I appear to be getting ready for my first brb and I have some questions...

So today I am putting a down payment on a baby BRB that I will pick up at the reptile super show in Pomona this coming January [insert excited squeals here]. I have a basic understanding on the husbandry 90+ humidity for a baby and temps in the mid 70's-low 80's. I'm gonna put the plan for my set up, and I would like some suggestions on things that I am lacking or things that should be changed.

-I have a 15 quart sterilite tub (I plan on a PVC cage once the little one gets bigger).
-I'm going to buy a basic black hide box for a hot side hide, and I'm going to make a humid hide with a tupperware container and sphagnum moss.
-I'm going to use a heat pad of course with a thermostat (I would appreciate any tips on a baseline to set it at to reach a good temperature though).
-Obviously I'll have my digital thermometer/hydrometer and monitor surface temps with a temp gun (I use that system already for my bp's).
-I'll have a bowl deep enough to soak in opposite the hot side.
-I'm still not sure what I should use for my substrate though (I'm thinking a cocoa husk/cypress mixture).

I'm in the exact same position as you are and have also put a down payment. Which breeder did you go through? I picked one from Cliff over at Living Gems Reptiles.

I'm sticking with newspaper. With the high humidity i want to be able to really clean my tub often and newspaper makes that maintenance a breeze.

Good luck with everything and keep us posted!

I got my baby brb back in June and I just adore her! She's a little cage defensive so I use a hook to get her out but once I'm holding her she is absolutely fine. Never hissed, never struck at me. Plus, she's absolutely gorgeous!

I keep her in about that size tub. I use cypress mulch for her. I tried the moss but found it molded very quickly and sometimes I didn't catch it right away. I made the switch and I found it keeps her humidity up perfectly. She doesn't ever use her humid hide, though. She spends all her time in the black hide on her cool side. When I put her back after handling her, I put her in the humid hide and next time I peek in she's in her cool hide! I'm thinking about trying paper towels (that's what I use with my bp's) but I'm not really sure yet.

She is also a very shy eater. If I'm in the room she won't eat so I've taken to leaving the fuzzy right at the entrance to her hide and it's always gone by the next day. She gets fed every 2 weeks on a fuzzy and she's growing and shedding nicely.

As for my heat mat, I keep it at 79-80 with a thermostat. I never let it get above 80. I have a large, rock water bowl in her enclosure but I've never seen her use it. I still keep it full of fresh water for her.

Enjoy your baby! They really are a joy to keep.

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Originally Posted by theskyturnsgrey

I'm in the exact same position as you are and have also put a down payment. Which breeder did you go through? I picked one from Cliff over at Living Gems Reptiles.

I'm sticking with newspaper. With the high humidity i want to be able to really clean my tub often and newspaper makes that maintenance a breeze.

Good luck with everything and keep us posted!

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I went with Cliff at living gems too! I'm thinking about paper, I'm just worried about humidity because it's been rather dry in my area lately.


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Originally Posted by hazzaram

I got my baby brb back in June and I just adore her! She's a little cage defensive so I use a hook to get her out but once I'm holding her she is absolutely fine. Never hissed, never struck at me. Plus, she's absolutely gorgeous!

I keep her in about that size tub. I use cypress mulch for her. I tried the moss but found it molded very quickly and sometimes I didn't catch it right away. I made the switch and I found it keeps her humidity up perfectly. She doesn't ever use her humid hide, though. She spends all her time in the black hide on her cool side. When I put her back after handling her, I put her in the humid hide and next time I peek in she's in her cool hide! I'm thinking about trying paper towels (that's what I use with my bp's) but I'm not really sure yet.

She is also a very shy eater. If I'm in the room she won't eat so I've taken to leaving the fuzzy right at the entrance to her hide and it's always gone by the next day. She gets fed every 2 weeks on a fuzzy and she's growing and shedding nicely.

As for my heat mat, I keep it at 79-80 with a thermostat. I never let it get above 80. I have a large, rock water bowl in her enclosure but I've never seen her use it. I still keep it full of fresh water for her.

Enjoy your baby! They really are a joy to keep.

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I have my bps on the coconut husk, I just want to make sure I can keep the humidity right. I'm really looking forward to getting my baby. Thank you for the advice!


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Update! Officially put a deposit on my baby, and in January I will pick up this little beauty!
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/693/2...017b6b16_z.jpg
https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5631/...396e2cdd_z.jpg
(I got the pics from the thread that the breeder posted on kingsnake).

Gorgeous!

I used to use orchid bark / Eco earth mix substrate with a lush layer of moss from the local woods ... These LOVE high humidity and not just as youngsters ( as many would have you believe !) .

Wow that baby is just popping with colors! What a stunner. :)

I just can't wait to bring him home! He's just so pretty and I like his little bio that was provided too! Little runt of the litter haha


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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

I just can't wait to bring him home! He's just so pretty and I like his little bio that was provided too! Little runt of the litter haha


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You think he's nice in those photos ... wait until you see him in his nighttime colours :)

I spoke with cliff and asked him about paper towels and he said there will be no problem keeping humidity up with paper. He said the more important factors to maintaining humidity are limiting ventilation and providing a large enough water bowl to encourage evaporation.

He also mentioned that when upgrading to a pvc cage it will be even easier to maintain sufficient humidity.

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Originally Posted by Zincubus

You think he's nice in those photos ... wait until you see him in his nighttime colours :)

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I can hardly wait! I'm super excited, this is gonna be a long few weeks! At least I get the fun of setting everything up in the meantime.


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Originally Posted by theskyturnsgrey

I spoke with cliff and asked him about paper towels and he said there will be no problem keeping humidity up with paper. He said the more important factors to maintaining humidity are limiting ventilation and providing a large enough water bowl to encourage evaporation.

He also mentioned that when upgrading to a pvc cage it will be even easier to maintain sufficient humidity.

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That was gonna be my next question to him haha. He's super great about answering questions so far and sent me his care sheet to use as a reference along everything else I've been looking up as well.


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Beautiful snake! I've always admired BRBs but never owned one.

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Originally Posted by Polyangler

Beautiful snake! I've always admired BRBs but never owned one.

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They're one of my favorites (that list is kind of long haha), so when I saw his picture I knew I had to take the plunge [emoji4]


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I just got my first brb at the Pomona show last August! I love my little girl, at first I kept her in a 15 qt sterilite, but she managed to push up the lid and escape. After we caught her, I now keep her in a 10 gallon tank. I haven't found it hard at all to keep the humidity up in there. I use aspen bedding, have a large water bowl, and keep a wet towel on top the of the screen. I'm saving up to get a PVC for her, but in the meanwhile she's doing great with what I have.

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Originally Posted by Autumn2005

I just got my first brb at the Pomona show last August! I love my little girl, at first I kept her in a 15 qt sterilite, but she managed to push up the lid and escape. After we caught her, I now keep her in a 10 gallon tank. I haven't found it hard at all to keep the humidity up in there. I use aspen bedding, have a large water bowl, and keep a wet towel on top the of the screen. I'm saving up to get a PVC for her, but in the meanwhile she's doing great with what I have.

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Just out of curiosity, did your tub have a locking lid? I'm fairly confident the one I bought locks tight enough to prevent escape, I guess I'm just a little paranoid haha


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Just on the locking lid question - I've got my Balls in 12.2q tubs with locks at each end, and my female still manages to push the lid up more than I'm comfortable with. So now she has a weight on top of her tub.

Edit to add - baby Balls. She's only 173g, last weighing.

I had mine in a 15 quart with cypress mulch and some sphagnum moss and ended up downgrading him to a 6 quart as he really just stayed in the same spot all the time. He seems plenty content in the 6 quart and he seems to like the cypress mulch (I give him about 3 inches of it with the moss on top) as he can vary how far off the warm floor of the tub he is. I notice that when the room is warmer, he's up near the top and in the cooler mornings he's snuggled up against the floor (and heat pad).

What I like about the 6 quart is it stays at 100% humidity all the time and I haven't found him swimming in his water dish like I did before (when humidity would get down to the 70s etc.)

They are such cute little worms! Mine started at 33 grams and is now up in the mid 40s after a few fuzzy mice.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...7febcddd85.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...8e04430ccf.jpg
Here are a couple of pictures of the enclosure for my BRB. He will be coming home in about a week and a half, so now working on stabilizing my temps and humidity. Right now, the ambient is hovering around 71 degrees and humidity is around 80%. I will be giving him a humid hide with moss (that is what the Tupperware on the right is going to be) I just haven't set that up yet because I don't want to waste any moss before I bring him home.

If anyone has any suggestions for me, they would be greatly appreciated.


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Setup looks nice. I would suggest setting your heat mat so the plastic is 84-85*F in case your baby wants some extra heat to digest its meals. BRB's are smart, if they don't need the heat they'll move away from it, and with an ambient air temperature in the low 70's a basking area in the mid-80's is perfectly safe.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

Setup looks nice. I would suggest setting your heat mat so the plastic is 84-85*F in case your baby wants some extra heat to digest its meals. BRB's are smart, if they don't need the heat they'll move away from it, and with an ambient air temperature in the low 70's a basking area in the mid-80's is perfectly safe.

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I'm working on the heat and dialing that in now [emoji4] Still playing with adjusting the temps. Thank you for the advice!!


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My dad might get a brb. Yours looks gorgeous and I wish you good luck with him. I will be following this thread so keep us posted!

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Originally Posted by midgard

My dad might get a brb. Yours looks gorgeous and I wish you good luck with him. I will be following this thread so keep us posted!

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I'll be sure too! I'm really happy that he was still available when I contacted the breeder. January 9th is the day I'll bring him home I hope I'll get a couple of good pics before I settle him in


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Incidentally - thanks for the tip about Living Gems. I hadn't heard of them before reading this thread, and now an online friend is getting her first BRB from him after I showed her his snakes, and she's extremely excited about it. I am, too - she's getting the girl I liked best!

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Originally Posted by Caspian

Incidentally - thanks for the tip about Living Gems. I hadn't heard of them before reading this thread, and now an online friend is getting her first BRB from him after I showed her his snakes, and she's extremely excited about it. I am, too - she's getting the girl I liked best!

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That's awesome! I found out about them through the vendor list for the upcoming reptile super show in Pomona. Once I looked through the available babies, I fell in love and my correspondence with Cliff were great and pretty much solidified my decision. Congrats to your friend about her new BRB.


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After a couple of days to play around with thermostat settings and allowing my temps and humidity to stabilize here are my results:

Ambient temp has been hanging out between 72-73.

Humidity has stabilized at 88%.

Hot side has a gradient ranging from 80-86.1 with an average of 84.5. (The highest temp is one very small spot and lower and the whole side drops dramatically).

Cold side is staying between 71-73.

(All of my surface temps are below the paper towel directly on the plastic of the tub.)

All in all I think everything is looking good. I have not set up the humid hide yet, but I will a day or so before I pick up my new baby.


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Actually, after looking at that picture again, that water bowl will get knocked off of that hide at some point. Do you have something smaller and untippable that would fit in the bottom of the tub?

Not that will fit at the bottom


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The one in the picture is heavy and doesn't slide around when I apply pressure to it, but now I'm worried about it falling


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When I had a BRB she escaped from the locking latch tank I had her in--twice. The store assured me this tank was escape-proof, but she dang sure did it when she was about 3 feet long and still thin! So I stuck a chopstick in the latch hole and that stopped her escapes. Needless to say, I shouldn't have purchased her as such an inexperienced snake owner years ago, but lesson learned. :P

For my full grown BP, I literally have 8 clamps on the lid of her tank for the same reason :rofl:. When I bought them, the pet store asked, "Someone escape?" No, but I'm not about to risk it!!

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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

The one in the picture is heavy and doesn't slide around when I apply pressure to it, but now I'm worried about it falling

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You can replace the large black hide with something smaller to give space for the water bowl on the floor of the tub. Even if it doesn't land on your baby it will dump water all over the floor of the tub if it tips.

I have 6 clamps on my BPs tank.

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I never want him to escape and he never has.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

You can replace the large black hide with something smaller to give space for the water bowl on the floor of the tub. Even if it doesn't land on your baby it will dump water all over the floor of the tub if it tips.

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I was thinking about switching it with one of the spare Tupperware containers I'm using for a humid hide, but I don't know if that'll be to see through for it to be comfortable. Maybe with a piece of paper towel in it?


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Originally Posted by midgard

I have 6 clamps on my BPs tank.

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I'll probably use a couple of binder clips and put a text book on it. I have my zoology book just sitting around and its heavy enough to keep the lid on I think.


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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

I was thinking about switching it with one of the spare Tupperware containers I'm using for a humid hide, but I don't know if that'll be to see through for it to be comfortable. Maybe with a piece of paper towel in it?

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That would work. You could also wrap the outside in a paper towel and dampen it, when they get wet and then dry they tend to conform to whatever they were stuck to.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

That would work. You could also wrap the outside in a paper towel and dampen it, when they get wet and then dry they tend to conform to whatever they were stuck to.

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That's a good idea!

My other option would be to forgo the humid hide and just put some moss in a corner of the tub and only use the black hide and the water bowl both half on and half off the heat pad. I got my ambient humidity to 93% and it looks like it's holding fairly stable there that idea I'm just iffy on too though.


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Updated set up.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...dea92312ee.jpg


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Quote:

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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

I'll probably use a couple of binder clips and put a text book on it. I have my zoology book just sitting around and its heavy enough to keep the lid on I think.


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Oooh, now this I would be careful of... Binder clips are good, really anything that will actually physically secure the lid to the tank is dependable, but putting heavy things on top of the tank is not sufficient. My friend's BCC escaped twice because he shoved things between the lid and the shelf over it, and she still got out. So just use caution--as a baby your snakey will probably not escape, but when s/he gets bigger, stronger, and more curious, I would stick with something more dependable. :)

I went with a combo of clips and book. He's still tiny for now so I'll get a few more clips when he grows


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Hi everyone I am new to owning a bp this is my unsexed although I refer to him as he an he's called milo he's a year old eats 1 mouse a week I was wondering how often should he poo when should I worry he'd
bin fed on the day I brought him and has had another mouse 7 days later I've had him 10 days and he hasn't pooped yet?

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Originally Posted by sarajd

Hi everyone I am new to owning a bp this is my unsexed although I refer to him as he an he's called milo he's a year old eats 1 mouse a week I was wondering how often should he poo when should I worry he'd
bin fed on the day I brought him and has had another mouse 7 days later I've had him 10 days and he hasn't pooped yet?

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Since he is new he/she is probably still a little stressed from the new environment and sounds ... It will take a few weeks (providing you let the snake be with no handling for one solid week "recommended") for the snake to adjust to its new home and relax

One mouse a week for a one year old snake sounds like the snake may be getting underfed slightly, but that all depends on your snakes weight and size

Congrats on your new Ball! :gj:

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Originally Posted by gaitedappy

Updated set up.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12...dea92312ee.jpg


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Proper little rainforest :)

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Originally Posted by T_Sauer

One mouse a week for a one year old snake sounds like the snake may be getting underfed slightly, but that all depends on your snakes weight and size

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My yearling BRB's are all fed on a 10-14 day schedule. Remember they are kept at lower temperatures, so they digest prey more slowly and have slower metabolisms than ball pythons.

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Originally Posted by bcr229

My yearling BRB's are all fed on a 10-14 day schedule. Remember they are kept at lower temperatures, so they digest prey more slowly and have slower metabolisms than ball pythons.

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What are your temps for your BRBs versus your BPs if you don't mind me asking?

No that kind of temps can kill.

Yeah, sorry--In my original post I confused temp with humidity requirements for BRBs.