New tank please give input

Ok Guys like I said this is my first BP and Im trying to do the best I can. I set up its new tank and what not today and here are some photos please tell me if everything is ok or what it does not need or what it does you know just give me your imput to see if I did it right. thanks guys!


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/P1000654.JPG

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/P1000657.JPG

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https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/P1000685.JPG

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/P1000679.JPG


In adition to the heating lamp it also has a lill heating pad on the bottom of the tank on the outside

Make sure you put something on that top, or you are going to have a missing snake in no time at all!

It's very pretty!


A little critique to help you tweak it to perfection:

I don't see a way for you to measure temps and humidity, except for one little sitck-on dial. Those aren't at all accurate and don't measure in the right place to begin with. Get yourself an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer from Walmart or Home Depot or similar store. They also measure humidity for you, too! Will tell you the temps in both your warm spot, your cool spot, and your humidity, all in one neat little accurate package. (And not very expensive, either!)

The other thing to fix is the hides. BP's don't do as well in the half-logs as other critters might. They prefer a hide that feels snug and tight on all sides and above. The tighter it is, the happier they are. A small, plastic dish turned upside down with a "door" cut into it works fine...but you can look for more naturalistic hides at the petstore if you want to spend the money.

The key is to get TWO of them that are the same...and put one on each end of the tank...the warm side and the cool side. That way, the snake never has to choose between its favorite security spot and the right temperature for its body.

Good luck with it!

Nice little setup you got there. However it's missing a few things. I'll just reinforce on top of what Judy already said.

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Originally Posted by Vianky

Ok Guys like I said this is my first BP and Im trying to do the best I can. I set up its new tank and what not today and here are some photos please tell me if everything is ok or what it does not need or what it does you know just give me your imput to see if I did it right. thanks guys!


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/P1000654.JPG

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The tank is too open all the way around. Get some Reflectix from the Depot or equivalent and cover the sides and back. The analog temp dial is prone to errors and will lead to husbandry malpractice. Get your self an Acurite digital therm/hygrometer from Wally world and you will be able to measure hot and cold end temps as well as gauge your humidity properly.

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https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...4/P1000685.JPG

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If the tank is setup in a high trafic area of the house it may lead to a stressed out snake. If it's such an area I would advice moving it to a more quiter place.

The lamp that you have is going to suck the moisture out of the air. If humidity is not up to par then you will have stuck sheds and many other issues. If the room is not that cold, I would advice using a second UTH under the tank with the other one. Purchace a couple of thermostats so you can control the heat out put: 82 to 84 on the cold end; 92 to 94 on the hot side. Use a CHE(ceramic heat emitter) along with the two UTHs if your room is too cold. Put a larger water bowl if using the CHE directly underneath it and play around with the system till you get a 50%-60% humidity and an 80 degree ambient temp. Also cover at least 2/3 of the top of the tank with contact paper so that you can retain humidity. Cut out a hole in the paper for the CHE(if using it).

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This hide is way too big for the snake. A ball python needs tight places to hide in order to feel safe. Try using identical hides like Judy suggested on either ends of the tank. An insecure bp will not eat for you down the line and can lead to an overall unhealthy snake. Hope all of this was helpful and if you need more info refer to a sticky in this forum on how to setup glass tanks. :)

Forgot the link to the sticky. Here it is.

Glass tank setup

are all the dial thermometers not accurate ? I use these & the strip ones

You want a good AcuRite digi thermometer/hygrometer. They are available right at Home Depot. I have a wireless one and it is awesome.
You can use a tank; I use them, though I admit they are a big pain to lug around at cleaning time; many people opt for a Rubbermaid container. They are lighter and easier to just carry into your bathtub to clean..
My main concern with my tanks is, an escape-proof lid. I have those locking clips that you can buy at a pet store for mine; the other tank is a "reptile type" aquarium with thinner glass and a slidig lid with a lock attached. You don't want to rely on books or rocks on top, to keep the lid on; snakes, especially strong little guys like BPs, can easily push that off. Make sure the locks work and keep that lid on there tight before getting your snake; my rule is, you should be able to lift the tank up by holding the lid! Yes, I am that demanding; I had an escapee years ago who died and it about killed me to find her frozen in my basement.
Substrates are all about preference. I like using paper towels for new snakes, to check on any presence of mites or ticks (easier to see there.) For heat tape, flezwatt on a thermostat is great. I would recomend covering a third of your tank floor with it to create a "hot spot" where you can put the hide on top of.
They really don't need anything to climb on; most things either present a danger (say, getting stuck inside a crevice of driftwood) or are just unnecessary. I do put a large, flat, rough rock in with each of mine; it helps to weigh down the paper towels and also acts as something "natural" for them to rub on in a shed.
There are so many little things about caging and keeping these guys; any other questions, please ask!

With that type of lid you can buy special and very strong metal clips. I know most pet stores stock them as well I've seen them at Meijers. They come two to a package so I'd say get four or even six. They are very strong and will keep that lid from shifting or raising even slightly. If you have any trouble finding them just let me know and I can run take a picture of mine that we use to keep the lid snug on my daughter's milksnake tank.

I use those Jo, on Ginger's tank; they work great. A little tough to get onto the lid at first, but you kinda develop a knack at it after awhile :) Then they stay on and you merely clip them onto the lip going around the tank.. they're great. Never could get them to work for the 10g size though; but my tanks were old so that could be why the fit was bad.

If your ten gallon is the older style with a plastic lip they don't work all that well. Beth's ten gallon for Emi is a newer one with a metal lip and two of them work so well that after almost a year Beth still can't get those clips off by herself LOL. They just don't warp or bend much at all so are a great idea for tank security.

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Originally Posted by lisa77

are all the dial thermometers not accurate ? I use these & the strip ones

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They're notoriously inaccurate...both the dials and the strips. And accuracy is important with a snake like ball pythons because some will stress due to temperature swings and they are prone to RI's at temps kept too low. (below 80F)

Is it just me, or does that snake look like it needs to strap on the feed bag, stat!

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Originally Posted by sho220

Is it just me, or does that snake look like it needs to strap on the feed bag, stat!

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He looks a little hungry, just like my guy did (Not my first guy, the one I have now). After a few feedings he'll be a chub-worm just like mine! :) I went on a 5-day feeding schedule, and I'll stay there until his next shed then back off to 7-10 days.

If you're near a home depot, I'd like to spread my electrical access box hide love. They're small grey PVC boxes with a screw-off back (you take off the back and set the hide on that side), giving them a hole in the top and the side. They also come in a variety of sizes, so you can avoid the stress of introducing a strange hide when it comes time to change them!
Just in case you're not in the mood to cut up a plastic bin (I was scared to do it, didn't want to cause my snake any injury even though I would probably be okay at it lol)

http://mousch.zoto.com/img/30/e3b150...c225174f8-.jpg
Excuse my inaccurate dial and thermometer - my hygrometer dial was off by almost 30% :O

I think this person was going for a display type setup....definitely chose the wrong animal IMO. If you did want to "display" a ball python, you almost have to buy a vision/precision/AP cage. 10 gallon tanks just aren't going to cut it in the way posted above. First thing I thought when I saw those pictures was "burrrrrrr....cold...not enough humdity......"

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

I think this person was going for a display type setup....definitely chose the wrong animal IMO. If you did want to "display" a ball python, you almost have to buy a vision/precision/AP cage. 10 gallon tanks just aren't going to cut it in the way posted above. First thing I thought when I saw those pictures was "burrrrrrr....cold...not enough humdity......"

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Agreed...I quickly gave up on the glass with my first ball. Too much maintenance and tweaking. It also seemed pointless in that all you're displaying is a water bowl and a couple hides. I guess you could invite people over to play the shell game...Pick the hide the Ball is under and win 5 bucks!!!

I don't really get it why people choose ball pythons for display subjects...they are just one of those animals that like their privacy and setting them up with respect to that will make life easier for the keeper and better for the snake. Do what I did with my old aquariums when I switched- fill them with water and get some fish!

Corns, kingsnakes, ratsnakes tend to do a little better in glass tanks, but still hide the majority of the time.

I don't think there's any reason to be critical about someone wanting to have an attractive display with their ball python. It can certainly be successfully achieved, as a number of members here can attest. However, it does require a LOT of tweaking and considerably more work than other methods. Whether or not it is worth the effort for an animal that spends 98% of its life hidden is an individual choice.

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Originally Posted by JLC

I don't think there's any reason to be critical about someone wanting to have an attractive display with their ball python. It can certainly be successfully achieved, as a number of members here can attest. However, it does require a LOT of tweaking and considerably more work than other methods. Whether or not it is worth the effort for an animal that spends 98% of its life hidden is an individual choice.

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Agreed, but when 99.9% of the people who do so don't bother to tweak the setup and provide the right conditions, its no wonder ball pythons are said to have a bad rep as pets.

My attidude comes as a former pet store employee that got tired of explaining all the "stuff" people needed to properly set up their ball python because they were hooked on the idea of having a display setup in a glass tank. Instead, I'd just recommend another animal like a crested, day gecko, bearded dragon, etc that would thrive in the minimal environment they were ready and willing to provide.

Well I dont have any problem at all keeping it up I have 3 more tanks with scorps that I clean everyday I dont work and since both my boys are in school this year I dont have much eals to do :P and when it comes with the display? Well I just like to have all my tanks looking good is all as long as they have all they need my other tanks look some what the same and Im going to get a new thermometer for this one and i read some where that the Emp scorps and the BP should have around the same humdity? I spary thier tank once a day with some water and the place that the tank is set up well its until my hubby gets back from overseas so that he can set up a walk in closet that we have to put all the pets in I think that will be good He gets back in a few weeks. Oh and yea the bp IS skiny thats why i got it. At the pet store they told me that he didnt want to eat frozen and they are not allowed to give them live animals to eat at the pet store, I felt sorry for him and adopted him I tried to feed him the day I got him but that didnt work, I think I needed to wait until he got a little more use to being in his new home, I left the mouse in there left for like 5 min and came back the mouse was dead but he didnt eat it so Im going to try again this weekend. That way it would have had time to settle in and feel more comfy. So you guys think that with the heating pad and the bulb its still cold in there? What eals should I use then?

Well, we don't know how cold it is unless we know what the REAL temp is. When you get a new thermometer, tell us the temps and we'll be glad to help. :)

I'll do a specific critique of your setup:

- The heat lamp/heat pad setup you have is ok, however, I doubt the heat pad is doing much for belly heat due to the amount of substrate you have. Second, the heat pad is not controlled by a thermostat, and they are known to develop hot spots that can burn your snake. Should your snake get close enough to the heat pad, it could be burned. You haven't mentioned what the temps are in the cage, so we don't really know where to start to help you.

-the screen lid does not appear to have any kind of security. If your snakes manages to squeeze his way up a corner, he can push his way out of the tank. I've seen this happen before.

-the screen lid is also instantly letting go of any humidity you put in the cage. Keep in mind, WET does not mean HUMID. Simply spraying the cage, snake, and its furnishings with water is not going to bring the relative humidity to a level that is desireable by your snake. Its just going to decrease as the hours go by. The heat lamp you are using further compounds that process by "drying out" the air in the cage.

I would highly recommend that you look into some of the rubbermaid setups or take a look at the thread about tweaking a glass tank to work. Both work, I'm biased towards the plastic housing because of how simple it is, but others like a display setup so thats fine as well, its just a lot more maintenance and equipment to buy.

By the looks of that snake, your margin of error here is pretty slim. A snake that small kept under sub-optimal conditions will not hold out for very long.

Ok so should I use the heating pad or not? cuz if I take out some substrate well then it runs the riskto get burnt. Oh and I just read the temps in the tank and well the heat is 91 and humidity at 53% and you know you are so right I have glass tops for all the other tanks I dont know why I put a screen one on this one. I really want to do everything I can for it I want everything to turn out ok with his eating as well but I cant try or shouldnot try again till this weekend dont you think? I know keeping a bp is not them same as keeping my Scops so all the help you guys are giving me I thank you very much. Im very worried about his eating but i dont think there is much I can do but wait? Till it gets use to its new home? Are they any nutrient supplements that I can give it in the meanwhile?

They can go for MONTHS!! without eating, so don't worry about eating.When did you get him? You should leave him alone for at least a week before feeding him or handling him after you get him.

I got him this past friday

Ok, leave him alone, don't touch him, don't feed him, until Friday, then feed him, and if he doesn't eat, don't worry.

It can be very annoying when they dont eat, but patience is the key with Ball pythons.

bpkid- did you look at the ball python in the picture? A snake that young and that small does not have the reserves to fast for months like an adult would.

^^^ OH, ok, I'm sorry, I wasn't looking at the pictures.

If your ball isn't eating now, it's probably just stress. Leave him alone, then feed him, and if he doesn't eat for a little while, (Maybe a month) then you take him to the vet and find out how to feed him,etc.

By the way I just got done setting up the top part of the tank just like JenHarrison has it with the tinfoil and over that the layers of duct tape. I left an opening just like she had left for the heat lamp and for ventilation.

I was thinking if he does not eat to take him in 2 weeks after I try again on friday or is that just to paranoid?

Sounds great.....keep him warm, keep the humidity up, and given he has not other issues (internal parasites, etc) he will eat for you.

Do you know if he is CH or CBB

CH = captive hatched(imported more or less), CBB = captive bred and born

They told me he was CBB that was all they were able to tell me they didnt even know the last time they were able to feed him :O. Thats why I felt like I had to adopt him i knew if he stayed there he would probly die. Atleast I can try and help the cute lill thing. But now I feel like I knew to little to be able to help him! But Im trying my best tho :P

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They told me he was CBB that was all they were able to tell me they didnt even know the last time they were able to feed him :O.

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9 out 10 odds say that's pet store lingo for "he's never eaten."

Good luck with him!