Getting my first BP

i work at a pet store and have been thinking about getting a ball python, i have always wanted one and we just got one in at my store a few days ago. I've done a lot of research and i'm excited to get it home, but i still need to buy the equipment/housing. i want to have its tank all set up and ready for it when i bring it home, and was wondering if maybe i should get the tank set up and monitor the heat for any period of time before actually bringing the snake home. Also, there is a lot of debate over what is a good substrate to use for ball pythons. We have a ready supply of coconut husk substrate at my store, but im not sure if thats good for them. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Also, it is a "juvenile", between 1-2 ft in length. I was planning on getting a 15gallon aquarium along with a secure screen lid (preferrably one with clamps to secure it) and later getting a 30 gallon tank when it gets bigger. Would the long 15gallon tank be sufficient for a juvenile?

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Originally Posted by TheHabit

i work at a pet store and have been thinking about getting a ball python, i have always wanted one and we just got one in at my store a few days ago. I've done a lot of research and i'm excited to get it home, but i still need to buy the equipment/housing. i want to have its tank all set up and ready for it when i bring it home, and was wondering if maybe i should get the tank set up and monitor the heat for any period of time before actually bringing the snake home. Also, there is a lot of debate over what is a good substrate to use for ball pythons. We have a ready supply of coconut husk substrate at my store, but im not sure if thats good for them. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

Also, it is a "juvenile", between 1-2 ft in length. I was planning on getting a 15gallon aquarium along with a secure screen lid (preferrably one with clamps to secure it) and later getting a 30 gallon tank when it gets bigger. Would the long 15gallon tank be sufficient for a juvenile?

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a 15 gallon is perfect... but if i were you i would just get plain reptile bark from another pet shop.. thats what i use and its great... ya set up the tank and use a black 50 watt light if u can find one as ur heat source... and get something to measure the heat.. you want it to be around 87-92 degrees at all times

I might be wrong, but I beleive that adults require about a 50 gal aquarium, so I guess juvenile will need a 30 gal. I might be wrong, but i'm pretty sure im not
And yes, it's better to have it alll set up and monitorred before the python arrives, u know u're ready when u are able to keep temps and humidity good for 24 hours.
And I like newspaper as bedding, easier way to go ;)
hope i helped

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Originally Posted by Dcommander

I might be wrong, but I beleive that adults require about a 50 gal aquarium, so I guess juvenile will need a 30 gal. I might be wrong, but i'm pretty sure im not
And yes, it's better to have it alll set up and monitorred before the python arrives, u know u're ready when u are able to keep temps and humidity good for 24 hours.
And I like newspaper as bedding, easier way to go ;)
hope i helped

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a 50 gallon is WAY too large for an adult that would just stress out the snake.. an adult should be in a 25-30 gallon tank and anything bigger is unhealthy for the snake

thanks for the advice, there is another pet store across the street with a wider variety of reptile accessories, i'll check them out tomorrow. i was planning on getting all the housing equipment friday afternoon, and then going back for the snake sometime on saturday, would that be enough time to watch the temps?

I have a 9 monther in a 20 gallon long and it is PLENTY big enough for her.
Most people 'round here say that a 10 G is big enough for hatchlings, and that the rule is that the length+width of the tank should be >= the length of the snake.

Also, there are plenty of people around here that LOVE the coconut stuff for bedding, but I have also heard it can be messy

ok so heres exactly what you should get a 20 gallon long tank which is suitable for up to a 4 foot snake 2 under tank heaters a ceramic heat emitter and shroud. 2 alife on/ off thermostats. One for hot end and one for cool end. i would set hot to 90 and cool to 80 as long as it is above 75. In order to keep humidity at least 50-60 which is needed you'll prolly need to put a towel over most of the top screen except for where the ceramic heat emmiter is. Also some tanks have a locking mechanism built right in. 2 small black zilla hides which are really cheap one goes on the cool side one on the hot. A water dishg big enough for it to soak in. Personally i use coconut shaving as bedding because it keeps humidity up. I hope this helps =] -Josh

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Originally Posted by TheHabit

thanks for the advice, there is another pet store across the street with a wider variety of reptile accessories, i'll check them out tomorrow. i was planning on getting all the housing equipment friday afternoon, and then going back for the snake sometime on saturday, would that be enough time to watch the temps?

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ya thats fine.. just make sure u get a small hide that it can tightly squeeze into and make sure its not too big for it.. and also get a water bowl a little less then an inch deep and that will keep the humidity at a good level

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Originally Posted by Thor26

ok so heres exactly what you should get a 20 gallon long tank which is suitable for up to a 4 foot snake 2 under tank heaters a ceramic heat emitter and shroud. 2 alife on/ off thermostats. One for hot end and one for cool end. i would set hot to 90 and cool to 80 as long as it is above 75. In order to keep humidity at least 50-60 which is needed you'll prolly need to put a towel over most of the top screen except for where the ceramic heat emmiter is. Also some tanks have a locking mechanism built right in. 2 small black zilla hides which are really cheap one goes on the cool side one on the hot. A water dishg big enough for it to soak in. Personally i use coconut shaving as bedding because it keeps humidity up. I hope this helps =] -Josh

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loll hes just a beginner thats way too complicated and expensive.. you dont even need all that stuff... all you need is a hide, a water bowl, some reptile bark, and a black light as ur heat source.. and also something cheap to measure the heat on each side.. you can get these stick-on reptile thermometers dat just stick to the glass and there only about 5 $ each

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Originally Posted by 51-50 Python

loll hes just a beginner thats way too complicated and expensive.. you dont even need all that stuff... all you need is a hide, a water bowl, some reptile bark, and a black light as ur heat source.. and also something cheap to measure the heat on each side.. you can get these stick-on reptile thermometers dat just stick to the glass and there only about 5 $ each

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The under tank heaters are definitely better than lights for ball pythons (or so I hear haha) because they need "belly heat" to aid in digestion. Also, the Acurite thermometer/hygrometer is only $12 at WalMart, making it a far better deal than the stick on thermometers (you know, since they actually work:P)

you also do need something to control your heat source, but that can be as simple as a "lamp dimmer" (found in the lighting section of a hardware store or some WalMarts as well. Just a dimmer switch that you plug into the wall and then has an outlet that you plug your UTH/lamp into)

yeah i was going to get a UTH for sure. i thought they needed a basking light? perhaps not seeing as ive heard they are nocturnal : / can i really just use a blacklight bulb in the lamp?

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Originally Posted by 51-50 Python

loll hes just a beginner thats way too complicated and expensive.. you dont even need all that stuff... all you need is a hide, a water bowl, some reptile bark, and a black light as ur heat source.. and also something cheap to measure the heat on each side.. you can get these stick-on reptile thermometers dat just stick to the glass and there only about 5 $ each

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hey my way of doing it is not ungodly expensive but the snake will be happy and it will thrive. you dont have to use my way but all that matters is the tank is 90 on one side 80 on the other two hides and a water dish you can do whatever you want to meet those requirements. The way i posted is just what works for me. I would definately go with a accurite from walmart. O and those stick on thermometers suck the one i bought was off by 4 degrees.

You should really check out the following stickies.....
FAQ
Caresheet
Glass Tank Setup
You are honestly getting some not so correct advice as of right now and going off in all different directions. I would recommend starting over by reading those 3 threads. They have just about all the info you will need to get you up and running!

if u actually needed all that stuff then how has my snake been eating well and been having perfect sheds since the day i got it? never had a single problem no mites or anything like that.. im just saying im sure an advanced ball python keeper would rather get that kina stuff but for people who are not trying to spend that much money and trying to keep it simple your snake will be just fine.. perfect sheds perfect eating and no problems

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Originally Posted by 51-50 Python

if u actually needed all that stuff then how has my snake been eating well and been having perfect sheds since the day i got it? never had a single problem no mites or anything like that.. im just saying im sure an advanced ball python keeper would rather get that kina stuff but for people who are not trying to spend that much money and trying to keep it simple your snake will be just fine.. perfect sheds perfect eating and no problems

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Well, what works for one may not work for another. It sounds like both of you have good set-ups, though you've gone about it in different ways. I just don't want to see this turn into an argument. *shrug*

To the O.P. - Enve has given you probably the best response thus far. Look over the care guides and then you can develop your own variation of how to provide those requirements. (The differing opinions of Thor26 and 51-50 Python are perfect examples of how two completely different set-ups can both give good results) It's just good to read them in the beginning - gives you a good base to build on.

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Originally Posted by Enve

You should really check out the following stickies.....
FAQ
Caresheet
Glass Tank Setup
You are honestly getting some not so correct advice as of right now and going off in all different directions. I would recommend starting over by reading those 3 threads. They have just about all the info you will need to get you up and running!

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yes ive read these, and found them very helpful, however i feel the setup they use is a little too elaborate for me at this stage. Not saying i wont get everything it needs, but i am just starting out and dont have a whole lot of money to spend on extras/"the best" equipment. However, i WILL get everything that is needed, i dont want to skimp out and end up having an unhappy/unhealthy pet.

thats exactly what i did when i started was read the stickies there are many environments that these snakes can thrive in. 51-50 if ur setup works for you cool as long as your snake is happy and healthy its all good. =] -josh

So i ended up finding a snake starter kit at my store, it came with a nice 20gallon long tank with a locking screen lid, 2 light fixtures, a bag of substrate (i bought my own anyway), thermometer/humidty guage and a couple other things. i also got a UTH. after getting that all set up and watching the temp for a few hours i couldnt wait any longer and had to go pick up my baby, his enclosure at the store was hardly humane and i just wanted him to be happy. Im pretty sure its a male, the tip of his tail is kind of more long/thin. ill post some pics soon of my baby and the set up, though at this point it isnt very fancy... need to get some leafy decorations and a climbing branch. Should I try feeding him in about a week?

Give him a week of no handling then try and feed. It isn't necessarily bad to feed before that, but do not handle him for a minimum of 1 week.

Also don't forget to use a control on your UTH, those things easily shoot up to over 110 degrees without a control. By control I mean a thermostat or rheostat. Thermostats are $50-$200 and are very reliable where as rheostats (something like a lamp dimmer) requires you to manually adjust the temp of the UTH, and can fluctuate quite a bit.

If you bought the dial thermometer/hygrometers, grab a digital therm/hygrometer from wal-mart or a hardware store for 10 dollars, because those dials are very inaccurate and easily stick. When you look for the digital thero/hygrometer, get one that says Indoor/Outdoor because there is a probe attached to those that you can measure the direct surface temp of your UTH, so you are sure where your bp is laying is the correct temp. Congrats on your new snake!!