My bp enclosure.

I have a fairly large enclosure that my snake is in currently (she is a baby)...almost everyone has said that in their opinion I need to go with something smaller. I currently have a divider in it. She's been perched on top of the divider (which is maybe an inch from the lid) since I put it in there, I guess she feels comfortable up there. I'm unsure of whether to leave things as they are or put her in something smaller. Some people have said that they keep their baby bp in a shoe box (or tupperware box of the same size).

If a shoe box is really best how can I heat one side (safely)? At the moment all I have available is a regular shoe box (not tupperware). Also, what do I put in it? Strictly hide boxes and a water dish? I can't observe how she's doing without disturbing her if I choose this route...how do I know if she is settled in? It seems that she would be awfully cramped in there when she is awake. But I will do whatever is in her best interest.
As always any advice will be a help.

Thanks,
Hannah

I really need some advice here because I don't want my snake to get stressed, because that can take a toll on her health.:(

I keep all my younger ball pythons in shoebox size semi-clear plastic containers heated with flexwatt driven by a herpstat thermostat. Only thing in the enclosure is a hide, substrate, and a water bowl.

Provide the proper conditions and your snake will be fine. Here is a caresheet to read and an article on Do-it-yourself enclosures:

Ball python caresheet:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

Do-it-yourself enclosure:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=40

Yea I agree with Daniel Totaly

The only tupperware container I have available at the moment is 11inches long, 6 inches wide and a little under 4 inches tall...I that too small? I can hold off on moving her if she needs something a little bigger.

that should be fine for a little bit

That sounds pretty tiny to me. I think it won't hurt to leave the little guy in the big tank for another day or two until you can get to a Walmart or whatever and find a proper sized rubbermaid or sterelite tub. You'll also need to get the right sized UTH and either a t-stat or dimmerswitch to control the heat.

The type of heating device I have right now is a under tank heating pad intended for reptiles. Do you think that I can safely use that with a plastic container? I don't want to try anything silly or dangerous. If that sounds like a bad idea what can I use?

Thanks for your advice.

-Hannah

i have used them with no problems just make shure you can control the temps so it does not get to hot, and make shure you have air holes in it.

are air holes in the bottom necessary? or just on the top and all sides?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

are air holes in the bottom necessary? or just on the top and all sides?

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No...no holes on the bottom...just around the sides.

My main concern about using the UTH you have now is that if its big enough for your large tank, it would probably be way too big for a small baby-sized tub. But I'm just making assumptions...you're in the best position to know for sure if it would work or not.

That said...yes, it is fine to use standard reptile UTH pads under a plastic tub. The heat must be controlled for the safety and comfort of your snake...so it should never get hot enough to be at risk of melting or damaging the pastic to begin with.

i do mine in 3 rows evenly spaced, look at this post the pics and you will see what i am talking about in the pic i posted

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=36122

Undertank heating is what should be used. I have my 4 '06 babies in 15qt tubs, newspaper as substrate, two hides and a water bowl. That's it. They thrive, they are fatbutt snakes, and they like to tell me to "Hiss Off!", LoL.

Here are pictures of how they are set up. The babies range in weight from 150-300g, and are happy as clams.
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/6...00144ln.th.jpg
http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/4...00106lt.th.jpg

And there ya go!

You will need a GOOD thermostat for regulating any flexwatt or heating pad, it is a must. A good digital thermometer must alos be used to check ambient temps, cool and warm side temps as well as humidity. Those stick-on dials do nothing.

Sounds basic enough to set up. I'm a little uncertain about adjusting the temperature of the heat pad. I can't see anything on it that's "adjustable."It's made by ZooMed are they pretty reliable? I have a digital thermostat/hygrometer (I think I spelled that right lol) which seems to be doing its job.

What you have is a thermoMETER, it only MEASURES the temperature and the humidity. Good thing to have as well, but you need a thermoSTAT. You plug the heat pad into the Tstat, then plug the tstat into the wall, set the temperature on the thermostat, and let the sensor probe on the thermostat tell you what temperature the heat pad is being regulated at.

I recommend at the LEAST a Johnson Controls or a Ranco, with a Helix or Herpstat being your best bet. You're going to have this animal for the next 30 years possibly, if she's taken care of properly, why not spend a marginal amount of money now on a good thermostat and proper heating equipment, so you don't have to invest tons of money later in vet visits from malfunctioning equipment and a burned animal. Wow, that was a long run-on, LoL.

Hope that helps!

lol typo. Ok. Roughly how much would a thermostat cost and where can I get one?

Rancos and Johnsons cost around 60 bucks wired.

www.reptilebasics.com

Reptile Basics(www.reptilebasics.com) or MG Reptiles (www.mgreptiles.com) are both a good place to start, they have both Helix and Herpstat that I am aware of. I paid around $220 for my Herpstat 2, but it was definitely worth it. Johnson's and Ranco's go for $60-$85 depending on if there is a sale or not. You can get a 1ft piece of 11" flexwatt(11"x12") wired up and ready to plug in for around $7-8. Much more reliable than the Zoomed heating pad. I think Helix's go for around $110, which is also very reasonable for a proportional thermostat.

Is it something that is usually ordered on the internet or are they fairly easy to find?

PRetty much has to be ordered on the net. They are not easy to find in a pet store.

Oh... that's kind of a drag, but now I know how to get one thanks

Are you down in the Charleston/Huntington area?

Fairmont here (waves)

You'd be very hard pressed to find them in a pet store - and if you did you'd likely run into the insane markup they usually have going on their prices.

Yes I live in Huntington. My husband and I are having a hard time financialy right now. I don't know how I am going to get a thermostat. I know it's something important...I don't know what I'm going to do:(

i have been using these, in conjunction with a digital thermometer with sucess, both cage and on incubators and they are not to expencive;

http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx

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Originally Posted by jcaustralia

i have been using these, in conjunction with a digital thermometer with sucess, both cage and on incubators and they are not to expencive;

http://www.thatpetplace.com/Products.../Itemdy00.aspx

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i wouldn't go with it. I'd rather let my heat pad on without it. Very unreliable and I have thrown mine away and replaced them with dimmers/ soon to be herpstat...

I called pets and things and the man I spoke with said that I was the third person in the last thirty years to ask about something like that :eek: He said that he will do some investigating for me...I'm still not sure that I'm going to be able to afford one...it would kill me if my snake got sick

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

I called pets and things and the man I spoke with said that I was the third person in the last thirty years to ask about something like that :eek: He said that he will do some investigating for me...I'm still not sure that I'm going to be able to afford one...it would kill me if my snake got sick

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You could always go with dimmers for temporary use.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...39-TT300NLH-WH

this is a great reliable thermostat , i use these i swear by them :)
http://www.eurorep.net/habistat/pulse.htm

how much does that brand cost didn't see it on the web page (might have overlooked it)

Well, I have a new sterilite container that I think will make a good home for my baby bp. It is 6 inches deep, 13 inches long and 8 inches wide. Does this sound about the right size? My bp is about 18 inches long.

Will it be wide enough for her? I don't want to go from making her feel to out in the open to being cramped for space lol:confused:

Feeling "cramped for space" is not something a ball python relates to. I think that tub should be fine for awhile. Set it up and give it a try for a few weeks. If your snake eats every week, then you'll know you've got a good setup. :)

Ok. How long should I give her to settle in before trying to feed her? About a week or so...or longer. Is ther anyway of telling if she's comfortable and content other than eating well?

I'd give her a week in her new home, then try to feed. As for how to tell how she's feeling in the meantime, If she's using her hide and staying "hidden" most of the time, but out exploring a little bit every now and then...she's probably feeling comfortable.

The container that I'm getting ready to move her into has lid with the "tabs" that lock the lid in place do you think that should be sufficiant to keep her from getting out?

It might be...but I couldn't really say without seeing it. Try this: snap the lid into place and then try to lift up one of the sides. I'm guessing the "snaps" are at the ends, so try to lift up the middle of the long side. If you can lift it enough to see ANY amount of space between the lid and the lip of the tub, then it's concievable that your BP could get through there.


Little metal paper clamps work well to secure those long sides.

If you use clips to secure it, here's an example of putting a clip on:

http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g2...r/DSCN3493.jpg

The "tabs" are in the middle on both sides (not on the ends), but if I try I can get a corner up a wee bit. I'm familiar with those type of clips, but I don't have any at this time. Is there anything else (preferably around the house) that I can use instead?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by snake_lady83

The "tabs" are in the middle on both sides (not on the ends), but if I try I can get a corner up a wee bit. I'm familiar with those type of clips, but I don't have any at this time. Is there anything else (preferably around the house) that I can use instead?

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There are clips similar to "Chip Clips" that you can use. I don't know if you have any, but here they are. I think it's a 4-pack at Home Depot for a couple dollars if you don't have any, but I'm not sure. You'd have to go there.

Ok. Thanks for the info.:)