New cage for my BP, I need suggestions

I just recently purchased a 50 gallon tank (it's 4ft long), a 30-40 gallon UTH, an 85 watt green light for warmth, and a large water bowel to help with humidity. I had her in a 20 gallon tank with a 20 gallon UTH and a 60 watt light bulb. I had problems keeping that warm enough for her. I was wondering if i should put the smaller UTH under the water dish on the other side of the tank from the larger UTH where her hide is. I also purchased two electronic thermometers that read both temp and humidity (one for the hot and cold side) I was wondering if any one had any suggestions on how I should set up my tank and what I should turn off or on at what times (I purchased a timer which multiple things can be plugged into for this) The average temp at night in my house is around 70 F (I can't get it warmer, I've been trying) and durring the day it can get to around 75 F. Please give me some suggestions, I'm new at this.

well first off, how old is your bp? a 50 gallon tank is huge....very huge. especially if she fit in a 20. as for the lights, i dont think any of us will be able to tell you what to have on and what not to. your gonna have to play around with it to get the most heat. 70 is cold for a bp. and if you went up to a 50 you are going to have even more problems keeping the heat in that one

Well i am assuming that it is screen top, there is a great sticky around that shows you how to cover your top and that works pretty good. I dont think running to UTH will help that much, when i ran mine without any type of control they got really hot. So one on the warm side should work but you need a good way to control it not just a timer, like a reostat or a thermostat. I would also not use any type of light bulb, instead a ceramic heat emmiter for a tank that large you will need to get a pretty big one. You are probably going to have to do alot of tweeking to get it all right, i would try to get it all dialed in and holding properly before moving the sanke.

I got a larger light that instantly emits heat and a larger UTH, also I may still use the smaller one. I know she needs more heat, ( I was stupid and went by the temps in the BP book I bought, which told me 68F-75F at night and 78F-85F in the day) Her temp in her cage is at 78, which is good according to the book, but apparently not in real life. I want to supply her with more heat, but I feel putting all the things I have for her on the smaller tank will over do it. I plan on stabilizing it before actually putting her in it. Also, I'm struggling with humidity and I have no room in the smaller cage to place a larger bowel or a humidity hide. As far as age, she is about 4 months and about 2 to 2 1/2 feet, and about 1 1/2 in girth.

I just checked the temp in her cage, (I just bought a good thermometer, I used to lnly have the stick on side one) The temp is 80F, on the wrm side. As far as the light, it really emits plenty of heat, instantly when I turned it on I felt it, not up against it, but in the light from it, it's green so it's not bright. I looked for a ceramic bulb, but I couldn't find any.

As far as a thermostat, I have never seen one, other than what's on the house. Could you tell me what it looks like and how it works exactly.

And I definately planned to stabilize the temps before moving her.

I suggest a bin.. its so much easier on everyone involved.. use that nice big tank for another type of herp.. good luck!! I hope you can keep the heat in, when i first got back into balls i too had a tank and had a horrible time getting temps/humidity to stay the way it belonged.

well people have suggested covering part of the top to keep the heat and humidity in, which i have done on my smaller cage and it seams to be working.

In this case, I would actually agree that a tub might be better for you. Usually I like to have those people who like tanks stick with them, but a tub would have the ease of care that you seem to desire. I'm certainly not saying you can't handle a tank...but they can be tricky to maintain.

If you do want to go with the tub, there are some really good threads in the forums that give advice on how to set it all up. But if you really want to go the tank route, here's what you should do:

First, use the 50gal for another animal. Not even an adult BP would be happy in one of those, let alone a youngster. That 20 gallon you had her in is actually just right for one her age and size.
Make sure your UTH is sized right for a 20 and that it's on one side of the tank. Using two UTHs on a 20 is not overdoing it as long as they are both controlled. My tank is a 20 long and I have two UTHs and lamps for day and night.
Your most important EQ is going to be your thermostat(s) and digital thermometers. Also, you're going to want to cover the back and both sides of that tank with a nice solid background and some form of insulation to keep the heat in. I use foam insulation board from Lowes..really cheap for a huge piece cut down to needed sizes. With that, the screen top covered with foil as in the sticky, and your controlled UTHs you should be good to go. Lamps can then be used to boost a few degrees if needed. Required temps are 92-93 warm side no lower than 90, 82-83 cool side no lower than 80, and ambient no lower than 76.

Thermostats for heating devices are found almost exclusively online. The best place for a nice Johnson or Ranco around $75 is ReptileBasics.com. If you have a bit more money, the better buy is a Helix or Herpstat for around $110. The site has great pix and Rich is the best to work with.

Hope that wasn't too much...I just really like trying to help people get their tanks right if they really want to keep them. :)

You've got a young ball python with multiple problems from your other post (external parasites, scale rot and probable RI). The last thing you need to be doing right now is stressing her out more by putting her in an enclosure that is too large for an adult ball python, much less a four month old.

Please take advice that has been offered to you in this thread and other threads and get this girl taken care of before you start making such drastic changes in her life.

I have no intent on moving her before she is ready, I will make sure she is completely better before I do this. She doesn't seam stressed at all, she's not hiding all the time, she's eating well. She has shown no signs to me that she had any problems at all, aside from the weezing.

I left the 50 gallon set up on all night to see what the temps will be, and since I know she needs more heat right now I was considering placing the larger light on her, but the temp in the light alone was 85F in the larger cage, I'm afraid it will get too hot in the cold cage.

If she's very active, she's stressed. A un-stressed ball python is one that you will rarely see during the day.

85 is not hot at all, considering the warm side belly heat needs to be 90-94 degrees.

I think your first priority is to get her seen by a vet this coming week.

Definitely. Get the snake to a vet and then work on your setup. Would you be able to tell us exactly what you have for that 20 gallon? What heat sources you have, what you're using to measure temps, substrate, all of it? If you already put it somewhere else, I'm sorry I didn't see. Letting us know what you have and don't have will really let us help you get everything setup right.

If you already had issues keeping proper temps with a 20 gallons (which already is TOO big for a 4 month old BP) imagine with a 50 gallons tanks

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she's not hiding all the time

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Well she should BP spend most of their time hiding

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She has shown no signs to me that she had any problems at all, aside from the weezing.

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Did you know that RI can be cause not only by low temps but also by stress due to an oversized enclosure?

I think you need to get back to the basic here, check the caresheet out http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59, also look at how to properly maintain a glass enclosure http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...004#post569004.

Right now you need to concentrate on your BP and is actual enclosure not one that will not be used for at least the next 3 years if even used at all (yes 50 gallons is too big even for an adult).

Not to mention you MUST take your BP to a vet here is how to find one in your area http://www.arav.org/USMembers.htm

You need to downsize your enclosure 10 gallons tank or even better 15 quarts tub.

Your temps should be 90-94 on the warm side and 80-84 on the cool side. (This mean measured with a digital thermometer)

The hardest part will be to keep proper temps on the cool side especially considering your ambient temps.

Here are your options.

1# have your BP in a room that is kept in the low 80’s with a oil filled heater.
2# have a second UTH on the cool side with a second thermostat.

I am gonna add my two cents in well cause i can, lol.

First off I agree with the others, get a to the vet first. If you need help finding one let us know.

Secondly, with having a tank. I personally like having my snakes in tanks. It IS a bit of work to keep humidity and temps correct, but that's how you play the game. A bin/tub is easier to handle with heating and humidity and if you find that the best way to play, the go for it. If you want to keep the tank for th bp, that's fine to (IMO), you'll just need to work at keeping it correctly calibrated.

Higher wattage bulbs will put out more heat, also where the blub is situtated will determine how much how hot the area will get. Further from the basking spot will give you lower temps, closer to, higher temps. You can adjust the distance from the basking spot by purchasing one of those light holders that lowers or raises the light, or by controling the actual watage of the blub by buying a rheostat, themostat, or dimmer which is greatly suggested. I've noticed a new product at my Petsmart that is a clamp lamp that has a built in dimmer. I have my bp in a 20 long with two lamps on each side to give me the correct readings, both are controled by these new dimmers/rheostats.

UTHs need to be controled by a thermostat, dimmer, or a rheostat as well.

Ways to increase the humidity are by:

*Misting your reptile's habitat daily, do not mist till the substraite is sopping wet, that can cause other problems.

*Place a towel or plastic wrap over 2/3rds of the tank. Be careful if you are using heating sources that are on top of the tank, it maybe a fire hazard.

*Try making a humid hide

*Change your substrate to something that holds more humidity, such as coconut husk.

Once again do get your little one to the vet, if you dont' have one let us know so we can help you find one. Best of luck and keep us updated.

I'm definately working on the vet, I'm worried about the vet because she is in the middle of her shed cycle (her eyes just cleared) Should I wait for her to finish.

With the larger tank, it's 98 on the side with the UTH (I just purchased a rheostat today and plan on setting that to around 92-94), it's around 85 in the middle under the light with no UTH and the coldest side is 80-82. It's keeping better temps than her cage.

I didn't cause the RI by moving her into the larger cage cause I didn't even put her near it yet.

I can only get the humidity in the large tank to about 40%, but that's when I had the water on the cold side, I'm trying it in the middle under the light now and I'm going to place foil on the top and back sides tonight and check the temps and humidty later.

I feel the temps in the larger cage are about perfect, except for the side with the UTH which I will fix tonight with the rheostat.

I also forgot to metion with her not hiding, she isn't moving aroud panicing, she just comes out and lays down on top of her hide, or by her water dish, then goes back in about 20 min or so.

I checked that website for vets, they don't have any on there. Any other ways to find a vet?

Do a yellow page search in your area...certainly there are vets nearby

Alot of the information in this post is excellent advise.

Definitely consider switching to a smaller size enclosure. The only time I get a glimpse of my snake is sometimes at night, especially when she's ready to feed. Other than that, she remains in her hides.

try here for vets

http://www.repticzone.com/articles/vets/Texas.html

I'm in Waco, there are TWO good exotics vets here. Why not make the drive or let me take the snake for awhile until she's recovered.

There is also Dr. Carpino in Temple, you can always see if she'll look at snakes(she's a bird vet).

That snake needs to be seen by a vet. She doesn't need a bigger cage, she doesn't need to be fussed with. She needs proper husbandry and a 50gallon tank in winter isn't going to cut it.

I have extra tubs if you want one, as well as some heat tape and rheostats.

I suggest getting her into a much smaller enclosure, bumping up the heat and humidity(and measuring it properly with a digital thermometer) and getting her seen by a vet as soon as possible. If you cannot afford that, then let me know and I can. I can always meet you in Lorena or I can just go all the way to Temple.

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Originally Posted by SatanicIntention

I'm in Waco, there are TWO good exotics vets here. Why not make the drive or let me take the snake for awhile until she's recovered.

There is also Dr. Carpino in Temple, you can always see if she'll look at snakes(she's a bird vet).

That snake needs to be seen by a vet. She doesn't need a bigger cage, she doesn't need to be fussed with. She needs proper husbandry and a 50gallon tank in winter isn't going to cut it.

I have extra tubs if you want one, as well as some heat tape and rheostats.

I suggest getting her into a much smaller enclosure, bumping up the heat and humidity(and measuring it properly with a digital thermometer) and getting her seen by a vet as soon as possible. If you cannot afford that, then let me know and I can. I can always meet you in Lorena or I can just go all the way to Temple.

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Really, she began shedding last night, and she has no weezing anymore, and the spots are gone. I haven't moved her yet, she has nothing to do with the larger tank right now (although the temps and humidity is so much better in the large tank.)

But really, thank you so much for the suggestion, and I'll keep and eye on her and if she starts anything again, I'll deffinately take you up on your offer.

Going off what your saying in this thread I dont see much of a problem... If your using an UTH obviously your heat on the hot side is much higher than 80. The ambient air temp may be 80 which is fine, but above the UTH is most likely much higher than what your seeing. Where do you have your probe for your thermometer? You say your snake shed, was it in one piece? I dont know so much about a snake getting an RI from switching to a larger tank but I can vouch for it getting one with low temps/low humidity. To be honest I say can the 50gal... Im totally for giving your snake more room which is fine but getting the temps/humidity in a 50+ aquarium is going to be pretty tough. I messed around with my 60 gal trying everything to get it to work and after a month and prolly close to 100$ down the drain I canned the idea. If you can return the 50 gal. and pick up a 96qt rubbermaid. This will give you pretty much the same space as a 50 gal but make it a MILLION times easier to keep temps and humidity up. Too much hot air and humidity is escaping and thats where your problem is. Take a look at my pics or send me a PM and I can give you a little more info on how I got my temps/humidity where it needs to be...

If your snake just shed Id give it a couple days to see if anything improves. Wheezing can come during sheds and you mentioned she just shed. If the wheezing continues and you see em with its mouth open it for sure has an RI... If its still early you may be able to save the lil fella without going to the vet but you need to make a husbandry change ASAP.