Another newbie...

Hi everyone,
I have been reading the posts on temperature/humidity and finding all posts very helpful. What would really help is a "grocery list" of items for someone about to aquire a ball! LOL. I will be using an aquarium (30 gallon) and a screen lid. And I don't fully understand all the differences in bulbs(night bulbs??) I will also have a underground heater - best brand? Don't ask for much do I?? :confused:
Holly

Actually a "grocery list" is a pretty neat idea! I remember ages ago we did one for a newcomer in a thread but we didn't sticky it darn it all LOL.

Your basics are how to heat the tank, how to measure temps and humidity, substrate choice, two hides, water dish, very secure lid (snakes=escape artists), reliable food source and of course, the snake LOL. In those decisions are a myriad of choices so let's narrow it down a bit here.

Do you have your snake picked out yet? Are you thinking of getting an 06 hatchling, a yearling or a fully mature BP? That is the first thing because the snake's size determines what housing is best for it. BP's are very shy snakes that get stressed by large open glass tanks especially if they are tiny little baby snakes in big tanks. Sometimes it's best to start them in a small plastic tub and move up to the more decorative enclosure you might wish for a more permanent home for the snake down the road.

As far as bulbs (which any pet store will try to foist off on you), snakes don't need special lighting and in fact overhead heating bulbs will suck the humidity out of your enclosure which just makes life more difficult for you and unpleasant for the snake. Underbelly (undertank) heating is best for BP's.

Welcome to BPNet Holly!

Welcome aboard Holly . Check out the care sheetsfor everything yoe need. Also a great group here to help. Mine is in a tank with aspen bedding , 2 hides for warm and cool end, with under tank heater [uth] at one end , not sure of brand name,and a shallow water dish at cooler end. If you are using a screen lid make sure it can lock.

We hope to see pics of new kid.

Welcome to the site!

Also, think about a thermostat for your under tank heater. Those can get really hot if you just plug them into the wall. The thermostat will dail back power or continously turn it on and off to maintain your temp. Get a good thermometer to measure temps, get one with a probe you can put down at "belly level" so you know what temp the snake is actually feeling on its belly.

Mine is in a tub with newspaper as bedding and an ashtray as a water bowl.The hides are 2 butter containers one on the warm side and one on the cool side.


Forgot to mention, welcome to site.

Thanks! I will be getting an '06 cb baby next weekend. So if I don't need a bulb, how do I achieve the warm/cool sides? The room s/he will be in is fairly warm - around 75 degrees but that may be too cool. So I'll start looking at thermostats and probes (these will attach to the underbelly heater?) What brand/type of underbelly heater do you recommend?

I would use flexwatt heat tape or a reptile heat pad BUT no matter what you use, you have to have a lamp dimmer or a thermostat so the heat tape or heat pad doesn't go out of control and burn the snake.

If possible, you might want to delay your BP's homecoming until you have the enclosure set up with proper temps and humidity, That's entirely doable by the weekend if you start now. Which is to say, get the tank, an undertank heater, screen lid, Acurite thermometer/hygrometer, thermostat (proportional is best at $100 or so, but a simple on/off for $25 or so is acceptable), substrate, water dish, two hides and four clips to secure the lid. With all that in hand, you should be able to dial it in within 4-5 days. So, if you go shopping on Monday and get all that, you should be good to go by the weekend. Assuming you have the tank, the rest should set you back about $100 at a pet store, maybe $75 if you purchase online.

But start early. Don't have bring the snake and supplies home at the same time.

What thermostat brand do you recommend? Or, moreover, what brand do you NOT recommend?

I do NOT recommend those 30 dollar ones. The round ones on top.

I can tell you, though, from other people I know, that Johnsons and Rancos really work pretty well.
www.reptilebasics.com

Acurite is the most popular on this website--just do a search for that word and you'll see what I'm talking about. Not made for herps--rather, it's a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer that comes with a hygrometer (humidity gauge). It's inexpensive--around $15--and widely available. Wal-Mart carries them, as does Lowe. Not sure if they're all under the same name brand--it's Acurite at Wal-Mart--but they're easy to spot once you know what you're looking for. I'm sure Home Depot likely does as well. Besides having the ability to measure temps on BOTH sides of the tank, it also makes sure your humidity is right. Don't use the dial types sold by pet stores. I still have my old humidity dial gauge up for laughs more than anything else, and it's horribly inaccurate.

K how about some pics to illustrate....

Here's a basic baby BP home we use...not pretty but very VERY functional and easy for you as a new keeper to set up and for the baby snake to feel secure in till it gets a bit of growth on it....and a secure happy snake is more likely to eat for you :)

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...MuirnesTub.jpg

That tub is a found anywhere for about $5.00 (get the one with the lid with clips not just the snap on lid and make sure it has no give whatsoever), the hides are $1.00 each (just terracotta plant pans but plastic is even better for about the same cost or less)...newspaper or papertowels for the substrate another $1.00 or less (aspen is a good substrate, avoid cedar or cedar mix and pine for snake bedding but to start out plain white papertowels are great...you can get a fecal sample if you need and can watch for mites)...if you don't own a soldering wand for melting holes in the tub you can get a basic one at WalMart for about $5.00....water dish - something heavy but not big enough for the snake to get into (the one in the pic is just a typical small rodent one for $2.00).....Acu-Rite about $12.00 plus one AAA battery...UTH and basic t-stat your choice and a wide variety of prices. So basically a simple tub setup is about $30.00 plus your heating choice costs.

You may want to fill the tub with crumpled up newspaper for awhile till the baby settles in. It is a breeder trick and works beautifully to settle snakes and make them feel hidden and safe.

Same tub as above with newspaper in it (and yes a baby BP in there somewhere LOL)....

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...ickTopView.jpg

Acu-Rite (an absolute must...the analog dial things from the petstores are unreliable and a waste of your cash)....

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...g/Acu-Rite.jpg

Close-up of the hides we use for baby BP's (you need two).....anything similar will do as long as it's heavy, dark and easy to clean...should be no bigger than the circumference of your snake curled up...think tight and dark...snakes love this in a hide....

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e2...lingBPHide.jpg

Check Reptile Basics for heating supplies or you can buy an undertank heater from a good pet store. This is about the only thing I'd ever buy from a pet store (they are usually overpriced). I even buy aspen from WalMart as it's way cheaper there and a very nice quality fine shred aspen ($4.00 for a compacted bag).

Where are you getting your 06 BP from by the way? Nothing about husbandry will be all that important to you if you end up buying a sickly or badly started baby. Then it's an uphill fight to get it eating properly or a lot of vet bills which nobody needs. The buying process is a huge part of a successful first experience with a BP.

Thank you all so much. That was awesome and detailed, and more than just a grocery list! We're setting it up tonight, we decided to use a spare ten gallon tank we have instead of the thirty. All I need is the screen lid! I'll be reading up on here all week, and I'll post pictures once s/he settles a bit.
Thanks again!
Holly

Oh, forgot to say we will be going to the Indy Reptile Expo and I have talked with a few breeders with bp's available. I am new to snakes but not pet stores! I buy as little as possible at pet stores and I will not patronize any pet store that sells puppies or kittens(puppymills). I show and breed dogs on a small scale and I know all the right cataloges and online sources such as Revival, Petedge, etc. I'm sure there are good ones for reptiles as well. What do you think about lllreptile?
Holly

welcome!!! i can't wait to see pics!!!

What are you talking about???? Do you have any proof about this?

I am sorry for my comments, I take them back, because it was just hearsay. If someone could delete it, please do.

I have HEARD some pros/cons about there animals. There products are great though. If your looking for a snake just look up top at the 8ballpython ad and click it! Or just click this link..www.8ballpythons.com :carrot: .

I take it there were some naughty comments about lllreptile? LOL I just asked because they are on the expo vendor list and I know they have lots of supplies too. Says their snakes are cb. But you never know. Here is the link to vendors at this show.
http://www.danwagonerdesign.com/indyexpo/vendorlist.php
Holly

Wow you've got some excellent breeders to pick from at that show! BHB, Roussis Reptiles, Peter Kahl, Amir Soleymani....all are names with excellent reps behind them as well as I'm sure many more on that list! I'd look at them before LLL myself. A lot of top breeders will have their very expensive morphs there for you to drool over but may have some nice normals to sell or can direct you to someone reputable that has what you want to purchase. Likely as you are looking for a nice wellstarted baby BP for a pet then a nice normal male is your best and most cost effective snake. If you are thinking of breeding down the road then you may want to think morph genetics now with your first purchase or go with a normal female and raise her up to breeding size. If you aren't sure what to look for in a healthy 06 baby BP or what sort of things to expect from a breeder, feel free to ask for help on that.

Well we did not get to go afterall(due to a small disaster not herp related) which is why I haven't posted pics or any news. We will be going to the Midwest Reptile Show next weekend, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Anyone been to one of these? I guess they are less expensive vendor-wise so there will be many,many more booths and "breeders". Hopefully I'll be able to add to my turtle collection too :) Can't wait!!

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Originally Posted by HollyS

Hi everyone,
I have been reading the posts on temperature/humidity and finding all posts very helpful. What would really help is a "grocery list" of items for someone about to aquire a ball! LOL. I will be using an aquarium (30 gallon) and a screen lid. And I don't fully understand all the differences in bulbs(night bulbs??) I will also have a underground heater - best brand? Don't ask for much do I?? :confused:
Holly

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This is a check list I did for new BP owner on my MySpace hope this help

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...2-173d839ea4f7

I bought an acurite thermometer instead of the thermostat. Went back and was told they did not sell anything of the such as far as thermostats. All they had were house thermostats. This was walmart and lowe's both. I guess I'll have to order online.

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Originally Posted by HollyS

I guess I'll have to order online.

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I would suggest www.beanfarm.com They offer great prices, sellection and service :gj:

The best of luck with your ball python :D