Hello's and Questions from a Beginner

Hello all! First off, apologies for the goofy username. I may or may not have panic-throttled.

I'm a beginner in this venture and I do not yet have a ball python. I've wanted a snake for the last 20 years and I got very close to having one and it just didn't work out but now I cannot get my mind off that little snake. I've delved into research for the last 3 months or so and I have a learned a lot but I still have some questions that Google just can't seem to answer. I'm sorry if I sound like a broken record to you guys. I'm sure you've gotten a lot of these questions before. I have read a lot of the stickies, the caresheets, and the feeding guideline chart.
I'm trying to be cost effective. To start I only want one snake, no breeding. Part of the reason I'm asking all these questions is because I'm trying to figure out whether or not I can actually afford to keep a snake the way I'm hoping, and this is just general bedding, food, etc. I will vet the animal should it need it, obviously, but the long-term basic care is what I'm trying to work out.

So I've broken my questions up into categories to hopefully make sure I'm clear in them.

Heat: So one of the big two issues I'm trying to work out is heating. I know UTH are the better option and that's what I'd like to go with. I'm planning on at least starting out with a Sterilite tub with the latches and I know there needs to be a way for air to circulate around the heat source, so I'm wondering if the sticking type of heat pads are alright to use with a sterilite container? Also, would you recommend a sticky heating pad or something else like heat tape or heat cable?
I know I need to have a device that will regulate the heat. Is this a device that will shut a heat source off and on according to temperature? What brand would you recommend for this?
Also, I have been searching for a thermometer/hygrometer for a while. I have seen that Wal-Mart carries them but I like in podunk, USA and the only one ours carries does not have a prob. Is that still alright to sit into the tub and read the measurements?

Food: This is my biggest concern. I'm planning on going with F/T and I'm so concerned that I can't afford rodents. In reality, I spend around $50 a month in food for my furred animals so spending $50 or $60 for a few months worth of food should not be that big of a deal. It just seems like such a daunting purchase because I keep wondering what I do if the snake outgrows the food I have and needs a larger size and I still have a ton of rodents?! ugh.
I would like to purchase a BP around a year old. I know weights can vary and aren't necessarily linked to age but can anyone give me a general idea of the size of rodent a BP around 10-12 months would take? How about younger? I'm looking for a male as well, if that makes a difference.
What provider would you recommend, with cost in mind? Right now, after doing a lot of looking around, LLLReptile seems to have good prices. Really, it's the shipping that kind of gives me sticker-shock.

Bedding: In the the spirit of being frugal I'm considering starting with use newspapers or something similar bit I'm concerned with the humidity with that. I would almost prefer bedding for aesthetic sake. What kind of bedding do you like?

Housing: Like I mentioned earlier I am planning on going with a Sterilite tub at least in the beginning. I don't like the way they look but I can't lay down big money on a nice enclosure right now and if the animal can thrive in a tub that's what I'm most concerned about. I did have a V222 Vision and I no longer own it, which I'm disappointed with but :disbelief
I have been looking at what the local Wal-Mart has to offer I thiiinnnkk the one I looked at and decided would be nice for an adult was a 54 quart with the dimensions of 22 1/2" L x 16" W x 12 3/4" H. Does that sound about right? What about for a juvenile?

Obtaining a Snake: Lastly, I'm kinda curious about getting a snake, in general. The snake I mentioned at the beginning was just a little guy, hatched in July I think. Their ad said they were all aggressively feeding, he was purchased by the ones who were supposed to gift him to me. He ate two rodents in one sitting, and then he went off feed and died a few days ago. So I'm nervous. Part of the reason I've held off on getting a snake is because I'm convinced I will kill it. I won't do something right and it will die and I would never get another Lol.
Initially I had been looking at ordering one online but now I am considering trying to find one "locally". We have no petstores here and I don't like petstores anyway so I've joined a few reptile groups to watch sales. I would like a male but didn't really have a preference on morph (only because I don't think I can afford a axanthic bumblebee, a pied, or a ghost mojave :tears:)
What are some things I should look for when purchasing? Is there an age you would suggest for a first timer?

And courtesy pic of the little guy who passed.
https://scontent-atl3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...23&oe=5ADE63E5

Thanks in advance!

Hi! Welcome to the forum! It sounds like you're already off to a great start~

Heating: A UTH will work perfectly in a tub. It can be stuck on the bottom (never inside the actual tub- always on the outside!) and controlled with a thermostat. You can set the thermostat to a desired temp and it will stay within a few degrees of your selected temp. This is to make sure that the UTH doesn't overheat and burn your snake. Here's an affordable thermostat if you're on a budget:

https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-Contro...art+thermostat

You can get a thermometer/hygrometer with a probe but be sure to not use any tape because the snake can find it and seriously injure itself. So I recommend using a heat gun along with it to be sure that your temps are accurate. Here's one with a probe:

https://www.amazon.com/Samshow-Hygro...ty+gauge+probe

Here's a heat gun:

https://www.amazon.com/Infrared-Ther...words=heat+gun

Feeding: The size of the prey needed is determined based on the ball pythons weight- not age. The prey should be about 10-15% of the snake's weight. Here is a general guide:

https://imgur.com/a/1BARY

You will want to be feeding your snake rats instead of mice because if you keep them on mice it will be hard to switch them over. Feeding mice means more prey per meal. Why feed a snake 5 mice when you can just feed it one medium rat? This is a good supplier of frozen prey and you can choose a smaller amount if you're worried about being stuck with too much of the wrong sized prey:

https://www.laynelabs.com/frozen-rats

Bedding: If humidity is a concern, definitely go with repti-bark or repti-chip. They both hold in humidity pretty well and are aesthetically pleasing in my opinion.

Housing: About 12 quarts for a juvenile and 32 for an adult male. Be sure you get a nice, snug hide that touches them on all sides like a cave. Those half log hides aren't very good for hiding.

Obtaining: Honestly I highly recommend going to a breeder online. MorphMarket has lots of options from many different breeders and Royal Constrictor Designs is a high quality breeder. We also have several breeds are the forum who produce great animals. Always research your breeder! The Fauna BOI (Board of Inquiry) is a great place to look up a breeder and see if they have a good or bad reputation. Most breeders will list what type of prey they are feeding their snakes. I recommend getting one that is already of frozen/thawed (f/t). Most breeders will be happy to give you more information and pictures of the snake. Trust your gut. If it seems shady or too good to be true- it probably is. Keep in mind that shipping will cost about $50. You can get some nice morphs with shipping for $100-$150. Age of the snake doesn't really matter as long as you do your research. Just be aware that younger snakes are more timid and more likely to not eat if they get stressed out. Don't worrying about killing the snake. As long as your husbandry is on point you will be just fine! You're already doing a great job by coming here and asking questions BEFORE getting the snake!

Handling: You didn't mention this but as far as handling goes (especially for a young snake), do not handle them at all for a few weeks after you first get them. Moving to a new environment is stressful for them and being handled adds to the stress. It's best to wait until the snake has had two or three successful meals first. After that give them 48 hours to digest. Start with short handling sessions of about 5-10 minutes. Waiting is hard but you will ideally have this snake for 20 years or more so a few weeks isn't so bad :)

Let us know if you have more questions. I hope this helped!

Welcome to the forum :)

Heat:
I honestly don't use a heat pad but I do own one that I used to use. An UTH will do just fine for you but if you want to use paper towels as the bedding, leave like 1-2cm space between the heating mat and the tub. I used my underheat pad when my snake was in quarantine (you use paper towels or newspaper as bedding if the snake is in quarantine) and my snake would only go into the warm cave if the heat pad wasn't right on the plastic (the UTH was regulated by a thermostat). Also the plastic might become a bit curved with the heat under it. The better the material of the tub the more unlikely is that to happen.

Feeding:
My 10 (almost 11) month old male ball python eats small rats that range from 60g to 90g. I personally never measured the size of the food by the snake's weight but by the biggest part of their body. After my bp reached small rats I didn't increase the food size anymore. If the snake is younger, you'd have to take a look at it in order to know what to feed him. For me personally it went:
3-4 months of age = adult mice, 5 months = jumbo mice, 6-7 = springer rats (40g - 50g), 8 months = small small rats (50g - 60g),
9-11 months = small rate (60g - 90g)
If you buy (for example) small rats that weigh about 40g and feel like your snake has outgrown them but you have 3 left, then feed the ones you have left to the snake and then move on to a bigger size. You don't always have to feed one big item but you can also feed 2 small ones.
I can't tell you anything about providers. Personally I really like JungleFood and Petman but I don't think they have these brands in the US.
Another thing that I'd like to mention is that if you ball python declines one meal, you cannot put the rodent back in the freezer and use it next time.

Housing:
I have no advice on that one. Maybe the other comments are more helpful in that regard.

Obtaining:
In my opinion the best age for a beginner is starting from 8 months old. Semi-adult or adult snakes are established eaters, so you don't have to battle the whole switching from mice to rats thing for example. If you get the snake from a good breeder, it should already have a good weight to it.
Things I recommend you look out for:
What does the snake eat (if you want to feed F/T, get one that eats F/T)? What does the snake weigh? What size of food does it eat (does the food size seem good for a ball python that weight)? When was the last time it shed?
If you can, I really recommend you take a look at the animal beforehand. Ask the breeder lots of questions. A good breeder will answer all of them. Also make sure you get proof that the snake was bred and born in captivity. It's just a small piece of paper but it can mean a lot.

I hope this is helpful.

I'm not sure where you live but there may be a reptile show in your state, or check your local classifieds and reptile groups. As far as a thermosat goes, Jump Starts are a good lower cost one but get a Herpstat if you can afford it. I would recommend you not buy from a Petco or Petsmart.

Thanks for all the info guys! I appreciate it.

Morphmarket is LIT. I've been scrolling through it for a couple days now. I love that it shows you what they're eating and their weight and when they were hatched. That's such helpful info, plus I've been able to better understand what size rodent my snake would need by looking at the given weight and the feeding chart. Super helpful. That in turn has helped me be able to sort through F/T providers.

What sort of heat mat/pad is recommended? The zilla brand seems cheaper than the zoo med, but if it's gonna set my snake on fire or freeze it out it's not worth it, obviously. What would you recommend? Is there another brand?

Another question about housing. I live in a place where I have access to a lot of flat stones, bark, limbs, etc. For the other snake I had gathered some bark and sticks and rocks and I boiled them for almost an hour to kill any bacteria or organisms on them (or that was the hope anyway). Can those be used to create clutter (to hopefully take up empty space and reduce stress) and would the river stones help at all with shedding? They have no sharp points but are somewhat rough.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoopableSnoot

What sort of heat mat/pad is recommended? The zilla brand seems cheaper than the zoo med, but if it's gonna set my snake on fire or freeze it out it's not worth it, obviously. What would you recommend? Is there another brand?

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you get what you pay for. Zilla are cheap and have an adhesive backing that sticks to the bottom of the enclosure. once it's stuck, you cannot remove it or risk damaging the internal components which can result in it failing.

the only way a heating element can set your snake on fire or freeze it is if it is uncontrolled. ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated by a thermostat or other electronic control. this is non-negotiable.

Ultratherm heat pads from RBI are my go-to UTHs and i don't think i'll ever use another brand. they are advertised as not needing a thermostat (which, idk why) but they ABSOLUTELY do need one. ALL sources of heat MUST be regulated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoopableSnoot

Another question about housing. I live in a place where I have access to a lot of flat stones, bark, limbs, etc. For the other snake I had gathered some bark and sticks and rocks and I boiled them for almost an hour to kill any bacteria or organisms on them (or that was the hope anyway). Can those be used to create clutter (to hopefully take up empty space and reduce stress) and would the river stones help at all with shedding? They have no sharp points but are somewhat rough.

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most people recommend baking sticks and wood in the oven, but in my very ignorant opinion i'd assume boiling would kill any bad guys just as well. i'm not entirely sure on the sanitizing aspects of this so i hope others can help you here.

For regulating heat you want a thermostat. Herpstat brand is from Spyder Robotics great, most of their models are proportional, which modulates the amount of power going to the device in order to adjust the heat. The newest, most basic model is on-off. Vivarium Electronics, from Reptile Basics, are also good thermostats. I have both, but prefer the herpstats. I prefer proportional thermostats to on-off, but I have a couple basic on-off thermostats that do the job just fine.

Make yourself an account on the Fauna Classifieds website, so you can search for the Board of Inquiry (BOI) for reviews of breeders. I’ve bought from breeders that I definitely would go back to that didn’t have any BOI reviews, but they were in-person at shows (so you get more of a chance to evaluate them), and it is more of a risk.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

I didn't read anything I just wanted to,say I like your user name as my snake is named booplesnoop!

Back with another question!

This weekend I picked up my UTH and now it seems like I'm being flooded by posts of CHE's, something I haven't read a thing about in three months :(

I know the ambient temp should be around 80... I think? I ignorantly thought that the UTH would generate a heat within the tub that could achieve that.

I've been seeing things about CHEs, lights, keeping the room 80. I don't have a room that I can keep in the 80's. I thought BPs could be easily stressed by too much light?
How does a CHE work with a sterilite tub that isn't in a rack?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoopableSnoot

Back with another question!

This weekend I picked up my UTH and now it seems like I'm being flooded by posts of CHE's, something I haven't read a thing about in three months :(

I know the ambient temp should be around 80... I think? I ignorantly thought that the UTH would generate a heat within the tub that could achieve that.

I've been seeing things about CHEs, lights, keeping the room 80. I don't have a room that I can keep in the 80's. I thought BPs could be easily stressed by too much light?
How does a CHE work with a sterilite tub that isn't in a rack?

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hi! i ran a CHE with UTH in a glass enclosure successfully for over 3 years so i figured i could help. [emoji3]

no, a UTH does not affect the ambient (air) temps as they heat by conduction (touch). i had a 20gal glass enclosure and used a 100W CHE that i was able to regulate with a dimmer at a very low setting and keep optimum temps.

a CHE will affect humidity, but not as bad as an IR bulb. misting, moss, big water dish, and many other ways can help combat this.

user @Starscream has a way to use a CHE/bulb with a tub so maybe they'll chime in. it is not recommended for a forever home, but for a temporary tub set-up until the snake grows out of it will be fine.

i hope this helped!!! mistakes are how you learn. [emoji4]

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BoopableSnoot

Back with another question!

This weekend I picked up my UTH and now it seems like I'm being flooded by posts of CHE's, something I haven't read a thing about in three months :(

I know the ambient temp should be around 80... I think? I ignorantly thought that the UTH would generate a heat within the tub that could achieve that.

I've been seeing things about CHEs, lights, keeping the room 80. I don't have a room that I can keep in the 80's. I thought BPs could be easily stressed by too much light?
How does a CHE work with a sterilite tub that isn't in a rack?

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lol a CHE or Ceramic Heat Emitter is just a flat ceramic bulb that creates heat but no light. perfect for nocturnal animals like Ball Pythons. I use UTH and CHE, both plugged into thermostats, in my tub enclosure. My room is super cold (60°f) and I can maintain proper temps with just those two things.
Dont worry youll be fine.
I suggest setting up your enclosure and giving it a test run for a full day or two to see if you can maintain temperature and humidity before you introduce an animal to it. Good luck.