Tall tank for a BP?

I want a ball python, and right now I can get this tank for about 75 bucks:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...3/CIMG2265.jpg

Would the ball utilize the space? The girl has an etp in there right now.

I think it's just too good of a deal to pass up :P But I want to make sure the extra space doesn't stress out a BP or anything.

Thoughts?

ball pythons are terrestrial and being such do not need area to climb.

Nope. It will be a waste of money & space because Ball Pythons did not really climb. They rather like to stay on the ground.

Then why does my bp always try to slither to the top of his enclosure?

Trying to escape. ;) They might use space you give them, but you need more stretching (floor) room than climbing room.

its 3 ft tall by 2 ft by 2ft. would a grown bp be uncomfortable in there? I feel like it's a great deal, but I dont know what snake to put in there. I cant handle a green tree python or emerald boa right now (dont know how to care for them, etc). Any other types of snakes that like climbing?


Maybe I should just start researching chameleons -_- I just like something I can hold every now and then haha

Look at ball pythons still. You don't HAVE to buy this tank, and I think a ball python is probably way easier than a cham for a beginner.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

Look at ball pythons still. You don't HAVE to buy this tank, and I think a ball python is probably way easier than a cham for a beginner.

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yeah but this tank is a really good deal, and the only thing that will fit in my room :P

A tub would fit your room. A tank should be good for the snake YOU WANT, meaning, don't change your mind on what you want just to get a tank.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

A tub would fit your room. A tank should be good for the snake YOU WANT, meaning, don't change your mind on what you want just to get a tank.

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yeah, i wish i could get it anyways and keep it in the office, but i doubt my parents would let that happen lol.

what size tub would i need for a bp? (adult). I'm not really smart when it comes to the heat tape and all that, so i'll have to read around the forums and learn more about it

I would stick with a sterlite 1960 tub that can be found at walmart.

They have a sale on them here for 4 bucks!

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Originally Posted by Rhapsody

yeah but this tank is a really good deal, and the only thing that will fit in my room :P

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That would be near impossible to heat correctly. I think it would be a poor choice for a ball python.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

I would stick with a sterlite 1960 tub that can be found at walmart.

They have a sale on them here for 4 bucks!

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sterlite 1960 is the name? I'll go tomorrow lol (i didnt really see a lot at mine last time i was there....)

It's the longest Sterlite tub they have. It's about 33 inches long and 6 inches high.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

It's the longest Sterlite tub they have. It's about 33 inches long and 6 inches high.

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I'll bring my measuring tape :P bp's are my fav snake so I really would rather get one in a tub than getting the tall tank. would a bp be comfortable in a 40 gallon long? (just wondering if I cant find the tub). Plus is it safe to have the flexwatt tape on the bottom of the tub and having it sit on my carpet? I'm looking for a stand that will fit at the foot of my bed that I wont trip over

Umm, I would put something between the carpet and tub. The tub is a 41 quart, and also, if they don't have those, try the 32 quart latchables by rubbermaid.. They are awesome!

40 gallon would be good for life.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

Umm, I would put something between the carpet and tub. The tub is a 41 quart, and also, if they don't have those, try the 32 quart latchables by rubbermaid.. They are awesome!

40 gallon would be good for life.

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i really like the glass tanks and I can get a 40 for about 100. They're just so hard to lug to the tub once a month :P i'm excited about getting a bp. even one attacking me hasn't deterred me from owning one :D

Yes, but a big tank like that is unnecessary work. (How many times have I said unecessary today :D ) It's a pain keeping temps and humidity up, not to mention it's pretty hard to clean.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

Yes, but a big tank like that is unnecessary work. (How many times have I said unecessary today :D ) It's a pain keeping temps and humidity up, not to mention it's pretty hard to clean.

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i think i'm just gonna keep going to stores until i find the right size sterilite container :) i need to get my stepdad to help get the air holes and stuff in it.

i heard heating pads from pet stores are bad, but i never found out why?

i need a tub with a latch lid right?

anyone want to write out my shopping list for me? ^_^ lol

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Originally Posted by Rhapsody

i think i'm just gonna keep going to stores until i find the right size sterilite container :) i need to get my stepdad to help get the air holes and stuff in it.

i heard heating pads from pet stores are bad, but i never found out why?

i need a tub with a latch lid right?

anyone want to write out my shopping list for me? ^_^ lol

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Pet store heat pads aren't bad. I would hope you get a lid for your tub :P

Shopping List

2 identical hides. one for the cool side, and one for the warm side.

Substrate . (You can use newspaper.)

Water Bowl

Digital thermometer like the Accu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor thermometer with humidity gauge.

A tub or tank (DUH!!! lol.)

If you get a tank, get a lid with some clips.

If you get a tub, buy some binder clips.

One heating pad

One thermostat. (One of the most important things on this list.)
OR
One lamp dimmer. (Does the same thing as a thermostat, but it can fluctuate alot.)

Whatever thermostat you get, make sure it is not the one that is kind of round on top, those are unreliable.

You need some cresteds for a tank like that. More than enough room for 1.2 and you'd probably get eggs left and right.

and if you really want a snake...ETBs and GTPs aren't as difficult as they seem...a snake hook will help immensely in saving you from bites while they become accustomed to your maintenance routine.

Not to forget, Carpet pythons are considered as some good beginner snakes and they would love that space.

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Originally Posted by Rhapsody

I want a ball python, and right now I can get this tank for about 75 bucks:

http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b1...3/CIMG2265.jpg

Would the ball utilize the space? The girl has an etp in there right now.

I think it's just too good of a deal to pass up :P But I want to make sure the extra space doesn't stress out a BP or anything.

Thoughts?

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you guys arent very creative:P
turn that cage on it's side and you have a nice ball cage, the lamps can go on the screen part tahts in teh front right now and you can modify the lid a bit if it needs to be secured

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Originally Posted by Shnak_An'_Star

you guys arent very creative:P
turn that cage on it's side and you have a nice ball cage, the lamps can go on the screen part tahts in teh front right now and you can modify the lid a bit if it needs to be secured

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LOL I didnt even think of that!

I have no clue where it's gonna fit in my room though >_<

I could throw some of my cresties in it, but I dont think a bp would be comfy in a 20 gallon long (which is where my adult cresteds are currently).


Oh yeah and I found out yesterday the enclosure is 3x2x2

Well, I went out and got it :D


it's laying down on it's side at the foot of my bed (makes things a little more cramped, bigger than i thought it'd be lol).

now I just gotta clean it and get all my other supplies and hopefully i should have a happy lil bp in there by the end of the month :)

perfect size for a ball! are all teh lids lockable or very secure? i cant wait to see your setup!

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Originally Posted by Shnak_An'_Star

perfect size for a ball! are all teh lids lockable or very secure? i cant wait to see your setup!

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actually, they're all sliding screens...i figure duct tape probably wont be best, so any suggestions? i have it laying on the side so the side screen is on top.

the screen at the top is actually two screens split down the middle (but they only slide out to the right, hard to do since my bed and carpet is in the way)

there's a heck of a lot of water spots on this thing lol.

hmmm.......put your braincap on lol. maybe for the screen that will be on the side of the horizontal cage you can somehow get holes in the glass, then push a wire through eat hole and through the screening, twist the wires very securely and that should hold it. as for the screen youll be using to oppen the cage. i dunno, you ponder that one lol. if i come up with any better ideas ill let you know ok?

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Originally Posted by Shnak_An'_Star

hmmm.......put your braincap on lol. maybe for the screen that will be on the side of the horizontal cage you can somehow get holes in the glass, then push a wire through eat hole and through the screening, twist the wires very securely and that should hold it. as for the screen youll be using to oppen the cage. i dunno, you ponder that one lol. if i come up with any better ideas ill let you know ok?

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sounds good to me. i'll keep thinking too

does the cage have any plastic on it? or is it all glass and metal? if it is i have an idea

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Originally Posted by Shnak_An'_Star

does the cage have any plastic on it? or is it all glass and metal? if it is i have an idea

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all glass and metal

good, maybe you can go somewhere and have one of the doors welded. do the doors slide out along the glass or from the sides?

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Originally Posted by Shnak_An'_Star

good, maybe you can go somewhere and have one of the doors welded. do the doors slide out along the glass or from the sides?

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what?

oh yeah and retarded question of the month: what is a thermostat? is that the thing that regulate's the heating pad or such? what brand should I get and will it hook up to a heating pad i buy from the pet store?

I currently have a 4ft 1500 gram female ball in a 20 gal long tank, and a 4 ft 1300 gram male in a 29 gal tank (same footprint as a 20 long). Both snakes are doing fine in these tanks. I do plan to move the female to my rack as soon as her quarantine is over, though. If you wanted to use the new cage for the cresteds, and put a bp in the 20 long, I don't think you'd have any problems, provided you set up the tank properly for a bp. Besides, if you buy a bp, chances are it will be young snake, and it will be at least a year (probably longer) before it gets as big as the two I referred to.

Oh, just checked. A 20 gal long tank is almost exactly the same floor space as a Sterlite 1960, which is what my rack uses.

edit - I have a 4.5 ft 2000 gram female in a 1960. ;)

Steve

its nicer for the ball if its got a nice roomy cage though. Rhapsody did i mention a thermostat? its bascically a thing you plug the heat pad into, set it at a temperature and it keeps taht temp constant

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Originally Posted by Shnak_An'_Star

its nicer for the ball if its got a nice roomy cage though.

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Actually, it's nicer for the OWNER if the ball has a nice roomy cage - it's actually better for the ball python for a smaller cage that provides less open space and more closed in environment for them to feel safe and secure.

That cage laid on it's side that's not secure sounds like a perfect set-up for an escape. Move the cresties into that new enclosure set the way it was intended, and put the ball in the 20 long. A 20 long is not tall enough for cresties anyway (unless it's set up on it's end).

I'm glad you got the enclosure you wanted, but I wouldn't put a ball python in there.

I'd listen to Rabernet, in my experience she's never lead anyone wrong with her answers and I've never seen anyone give bad feedback to her advice (apart from those that weren't willing to believe anything was wrong with what they were doing).

I'd listen to what Robin says. She knows her stuff and doesn't give wrong advise.

Putting that tank on its side is a good way to lose a snake. Either it will get out or the tank will get busted. (Glass tanks aren't meant to be put on their sides). Arboreal species would LOVE IT though! Mountain horned lizards are really neat, you can handle them, and they love to climb. (They like to be up high so most will sit on your head). I currently have my bp in a 20 long. I think my 20 long will last long enough until I can move, thereby having more space where I will get a 40 breeder for Stryker, and convert my 20 long (along with a ten gallon I have) Into my feeder breeding project). Hmmm, you could use that cheap tank you bought to breed feeders, ever think of that?? With the right modifications, mice or rats could hang out and produce babies for ya to feed your snakes. Anyways, whatever you do, good luck!




R.I.P. Steve Irwin.....

Well I'm not going to argue, after tipping the cage on it's side I almost laughed out loud thinking how easy it would be for a bp to get out of it :P

plus my cresties can have more room and the 20 long is already on a stand so I wont have to worry about the heating pad being on my carpet.

just have to let the enclosure air out a bit before moving my lil buddies :D

Oh yes, and I have to ask:

this is the light that the girl gave me when I bought the tank:
http://img259.imageshack.us/img259/7717/lightxx3.jpg

i think the purple one is for heat, the long one is just for light, and then there's another empty socket. it's pretty big, and would probably cover almost half (or more) of the screen top on a 20 gallon long.

I forgot what my question was, but she used this for her green tree python, and I was wondering if it would still be usable for my bp (i really dont know anything about the watts on this thing, or what I should put in the empty socket if i should use it at all, or if i should change the light to a long red light...if they even make those...)

I don't use lamps. Just get a heating pad with a dimmer or thermostat and you should be fine.

well you can modify it so the bp wouldnt escpe but i never thought about it getting busted :(. just some more of my stupid advice lol...

lol it wasnt bad advice, it was possible but i would have needed a lot of modifications :P i appreciate everyone's help :)

I used one of those strip combo lights for my lizard. The long one is usually a uv light that replicated the sun's spectrum. For a ball python it is pretty useless. They are nocturnal species, frown upon light like that, and don't absorb the spectrum. You could use it for lighting but it might be overkill. The other 2 bulbs (I am assuming ) are day and night bulbs. Basically for your BP, you want a gradient of heat in your cage. This means one side should be warm and it should taper off into cool. For a BP, 92 degrees F would be a good warm end and the cool end being 82 degrees F where the middle part of the tank is somewhere inbetween. (see why length is better than heighth here?) HOw you decide to get that heat gradient is up to you but I don't think an under tank heater is enough. Those really only heat up the belly, leaving the ambient (air) temperature too low. I use a cermaic heater (no light given off) over the warm side of my tank. Under that side, I have an uth. I have a sliding screen lid that I cover with aluminum foil so the heat doesn't escape. I measure everything to the nines and it is perfect (or close enough). I have no problems feeding my guy mice OR rats. I have been lucky though. Temperature is VERY important. Make sure you get that settled first. Moving to a different tank is stressful enough.

So i went out and got the acurite thermometer (indoor/outdoor plus humidity), and the heat pad (repti therm).

I looked at the thermostats but there was only a few, and they all looked like the kind that we have mounted on our wall for our air conditioner :confused:

The thermostats you get are usually only found at shows or the internet.

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Originally Posted by bpkid

The thermostats you get are usually only found at shows or the internet.

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lol that makes a little more sense :P i'll look around on the net

www.mgreptiles.com
www.spyderrobotics.com


Are good places to start.

wow they're a lot more expensive than i thought they would be (for proportional ones). :O i have to wait another week for my paycheck to come in before i can get it :P better to wait and have everything perfect than having an uncomfortable/unhappy ball though :D

alright, i found one thats a little cheaper and i think it would be good for me:

http://www.mgreptiles.com/ZOOSTAT.html

anyone had any bad experiences with this or something? lol