Its Official Son!!

so its official! I'm getting my first Ball python, just a normal one, my parents finally gave in so now i gotta get a terrarium setup and I'm good to go! Also i got the best name picked out for him, if anyone here has seen the movie 300 then you`ll understand, I'm naming him SPARTAN! HAHA I love that movie!

congrats.. sweet

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bright202

so its official! I'm getting my first Ball python, just a normal one, my parents finally gave in so now i gotta get a terrarium setup and I'm good to go! Also i got the best name picked out for him, if anyone here has seen the movie 300 then you`ll understand, I'm naming him SPARTAN! HAHA I love that movie!

---

Awww.. I wanted to name my next boy Spartan I guess I'll go for Taino....BTW congrats! ;)

Congrats!!!!
One will never be enough!
Trey

Very cool! Congrats and best of luck :rockon:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mxrider42

Congrats!!!!
One will never be enough!
Trey

---

I believe it! Like you know when you want something soo bad, that you get excited and you cant sleep at night. well thats how I feel right now. I cant wait till I get the little guy!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bright202

I believe it! Like you know when you want something soo bad, that you get excited and you cant sleep at night. well thats how I feel right now. I cant wait till I get the little guy!

---

that is the truth, next you will be waiting for that morph to breed it to and then the morph to breed to that morph and it goes on and on...im still waiting on my first clutch and am buying morphs for future breedings

nice... Do you guys think Spartan is a good name?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bright202

nice... Do you guys think Spartan is a good name?

---

Congrats

I love the name....Just make sure once you get him to post pics... :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Sasquatch Art

Congrats

I love the name....Just make sure once you get him to post pics... :D

---

Of course I will, I swear there will be like 50 pics, just me and spartan chillin.. :rockon: lol

Congrats, and let the addiction, I mean passion begin.

Also, make sure you do all of your homework on your new animal, so that if your parents ask you any questions about it's husbandry needs or care, you can answer them. Also, make sure that your tank is setup properly before you get your snake. If all of this is done correctly and you show a genuine interest and love for the hobby, it will make your parents more receptive to your new pet. (which will also help down the road when it's time to convince them that you NEED another snake)

congrats! now your off and running:)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by muddoc

If all of this is done correctly and you show a genuine interest and love for the hobby, it will make your parents more receptive to your new pet. (which will also help down the road when it's time to convince them that you NEED another snake)

---

HAHA! Agreed! Well I'm hopefully gonna get him sometime this week, but I'm not sure if I should take the chance of getting a free 10 gallon? Or go out and buy a 20 gallon. What do you guys think?

Congrats :)

I would research plastic tub setups for your first snake(and any subsequent scale-kids). It would make the husbandry so much easier for you and your snake could settle in faster. They are light and easy to clean, and they keep temps and humidity like nobody's business.

If you are planning on a hatchling, sometimes even 10 gallon tanks are too big for them. Glass isn't a good insulator for heat, so tanks require alot more effort in keeping the temperatures and humidity stable and in the correct ranges. Ball Pythons really like being enclosed and feeling secure, and alot of the time, the glass walls don't provide that. They are going to be in their hide 95% of the time anyway, so having a display enclosure for a Ball really defeats the purpose :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

Congrats :)

I would research plastic tub setups for your first snake(and any subsequent scale-kids). It would make the husbandry so much easier for you and your snake could settle in faster. They are light and easy to clean, and they keep temps and humidity like nobody's business.

If you are planning on a hatchling, sometimes even 10 gallon tanks are too big for them. Glass isn't a good insulator for heat, so tanks require alot more effort in keeping the temperatures and humidity stable and in the correct ranges. Ball Pythons really like being enclosed and feeling secure, and alot of the time, the glass walls don't provide that. They are going to be in their hide 95% of the time anyway, so having a display enclosure for a Ball really defeats the purpose :)

---

I know but I just don't like the idea of a plastic tub sitting in my room, I think a tank shows more and looks nicer as well. But we'll see what happens, Thanks! :)

if you chose to go with a tank i would suggest to buy a piece of plexi glass (sp?) and have it cut to the size of the top ( either drop in or across the whole top. cut about 1/3 long ways and attach a hinge to it ( 2-3 depending on size of tank) and also drill holes along this piece. when you place the now new top down you can use clamps or something else to hold it down and make sure the ball cant get out ( best thing to use so its easy to get on and off is the things that are on the back of picture frames that can be rotated) this will give you the perfect humidity and help keep correct temps.

They do make tubs that are about as clear as glass. I use them in one of my racks and you can see every snake just fine(13 of them). You can always use a tank(which are for fish, imo) or buy an actual plastic reptile enclosure from the many different manufacturers(Animal Plastics, Boaphile, Herpenclosures, RBI Plastics, etc), when the snake is bigger and not so scared of the world. I use 6qt shoeboxes or 15qt's for my smaller Ball Pythons and they do great.

Maybe do an experiment and set up both enclosures, one tub(15qt max) and one tank(10 gallon max). See how that goes and which one is easier for you to maintain. Tanks require alot of work, so research alot and be prepared.

Sometimes we have to look beyond what is most visually appealing for our eyes and use what the snake will be most comfortable in. For a snake that spends 95% of it's life in a termite mound, in the dark, it makes sense to use an enclosure that is similar to that environment. Perhaps for a colubrid that is much more active(such as Sheree's Vietnamese Blue Beauties), a tank or more open enclosure is best. Know what I mean, Vern?

I'm not trying to persuade you to use one over the other(ok.. I am...LoL), but I am trying to help you have a much easier and more fun time with your first snake.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by NickMyers03

if you chose to go with a tank i would suggest to buy a piece of plexi glass (sp?) and have it cut to the size of the top ( either drop in or across the whole top. cut about 1/3 long ways and attach a hinge to it ( 2-3 depending on size of tank) and also drill holes along this piece. when you place the now new top down you can use clamps or something else to hold it down and make sure the ball cant get out ( best thing to use so its easy to get on and off is the things that are on the back of picture frames that can be rotated) this will give you the perfect humidity and help keep correct temps.

---

AHH I'm so confused! So lets say i use a tub, do i use a heat lamp too? won't it melt the plastic? I don't know I'm really confused, can someone post pictures and show me?

No, tubs are low profile(low to the ground, usually 5-7 inches in height) so using only under tank heaters(on a thermostat) will generally get the air temps up to where they need to be. Heat lamps won't be needed and only cause the air to dry out.

I do use a low wattage ceramic heat emitter on my boa's tub because hers is 14" high. The vast air space in that tub can't really be heated with just a piece of flexwatt. I use a 60w CHE on her tub only and it gets the air temps to the low 80s.

With just flexwatt on the shorter tubs(my room temp ranges from 75-79), the air temp gets into the 80s-82s.

I can write you down a shopping list if that would be helpful. That would be great to print up and show your parents what you will be getting and where it is, how much it costs, etc. Shows a good budgeting plan. You shouldn't have to buy anything at a pet store(overpriced junk) unless you want some driftwood or what have you.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

No, tubs are low profile(low to the ground, usually 5-7 inches in height) so using only under tank heaters(on a thermostat) will generally get the air temps up to where they need to be. Heat lamps won't be needed and only cause the air to dry out.

I do use a low wattage ceramic heat emitter on my boa's tub because hers is 14" high. The vast air space in that tub can't really be heated with just a piece of flexwatt. I use a 60w CHE on her tub only and it gets the air temps to the low 80s.

With just flexwatt on the shorter tubs(my room temp ranges from 75-79), the air temp gets into the 80s-82s.

I can write you down a shopping list if that would be helpful. That would be great to print up and show your parents what you will be getting and where it is, how much it costs, etc. Shows a good budgeting plan. You shouldn't have to buy anything at a pet store(overpriced junk) unless you want some driftwood or what have you.

---

Oh if you could make me one that would be great, pictures help too! lol

I'll have to get pictures when I get home, but I can type up the list now. I'm going to list items you'll need, where you can find them, and what they might cost.

WalMart:
-6qt or 15qt tub depending on size of snake, lid- 97 cents to $4
-Binder clips or a pack of those small bungee cords- $1-$2
-Two ceramic or plastic planter saucers(bowl the pot sits in to collect water), also depends on size of snake what size to get, but 4" fits hatchlings up to about 200-300g, 6" fits up to 400g or so, they run 50 cents to $1
-One Acu-Rite or similar model of digital thermometer/hygrometer combo w/probe-$12
-water bowl, I like the Van Ness plastic crocks or the stainless steel ones that have the blue rubber on the bottom(you can also get cute ones at dollar stores)-$1-$4
-foliage such as silk plants to make the enclosure even more home-y-$2-$4 depending on kind
-Small hobby soldering iron to make holes in the tub for air flow- $3-$4

Reptile Basics:

-Also, depending on size of tub you get and the room temp the tub will be in, you will need 1ft of 3" or 1ft of 11" flexwatt. Rich will wire everything for free when you buy the connectors, so you can just plug it in when it arrives.
-Thermostat, Johnson Controls, Ranco, Helix are all good brands- $75-$120(just divide it out over 30-35 years, and it's justifiable :) )

Also, depending on the room temp the tub will be in, you may or may not need heat on the cool side. My room temp is a bit too cool to not have additional heating on the cool side, so I use some 11" flexwatt and the thermostat is set to 84(warm side is 95).

I'll get pics later! :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

I'll have to get pictures when I get home, but I can type up the list now. I'm going to list items you'll need, where you can find them, and what they might cost.

WalMart:
-6qt or 15qt tub depending on size of snake, lid- 97 cents to $4
-Binder clips or a pack of those small bungee cords- $1-$2
-Two ceramic or plastic planter saucers(bowl the pot sits in to collect water), also depends on size of snake what size to get, but 4" fits hatchlings up to about 200-300g, 6" fits up to 400g or so, they run 50 cents to $1
-One Acu-Rite or similar model of digital thermometer/hygrometer combo w/probe-$12
-water bowl, I like the Van Ness plastic crocks or the stainless steel ones that have the blue rubber on the bottom(you can also get cute ones at dollar stores)-$1-$4
-foliage such as silk plants to make the enclosure even more home-y-$2-$4 depending on kind
-Small hobby soldering iron to make holes in the tub for air flow- $3-$4

Reptile Basics:

-Also, depending on size of tub you get and the room temp the tub will be in, you will need 1ft of 3" or 1ft of 11" flexwatt. Rich will wire everything for free when you buy the connectors, so you can just plug it in when it arrives.
-Thermostat, Johnson Controls, Ranco, Helix are all good brands- $75-$120(just divide it out over 30-35 years, and it's justifiable :) )

Also, depending on the room temp the tub will be in, you may or may not need heat on the cool side. My room temp is a bit too cool to not have additional heating on the cool side, so I use some 11" flexwatt and the thermostat is set to 84(warm side is 95).

I'll get pics later! :)

---

where can i find this flexwatt?