30 gallon too big?

no!!! i have a 30 gallon will my baby bp get stressed in it because its so big and do i need to just worry about my ground temps or air temps too?

30 gallon tanks are very hard to heat because they are tall ... not the best design for a non-arboreal snake.

You need to worry about the temps inside of the enclosure.

Baby ball pythons can be easily stressed in a lot of cages if you don't provide the correct forms of security for them.

-adam

It can be done, but I would not advise it. Like Adam said, they are VERY hard to heat. I know, I had my first set up in one. I had the hardest time keeping temps up. In order to keep temps up, I had to use a space heater. I am now a plastic convert. I love my racks!! They kick major butt.

I came up with a decent analogy for glass tanks just now...

Picture yourself inside your car during the winter. Your heat is on, and its warm inside the car. But your feet are still cold, and the glass windows are freezing cold to the touch.

An extreme example, but similar to what your BP could experience inside a glass tank that large.

Like adam said, be more worried about the temps inside a glass enclosure that large. If you wanted a snake for a vivarium, a ball python wasn't the right choice of animal to go with. Ball pythons love plastic.

Balls do very well in plastic housing and you can't beat Adam's advice!

k but my 30 gallon is only 12 inches high

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakevet121

k but my 30 gallon is only 12 inches high

---

Do you have a "30 gallon breeder" sized tank?

Although it doesn't make much difference, you'll have more floorspace than with a standard 30 gallon, and probably a bigger thermal gradient due to the increased floorspace.

IMHO, leave the aquariums for fish...

u may figure that sense u have a aquirium, why not use it instead of let it take up dust, but rubbermaids are the way to go for sure. i have messed around with glass tanks. and it can be done, but for 10$ for a rubbermaid, u just cant go wrong.

I filled my glass tanks up with water :fishslap:

I also fill VE-175 tubs with water for my goldfish :) Makes a nice little outdoor pond if I say so myself.


As I said in another post in another one of your threads, a 30gallon is much too big for a baby and you will end up with a stressed out, non-eating, most likely sick Ball Python. Big tanks are hard to heat properly without the necessary insulation. You can't just get a heating pad and a water bowl and be done with it. Even people that set up glass tanks properly with thermostats, insulation, plexiglas, digital thermometers, flexwatt, STILL have issues with them. Yes, you may be able to see your snake clearly, but what good is it when it is at the cost of your snake's health and well-being?\

A nice little 15qt tub would be great for your new baby, as would flexwatt and an appropriate thermostat. That whole set up would cost:
$65.00 for a JC thermostat
<$2.00 for the 15qt tub
$4.40 for 2 one foot sections of 3" flexwatt
$8.99 for a Lutron Credenza dimmer to control cool side temps
$10.00 for two flexwatt power cord connections or $6.40 + $0.88x2(2 6ft extension cords) if you want to do it yourself.
$3.00 for aspen bedding or Free newspaper, papertowels
$11.88 for an Acu-Rite Digital thermometer, measures humidity too.
$1.00 for a water bowl from dollar store
$1.00 for two hides from WalMart(plastic saucers that are put under planter pots to catch water)
$1.50 for a box of black binder clips used to hold the lid on
$4.00 for a soldering iron to melt holes in tub

And there ya go! That's about minimum what you would need to set the snake up properly. You would spend a bunch more if you bought the stuff at pet stores as they mark their prices WAY up. If you need help finding these things, just ask. I know where each item can be purchased, whether store or website.

Tubs all the way!

I would not rec. a tank for a beginner. I use tanks, but I have it where the room around the snakes is always the right temperature, thus no insulation is needed. I also found that with this setup, you can have NO drafts, or into the screen lid they will go. I allow no open windows in this room and things are situated so that no breezes come into the tanks.
Then there's the issue of humidity; to retain it, I place industrial plastic wrap over the lids, allowing some openness for air intake.
As a beginner, you should focus your energies on simply letting your snake acclimate, then getting it to feed, and all in a cage with the right temps/humidity; I would not suggest using a tank, as it takes awhile to get things right!

k but my dad is getting fed up with all of this and hes not liking it so i have to use the tank but my room temp is always around 72-76 so i dont no what to do and im getting fed up

What are you fed up with? We are trying to help you and your snake. If there's something we're missing let us know. I did raise my baby bp in a 29 gal glass tank for a year. It's feasible, but it was very tedious.

I'm sorry that you are so frustrated, but keep in mind you are caring for a living creature that depends on you for it's health and well being.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakevet121

k but my dad is getting fed up with all of this and hes not liking it so i have to use the tank but my room temp is always around 72-76 so i dont no what to do and im getting fed up

---

To be perfectly blunt with you - if you don't have your snake yet - don't get it until you can set it up properly. And your tank is NOT the solution. You are going to spend a TON of money just to get the proper temp gradient in a room that cool - not to mention the challenge of keeping the humidity where it needs to be. Not fair to a snake that can't tell you what it needs. That's why we're speaking on their behalf. Go with a plastic tub set up - your snake will thank you for it!

yah but u dont understand my situation its really complex can i just stick with my 30 gallon if i have perfect temp like 92 on hot side and 82 on kool side and about 50-60 humidity and a very comfertable place for it will it work?

ok i will put in a tub but how will i transfer it into the 30 gallon when i have to put all the stuff from the tub in the glass and then wait for the perfect stuff and temps then what would happen because i want the tub to be a temporary environment for him

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakevet121

yah but u dont understand my situation its really complex can i just stick with my 30 gallon if i have perfect temp like 92 on hot side and 82 on kool side and about 50-60 humidity and a very comfertable place for it will it work?

---

If you can manage to do that, then the 30 gallon could work assuming that you have a lot of cover on the ground and many choices of hides on the warm and cool side of the enclosure.

The issue here is that its not at all easy to acheive that temperature gradient and humidity requirement in a glass tank of that size.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakevet121

yah but u dont understand my situation its really complex can i just stick with my 30 gallon if i have perfect temp like 92 on hot side and 82 on kool side and about 50-60 humidity and a very comfertable place for it will it work?

---

If you can make it work...then it'll work. The key to knowing if its really working or not will be if your snake eats readily and sheds well.