Owning only 1 Ball Python

Hi,

I recently bought a banana ball python with intentions of breeding, but due to family issues building a rack system and more balls, I am going to have to stay with just my one. So I was wondering what in the BEST living environment for him. I currently have him in a 20L but obviously the humidity is hard to maintain. I use Reptichip for bedding and have a day light on a timer for 12 hours and 2 hides. Until I can eventually buy more what is the best option for him?

Opinions and suggestions are much appreciated.

Thanks!

Ive heard great things about animal plastics enclosures, apparently theyre much better at keeping temps and humidity in a good spot and they still look beautiful as displays.

I personally only have one and I keep him in a tank. It was definitely a challenge getting humidity right, especially living in the very dry Alberta, Canada. What has helped me has been foiling the top (screen) leaving about 1/4 of it open and under the che open, adding damp (not wet) moss to his substrate outside of his hides, providing a humid hide (the only hide where damp moss sits inside, to avoid scale rot), putting his water bowl over top of the uth, and putting a dampened cloth on top of the screen under the foil. This all bumped my humidity from 30% to 55%. I'm also considering getting a room humidifier, especially for when he's in shed.

These could be options for you long-term or short term until you move him into something else. I've heard that standalone tubs can be difficult heating wise, but I don't have any experience with this personally so maybe someone else can chime in :)

It's so hard having just one. I still live with my parents and even though I'm in the completely separate basement, my mom has limited me to one snake. Bummer!

Animal Plastics :)

Without a doubt and not to knock other methods but the absolute best enclosure for keeping a small amount of reptiles is a PVC enclosure. Animal Plastics, Boaphile, Reptile Basics. They all sell similar enclosures. For an adult 4x2' x12 or 15" high are the way to go. Animal Plastics, I would recommend the T10, Reptile Basics the 2x4 15" Single Door Cage, and boaphile the 421d
Animal Plastics has the cheapest initial price and more customization options to the cage itself but they also charge up to $55 for shipping so factor that in. AP's LED light option is not on the site but is $40 and really nicely recessed in. Both Animal Plastic and Reptile Basics have LED light fixture options for supplemental lighting but neither are truly necessary.

Radiant heat panel (RHP) for the majority of supplemental ambient and cool side heat or even as the primary hot side heat if you have a decent house temperature year round. A UTH of either Flexwatt, THG, or Ultratherm heat tape/pads are not a bad way to go for belly heat to suppliment a RHP
RHP vendors are Pro Products or Reptile Basics

PVC enclosures are great because all these manufactures build them to be stacked so you can place them on top of each other if you get another snake or reptile.

Thermostats are either spyder robotics herpstat or vivarium electronics and if you go the two heat method the herpstat 2 or VE 300x2

Coco fiber such as Reptile Prime or even Eco Earth are fantastic medium for substrate in these enclosures. Reptile Prime is already loose, has dust removed and comes dry.

For clutter and natural decor such as branches, artificial plants and leaf litter, don't over look craft stores such as hobby lobby or michaels or even walmart. Home Depot and Lowes are also great sources for materials if you want to build ledges, etc.

Nobody on this site seems to agree with me, but having just one snake is awesome to me! Having just one means you can provide the very best environment for it.

I'm saving up for an Animal Plastics T10 enclosure.

I do agree.

Having just one can be just as awesome as having 10 ! :)

However, I don't agree that "having just one means you can provide the very best environment for it"

You can do that even if you have more then one ;)

If you have only one cage, and don't have to worry about stacking more on top, I LOVE the Neodesha slant cages. Tried and true. They are beautiful DISPLAY cages that are easy to maintain and clean.

Don't cost a fortune, you don't have to assemble anything, no leakage in seams, because there are none. I use the 3 foot wide one now, used to have 6 4 foot ones. Never a problem with them.

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...g/large/c3.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...g/large/c2.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

If you have only one cage, and don't have to worry about stacking more on top, I LOVE the Neodesha slant cages. Tried and true. They are beautiful DISPLAY cages that are easy to maintain and clean.

Don't cost a fortune, you don't have to assemble anything, no leakage in seams, because there are none. I use the 3 foot wide one now, used to have 6 4 foot ones. Never a problem with them.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...g/large/c3.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...g/large/c2.jpg

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Really quick. What size is that? Are they cheaper than Animal Plastics? Those seem awesome

This is a 3 foot one. Most Ball Pythons will never outgrow that. You CAN get a 4 foot one if you want to add more deco...

I have a really big male in that display cage.

Let me check on price for you..

Those are gorgeous!

EDIT: forgot to quote what I was referring to, but I'm talking about those neodesha cages. Why is shipping to Canada so expensive ;_;

The 3 footers are about $150 and another $50 or so for shipping...

They are called 36 inch standard cages (slant) They make a non slant version, too, but then you have a lower cage and loose some of that awesome viewing angle.

The only thing I liked better about the 4 foot cages is that there were 2 sliding doors, instead of one large sliding door like on my 3 foot cage...

If you google npi cages the webpage will come up, I can't link to it, because we aren't supposed to do that on this forum ;) (its like advertising..)

I found an old picture of when I had the 4 foot cages...

Back then I had 3 stacked on their shelving units (lowest cage is hidden behind couch), I don't think they offer the shelving (rack) anymore, though...

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...2006%20006.jpg

They still sell the rack, at least for the 36" model. Looks like 48" too.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

Hi,

I recently bought a banana ball python with intentions of breeding, but due to family issues building a rack system and more balls, I am going to have to stay with just my one. So I was wondering what in the BEST living environment for him. I currently have him in a 20L but obviously the humidity is hard to maintain. I use Reptichip for bedding and have a day light on a timer for 12 hours and 2 hides. Until I can eventually buy more what is the best option for him?

Opinions and suggestions are much appreciated.

Thanks!

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Hit your temp and humidity parameters. Everything else is just noise to distract you from that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by honeybee

Those are gorgeous!

EDIT: forgot to quote what I was referring to, but I'm talking about those neodesha cages. Why is shipping to Canada so expensive ;_;

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Because it's Canada....LOL!
Actually it's the duty tax that makes it expensive. I live in Ontario Canada now but when i lived in the USA i loved those cheap prices. I miss that very much :(

Live plants (and the soil they grow in) are great for helping out with humidity. They also grow and provide cover and enrichment.

If you just want to provide one snake with the best possible care, get the biggest viv you have room/budget for, make the effort to heat and humidify it appropriately, fill it with hides, plants, ledges, tubes, burrows, etc. Put nice lighting in it on a timer. Yes, it takes a little more thought, planning, and $$ to heat a bigger cage, but it's not *that* hard. Yes, you will have to fill all that space with stuff so your snake can feel secure. Provide a choice of hides at various temperatures and humidity levels.
For cleaning, a large cage is actually possibly easier to spot clean than a smaller one because there's less chance that the snake will sit on top of the poop or smear it around. And the snake is actually able to get away from its waste and go somewhere else. Or you could make it bioactive, in which case it cleans itself.
Yes, ball pythons need tight hidey-holes to feel secure in and do not care for wide open empty spaces. But you absolutely can provide for that in a big cage as long as you don't just leave it big and empty.

Obviously it's also possible to do those things with more than one snake, too. But you asked about pouring all your energy into giving one snake everything you possibly can. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Coluber42

Live plants (and the soil they grow in) are great for helping out with humidity. They also grow and provide cover and enrichment.

If you just want to provide one snake with the best possible care, get the biggest viv you have room/budget for, make the effort to heat and humidify it appropriately, fill it with hides, plants, ledges, tubes, burrows, etc. Put nice lighting in it on a timer. Yes, it takes a little more thought, planning, and $$ to heat a bigger cage, but it's not *that* hard. Yes, you will have to fill all that space with stuff so your snake can feel secure. Provide a choice of hides at various temperatures and humidity levels.
For cleaning, a large cage is actually possibly easier to spot clean than a smaller one because there's less chance that the snake will sit on top of the poop or smear it around. And the snake is actually able to get away from its waste and go somewhere else. Or you could make it bioactive, in which case it cleans itself.
Yes, ball pythons need tight hidey-holes to feel secure in and do not care for wide open empty spaces. But you absolutely can provide for that in a big cage as long as you don't just leave it big and empty.

Obviously it's also possible to do those things with more than one snake, too. But you asked about pouring all your energy into giving one snake everything you possibly can. :)

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Thank you! This is exactly what I meant:gj:

I would get a single level rack from TGR rack systems or a single shelf 32qt tub rack from Chris Chappell.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ssecrest77

I am going to have to stay with just my one.

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LOL - this is believed to be an impossibility with ball python owners

Anyway - Best bag for your buck would be an AP cage. I have the T11 for my male and he "loves" it - that is to say there is enough room for 3 hides, a water bowl, lots of natural odd shaped river rocks, some natural long branches, and fake plants. He Has a hot hide, a "medium" hide, and the cool / ambient hide. Every month I switch out the rocks, rearrange things, and give him some enrichment, the hides are the only things that stay in fixed locations. He climbs around for an hour or so each night, longer when it is close to feeding day, and has lots of choices for where he wants to be.

I believe that as long as there are enough hides and clutter for the snake to feel safe and it can have to proper temp / humidity maintained, you can't get a cage that is too big. However, bigger cages mean more attention to detail, more husbandry work, more cleaning, and more substrate costs...so it depends on how much time you want to spend on things like that. Doing his monthly cleaning and rearranging is my favorite part of having him.