils would be best for a first-timer...
I'm sure that I will have a bunch more as I continue researching, but I think this would be a good place to start.

First off, welcome. It's good to see you're doing your homework first. That will pay off for you and your snake, should you choose to get one someday. It's nice that you consider looking at rescues first. If there are known snake rescue shelters in your area, go and talk to them. The knowledge you get from them MAY far exceed anything you may read on a forum telling you about them. If not, start looking for reptile expos in your area. Try to go to as many as you can, and talk to the breeders there. Ask a lot of questions. Look at different snakes, hold different snakes. You may find you like something that completely surprises you.

Moving... there isn't really any special about moving a snake. If you're moving your house, just move the whole snake enclosure. If you're talking about getting the snake from one place to another, a very small plastic tub with a lid and some little holes in it for air is all you need. Just keep it fairly warm. I drove about an hour and a half to get my snake home, and it was in a little butter bowl type container on the front seat of my car. She did just fine.

As for what you will need otherwise, you're looking to spend 300-500 dollars for a complete setup.

cage/enclosure ($150-??) - I would recommend PVC, but others really like tubs. Just depends on what you like. Some like fishtanks, but I don't care for those personally.
Heater - ($40 - ??) an Under Tank Heater (UTH) will provide a warm spot for your snake. You can't go wrong with one of these.
Thermostat - ($50 - ??)This will control the heat coming from your UTH. You NEED one of these so the snake doesn't get burnt, but stays warm enough.
Hides - ($5-$20) two places for your snake to hide
Water dish - ($5-$15)snakes need water too.
Radiant Heat Panel (RHP) - ($50-$100)This isn't needed 100%, but it will make your setup better and manage your heat better, especially if you have a pvc cage or something with a solid lid.
Food - ($1-$2 per week)


Those are the basics. Putting them all together to make a happy envirionment takes some work, but it's not too hard. My advice, start out with good stuff from the beginning. I didn't, and now I'm upgrading to the good stuff and I won't be able to get my money back that I spent on the cheap stuff early on.

Does that help?

This is very helpful, especially with the pricing! I was looking up prices on things that I would need before and I was barely scraping above 300 dollars total for an enclosure and it just didn't seem like I was spending enough. I'll try to find stuff that fits within that price range, and I totally agree I would rather by the nice stuff right up front. Probably save me money in the long run anyhow.

I do have a few more questions if you are willing to answer them! No pressure!

As far as enclosures vs how big my snake gets. How many enclosure should I expect to purchase as my snake grows if I start with a baby? Could I possibly buy only one and modify the size of the enclosure as it grows by making like a wall of sorts with something like cardboard?

For heating, I have read many places that I could use things like an electric blanket. This doesn't seem very easy to regulate, though. Do you have any recommendations for types of heaters that I could use? There are so many options and a lot of them seem kind of complicated, but I could probably figure them out with youtube tutorials or the instructions.

As far as humidifiers go, would you recommend buying some sort of machine to keep it humid for me? Or would it be easy enough to manually keep the enclosure humid?

You also mentioned a radiant heat panel, what exactly does that do?

Lastly, how often should I be handling my snake? I'm seeing some people say no more than twice a week, but that seems a lot less than what I would have expected and from what I have heard from a friend who has owned one before. Taking what that friend told me into account, said friend ended up with a dead snake within the first 6 months, and I would surely like to avoid that!

Sorry if this is an overwhelming amount to ask! I really want to be prepared for owning one...

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Originally Posted by bryndolyn

This is very helpful, especially with the pricing! I was looking up prices on things that I would need before and I was barely scraping above 300 dollars total for an enclosure and it just didn't seem like I was spending enough. I'll try to find stuff that fits within that price range, and I totally agree I would rather by the nice stuff right up front. Probably save me money in the long run anyhow.

I do have a few more questions if you are willing to answer them! No pressure!

As far as enclosures vs how big my snake gets. How many enclosure should I expect to purchase as my snake grows if I start with a baby? Could I possibly buy only one and modify the size of the enclosure as it grows by making like a wall of sorts with something like cardboard?

For heating, I have read many places that I could use things like an electric blanket. This doesn't seem very easy to regulate, though. Do you have any recommendations for types of heaters that I could use? There are so many options and a lot of them seem kind of complicated, but I could probably figure them out with youtube tutorials or the instructions.

As far as humidifiers go, would you recommend buying some sort of machine to keep it humid for me? Or would it be easy enough to manually keep the enclosure humid?

You also mentioned a radiant heat panel, what exactly does that do?

Lastly, how often should I be handling my snake? I'm seeing some people say no more than twice a week, but that seems a lot less than what I would have expected and from what I have heard from a friend who has owned one before. Taking what that friend told me into account, said friend ended up with a dead snake within the first 6 months, and I would surely like to avoid that!

Sorry if this is an overwhelming amount to ask! I really want to be prepared for owning one...

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You can buy as big of an enclosure as you want, there's no such thing as too big. BUT there's such a thing as too open. Make sure it has appropriately sized hides and enough of them so they can choose what temps to be in. If you're only planning on one snake I'd say buy the one you want for it's whole life and just change the hides as it grows. You can use cheap bowls/litterpans/flowerpots so it's not too expensive.

If you're in the US amazon has the best prices on UTH I've seen, I'd use that or just buy heat tape. I think a heat pad for a 40 gallon tank is like 17 bucks on amazon. At that point I'd rather just use something more intended for reptiles than using a heat blanket. All you do is buy a thermostat, set the probe, plug the UTH or heat tape into the thermostat, then set the temperature. They're not complicated at all.

If you have a pvc enclosure or tub I wouldn't really worry about humidity as much. If it's just a little too low then get a bigger water dish. If it's way too low move the dish closer to the hot side. If it's too humid then add ventilation (just holes). If you have a glass tank though you'll have to cover most of the top. In FL I have a lot of humidity but when the room is 50% humidity and upper 70's it seems to always stay dry in the glass tank because of the heater.

Radiant heat panel I'd describe as a small space heater. Usually ceramic and raises ambient temps of the enclosure.

I don't have a plan with how much to handle my snakes. I pull them out maybe once a week to hold for a few minutes. I more just want them to get used to my scent than anything else. It's something you have to kind of feel out really. I have 4 snakes and I don't really have the time to take each snake out for 10-20 minutes each multiple times during the week. Not to mention the day of feeding and the 2 days after I don't mess with them at all. So that only leaves 4 days in the week and even less if I feed every 5 or 6. I care about my snakes and I want them to be happy and healthy, but they're snakes, I don't really bond with them the same way that I would my dog or if I had a cat.

I am going to be purchasing the following setup. I think with the sale they have going on now, it will run me about $300 with shipping... give or take $20.

Animal Plastics T8 encloser with sliding glass door - with this cage, from Animal plastics, I will also get the following items added:
LED light strip
UTH
Door lock
Snap-in divider

I'm getting the divider because my snake is still a baby. This tank is 4' wide, 2' deep, and about 12" tall. I have read where you could keep two snakes in one of these until they get up to sub-adult size. I plan to keep at least one in one side of it, still using some fake plants to clutter it up some. Plus as mentioned, two hides, a water dish, and two hydrometer/thermometers.

Other items on my wish list:
Herpstat II thermostat. ($200) A one would be sufficient, but this way I can run my RHP on a thermostat, then if I end up getting another snake, I have more options.
80w RHP ($90)


So that's about $600.... I've spend about $250 to get a cheap setup that I feel I need to monitor pretty closely, it's used, doesn't look very nice, and is probably too small for an adult Ball Python. IF i could do it over, I would do it right the first time. But then again, not everyone can afford $600+. I should have thought about that more ahead of time, but I got anxious.

Handling - I don't handle my snake for at least 24 hours after she eats. Some times, it's about 48hrs. Aside from that, I handle her every day... anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. She'll crawl through my hands, or around my lap, and most of the time, she'll find a spot and just sit there. She doesn't seem to mind it too much. I think keeping the enclosure temperature and humidity accurate is more important to a healthy snake than how much you handle it. Of course, every snake is different. Some snakes are said to be more "snippy" than others. Like people... some just have better attitudes than others. :)

Hi. The suggestions given above are pretty good. The only thing I would think may be unnecessary is the radiant heat panel. If you keep your temps in your home at around 70 you really shouldn't need the radiant heat panel. I have 13 bp's and all they have is belly heat...the ambient temp is in the 80s for their containers (i keep mine in tubs). If you use a aquarium then you can modify the lid and add a heat lamp to the setup (I have this setup for one of mine). I got started with my first ball for pretty cheap. Check your local pet stores they sometimes have full setups with a majority of what you need and they sometimes go on sale also.

I got a Zilla 20 gallon setup for $170 that included light dome, analog thermometer\hygrometer, reptile carpet (i dislike lol), uth, screened lid, water dish

so that leaves:
Thermostat- ~$50
Screen Cover Modification- ~things around the house :)
Screen locks- ~$4
Heat bulb\Ceramic heater- ~$10 - $20
Hide- ~$0 - $10 (many choices from bowls around the house or fancy pet store hides)
Temp Gun- ~$10
So total around $260 for this setup.

My personal setup now (minus the rack i am building :cool:)

For one snake baby to juvenile:
sterilite latch 15qt : $4
Cut Plastic Bowl for hide: 3\$1
Water Bowl (small heavy croc flat bottom): $1
Kraft paper(substrate): 12in X 640ft $14
1ft section of heat tape: $2.10 (if you want pre wired $7 reptile basics)
Thermostat- ~$30 (hydrofarm)
Temp Gun- ~10

Total: $67!! :cool:

btw I am working on a different stat for my rack (stc-1000) that is only 13.99 shipped on ebay but you have to wire it yourself (lol that was fun to figure out but i am going to power it up tonight!) so take a look at my thread later on if interested when I update. :)

Oops sorry for the handling I really only handle my Normal as he is my first BP and by far the most chill. All other snakes are handled every couple of days to inspect for overall health. Mystery is the most fun of all lol serious defensive striker!

I'd Recommend a Radiant Heat Panel From Pro Products rather than UTH - Animal Plastics will even custom fit it for you.

A 50 thermostat is pretty cheap with no safety features. I would plan on 100 for a good one.

Hi everyone! Thank you for all the advice.
I am gonna try and ask for some of this stuff for christmas and hopefully I am still young enough to get away with a wishlist (or lucky enough to get help funding this).
Would you all agree that $100 dollars is the minimum I should be looking to spend on a thermostat?
And would one of that price be able to double as a thermometer/hygrometer?

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Originally Posted by bryndolyn

Hi everyone! Thank you for all the advice.
I am gonna try and ask for some of this stuff for christmas and hopefully I am still young enough to get away with a wishlist (or lucky enough to get help funding this).
Would you all agree that $100 dollars is the minimum I should be looking to spend on a thermostat?
And would one of that price be able to double as a thermometer/hygrometer?

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I would suggest, if at all possible, going with a herpstat thermostat. If you look around, that is what everyone recommends and they seem to do so for good reason. That is what I'm going to be purchasing. They are pricey, but they are a good product. That will be around $100-$125.

Thermostat and thermometer/hygrometer are two (three actually) separate things.

Thermostat - controls and tells your heat source when to turn on. You actually plug your heat source (UTH) in to this device and when the thermometer probe attached to this device gets to your set temperature, it will turn the heater on.

Thermometer/Hygrometer - this just measures temperature and humidity... This is mainly just to show you what the room (ambient) temperature inside the cage is, and what the humidity inside the cage is. You can find them at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc... something like this will work just fine: http://www.walmart.com/ip/INSTEN-Whi...Meter/42555963 I have two of them in my cage, one on the warm side, and one on the cool side, as I like to know the temps all the time, on both sides. They will run you $5-$10 each, but are well worth it.

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

I would suggest, if at all possible, going with a herpstat thermostat. If you look around, that is what everyone recommends and they seem to do so for good reason. That is what I'm going to be purchasing. They are pricey, but they are a good product. That will be around $100-$125.

Thermostat and thermometer/hygrometer are two (three actually) separate things.

Thermostat - controls and tells your heat source when to turn on. You actually plug your heat source (UTH) in to this device and when the thermometer probe attached to this device gets to your set temperature, it will turn the heater on.

Thermometer/Hygrometer - this just measures temperature and humidity... This is mainly just to show you what the room (ambient) temperature inside the cage is, and what the humidity inside the cage is. You can find them at Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, etc... something like this will work just fine: http://www.walmart.com/ip/INSTEN-Whi...Meter/42555963 I have two of them in my cage, one on the warm side, and one on the cool side, as I like to know the temps all the time, on both sides. They will run you $5-$10 each, but are well worth it.

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Ok, I was totally mixing up words, but that does clear things up! :)
As for the actual enclosure, I probably will be buying it as one of the last things on my list because I don't have anywhere to put it as of now and I also don't know what I want at the moment. I am interested in the Animal Plastic options, though. Since you are planning on buying from them, I was wondering what of the add-on options you would recommend, and also if you have any knowledge of ap versus pvc.

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You can buy as big of an enclosure as you want, there's no such thing as too big.

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Wrong number one newbie mistake who are experiencing issues with their first BP is in 90% of cases, an enclosure that is too big. Housing an hatchling in a 30 gallons tank is the worse advice for a new owner.

Now OP

First you need to know whether you want to get an hatchling or and adult this will help with your supply list.

You are looking for an enclosure that is anywhere from a 6 quarts plastic tub slowly upgrading to 12 quarts or 15 quarts before housing your animal in his permanent enclosure tank, tub or cage which will not need to be larger than 36 x 16 as far as foot print goes, anything larger will not be better and will become harder to maintain and BP are not forgiven when it comes to husbandry. You can also start an hatchling with a 10 gallons tank but it will be a more expensive option as you will transition.

For a stand alone enclosure you will need a UTH or Heat tape, the best UTH can be found here http://www.reptilebasics.com/ it will also be a great place to get a RELIABLE thermostat and hides as well as water dishes and thermometers, yes there are cheap thermostats but remember thermostat are the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT piece of equipment of your husbandry supply, cheap ones will fluctuate and will likely fail within a few years and many a known to fail wild open (this means burn and fire hazard)

For permanent housing if you are looking into cages Animal Plastics has great cages http://www.apcages.com/home/ , glass enclosure can work they how however harder to maintain and clean if you go that route a 30 gallons breeder is more than enough.

As for where getting your animal from I would recommend getting an animal from a breeder, rescues can be problematic and not the best first experience.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Wrong number one newbie mistake experiencing issues with their first BP is in 90% of cases too big of an enclosure. Housing an hatchling in a 30 gallons tank is the worse advice for a new owner.

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If you have enough hides and clutter to make them feel safe then it doesn't matter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

Wrong number one newbie mistake experiencing issues with their first BP is in 90% of cases too big of an enclosure. Housing an hatchling in a 30 gallons tank is the worse advice for a new owner.

Now OP

First you need to know whether you want to get an hatchling or and adult this will help with your supply list.

You are looking for an enclosure that is anywhere from a 6 quarts plastic tub slowly upgrading to 12 quarts or 15 quarts before housing your animal in his permanent enclosure tank, tub or cage which will not need to be larger than 36 x 16 as far as foot print goes, anything larger will not be better and will become harder to maintain and BP are not forgiven when it comes to husbandry. You can also start an hatchling with a 10 gallons tank but it will be a more expensive option as you will transition.

For a stand alone enclosure you will need a UTH or Heat tape, the best UTH can be found here http://www.reptilebasics.com/ it will also be a great place to get a RELIABLE thermostat and hides as well as water dishes and thermometers, yes there are cheap thermostats but remember thermostat are the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT piece of equipment of your husbandry supply, cheap ones will fluctuate and will likely fail within a few years and many a known to fail wild open (this means burn and fire hazard)

For permanent housing if you are looking into cages Animal Plastics has great cages http://www.apcages.com/home/ , glass enclosure can work they how however harder to maintain and clean if you go that route a 30 gallons breeder is more than enough.

As for where getting your animal from I would recommend getting an animal from a breeder, rescues can be problematic and not the best first experience.

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Thank you for your response!
I'm getting a lot of mixed messages about what is and isn't ok for sizing. Would the option to buy one tank at final size and then put a divider in as the snake grows be a reasonable option beyond just filling the tank with less objects to hide in as the snake gets larger?
It seems that in my state it's hard to find any rescues that have balls, so I probably will go with a breeder. As a first time owner, it does seem like a safer choice. What kind of differences would I expect to find between a snake bought from a breeder and one from a rescue?
Thank you for the links as well! I am hearing a lot of great things about animal plastics, so that will probably be where I end up turning to.

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Originally Posted by bks2100

If you have enough hides and clutter to make them feel safe then it doesn't matter.

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Wrong and we will agree to disagree based on the number number of people I have been troubleshooting over the last decade.

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Originally Posted by bryndolyn

Thank you for your response!
I'm getting a lot of mixed messages about what is and isn't ok for sizing. Would the option to buy one tank at final size and then put a divider in as the snake grows be a reasonable option beyond just filling the tank with less objects to hide in as the snake gets larger?
It seems that in my state it's hard to find any rescues that have balls, so I probably will go with a breeder. As a first time owner, it does seem like a safer choice. What kind of differences would I expect to find between a snake bought from a breeder and one from a rescue?
Thank you for the links as well! I am hearing a lot of great things about animal plastics, so that will probably be where I end up turning to.

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Dividers do work it's harder for tanks because they are not really meant to have something to divide them and that will stay in place even if the BP pushes against it. PVC cages like the one I mentioned do have divider options.

The problem with rescue is that they can cost you a lot more than the rescuing fee not all are healthy and some ailment may be undetected at the time you rescue the animal (this really depends on the rescue you are dealing with). Same thing when you rescue a snake from a private party the animal may or may not be in good condition, This means your rescue could cost you a lot more in vet fees. Not knowing the history also sometime make the tradition harder and more frustrating. I am not against rescue but I think that anyone looking into their first experience should start of with a good one.

If you buy from a REPUTABLE breeder you will get a healthy animal that is well started and you will also buy more than just an animal you will get customer service and support should you have issues.

Alluding to what Deborah also mentioned, I believe the T8 enclosure from Animal Plastics does offer a divider as an option. From my research, people who have them say they sort of "snap" into place and stay where you put them. Also, as there is not a defined spot for the divider, you can essentially create as small of a space as you want, and then move the divider as the snake grows.

Something else to think about... if you don't have space for the tank now, will you have space for it later? The longer you have the enclosure and the more time you can try/test the heating and humidity, the better off and less stress you'll have later. I did NOT take this approach, and I regret it.

Just my opinion...

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Originally Posted by LittleTreeGuy

Alluding to what Deborah also mentioned, I believe the T8 enclosure from Animal Plastics does offer a divider as an option. From my research, people who have them say they sort of "snap" into place and stay where you put them. Also, as there is not a defined spot for the divider, you can essentially create as small of a space as you want, and then move the divider as the snake grows.

Something else to think about... if you don't have space for the tank now, will you have space for it later? The longer you have the enclosure and the more time you can try/test the heating and humidity, the better off and less stress you'll have later. I did NOT take this approach, and I regret it.

Just my opinion...

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I totally understand what you are saying and this is definitely important!
I live in a tiny dorm right now, but am moving into a duplex thing this coming June. I'll be waiting until then to get the more permanent stuff for the tank, like the tank itself.