Ball python heat and hidy houses

Ok so ive read a bunch of websites and a bunch of books on ball pythons and alot have them have different answers to things.

is this page a good one?
http://www.kingsnake.com/ballpythonguide/

im kinda confused on how all this is suppose to work.
i have a 27 inch ball python in a ten gallon with a water bowl, vines, and aspen bedding (and of course the heat lamp and a humidity and heat thermometer) and they keep mentioning these "hidy houses" but a ten gallon is too small for a hidy house. So how is that suppose to work? and that page also says to keep them away from the lamp..so u clamp the lamp to the cage...well my ten gallon has a screen lid -.- duh. So i dont get how that person fits one or two hidy houses in a ten gallon and clamps a light to the cage. O.o im having a hard time with that...

Soo i may not have worded that very well but if you can help that would be great. and as far as heat goes what would you say is the ideal temp? and what wattage is good?

most everyone here uses 2 hides. I do for my baby ball Calypso but not for my big boy Kyros. Kyros has always preffured plants. he thermoregulates himself and the temps and humidity are perfect. It depends on the ball. you could look for a hide that is also a water dish. maybe that would clear some space!

Go to a dollar store and buy a couple of cheap plastic bowls, and then take some scissors and cut an entry into the bowls. This is a cheap and easy way to get two identical hides for a small BP, and they shouldn't take up too much space. Another alternative to plastic bowls is to use small flower pots. These are also cheap, but are a little more difficult to make an entry hole in.

Keep in mind that your 10g tank will probably look a little bit cramped, but it's not like your snake needs to stretch it's legs. A young BP will actually feel more secure in a small environment. If your BP is 27" it may be a good idea to keep your eyes open for a larger tank or tub.

To address your lamp issue, pictures would help a lot! you may have to modify your screen top, or clamp the lamp to a shelf or something above your tank.

Well a 10 gallon might be too small for a water bowl and two hides, I remember thinking that I was glad I picked up a 20 gallon long tank when I was fitting my snake's hides and water bowl in.

Here's my setup, you can see how I set up two hides and a water bowl with some extra plants for decoration/extra cover.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/8867/dscf0990hu7.jpg
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/d...jpg/1/w320.png

If a 10 gallon is half this size, I couldn't fit those two hides in there with a water bowl. Granted for a snake the size of mine I could put some pretty dinky hides in there, but these aren't too big for her and will last her for a good long while.

yah i thought a 10 gallon seemed alittle cramped, i read that it stresses them when the tank is too big...? But i do have a 15 or 20 gallon i think. But then theres a problem with the lamps, how do u clamp it to the tank? or is that just bs

You might want to think about moving up to a 20 gallon long tank.

ok ill post a pick. at least try to lol my camera is being a pain in the butt :mad: dont get mad at me though its still not very full

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a87...8/DSCN9426.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a87...8/DSCN9427.jpg

there isn't anywhere for me to clap on my tank, so I just let the lamp sit on the screen.

me too. so i figured that page was stupid...

It's very important to create a thermal gradient--this means that your cage should be significantly warmer on one side than it is on the other. The warmest spot should be about 90F, that's the basking area. The cool side should be around 80 to 83F. If your temperatures are warmer or cooler than this, you will need to adjust them.

Your ball python will move between the warm and cool sides of the tank to keep its body temperature at the level it prefers.

Alice began his life in a 10-gallon tank and now lives in a 40-gallon tank. Some will argue that it's entirely too big, but it's literally a jungle in there, as well as his two identical hides and water bowl. It works for him because of all the great things I learned on this site. There are several stickies available with loads of information, particularly the basic caresheet for BPs and the one regarding glass tank setups. There are lots of hints regarding temperature and humidity control in glass, and even one with instructions on a DIY humidity chamber, which my husband built me and it works wonders!

Unfortunately, I don't know how to put those links in my post, so if some of the BP.net vets would be so kind.....I think you will find them quite helpful.

Good luck!

Robbin

Would it be too much to ask for some pictures with the lights on? :rolleyes:

If you have access to a larger tank I think it would be wise to switch. Also, I'm not sure what your temps/humidity is or what you are using to measure them, but that info would be useful as well.

One solution to your clamping issue would be to move your tank somewhere that you can clamp on to a shelf or something similar. My 20L has a sliding top, and there is enough room to squeeze a clamp between the top and the side of the tank and still close it completely.

I don't think it's really necessary to clamp the lamp on, just set it on top of the screen. It looks like your snake is big enough to move up to a 20L also, and I would suggest, as I'm sure most others on this site would, that you get a UTH because using two lamps will suck all the humidity from your tank.

As far as hides, it doesn't even look like you have one, so even if you can't fit two, at least have one in there

Welcome to the snake-keeping world :) Just a side note for you...

Are you measuring humidity levels? Lamps tend to suck all the humidity out of glass tanks, and BP's need 50-60% humidity in order to shed properly.

If you look at mainbutter's setup, you'll see that he's covered most of the screen top - that is to keep humidity in, and it helps a lot with glass tanks.

i know thats what i mean i cant fit a hidy house in there..i dont see how anyone could fit a hidy house thats big enough in a ten gallon O.o and ive noticed shes been up alot lately..does that mean anything? up all day regardless of the time..

i mist the tank often to keep the humidity good. I live in MN so the humidity pretty much takes care of itself anyways. What wattage should the bulbs be?

If saying "shes been up a lot lately" means she has been moving around constantly then she is probably quite stressed from either husbandry issues or a lack of hiding places.

Even with misting you should still measure the humidity. The bulbs should be a relatively low wattage, 25w or 50w should be MORE than enough. Are you measuring temps or humidity at all?

Well, first of all. A ten gallon tank can hold two snug hides in it perfectly fine, I do it all of the time. There doesn't have to be a ton of roaming space.
Your snake, however, looks capable of being in a 15 gallon soon. Larger tanks are stressful because of the open space, without hides, it can be just as stressful.

This is a good caresheet, as far as I know, everything is accurate, so follow it well.

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

Get rid of the lamps, and get a UTH-Thermostat combo.
Get two hides.
Create a thermal gradient.
Check your substrate, temperatures, and humidity.

Then come back and let us know how it's going. :]

You might be surprised just how small of a hide your BP needs.

You should be able to fit at least one in there. When I used a 10 gallon I had enough room for both a hide and a water bowl.

It is entirely possible to have two hides, a water bowl, and a very good gradient in a 10gal tank. :) Here's the tank I kept my rescued pastel in...until he outgrew it. :D Now it houses my spider girl:

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...t_10g_tank.jpg


The key is insulation of the glass and screen. I agree that you should ditch the lamp, or at LEAST hang it above the top 8-12" from the lid. UTHs sized for the tank on thermostats give a perfect 10 degree gradient across the floor, and you can stick with only one UTH on the warm side if your room temps stay above 75 all the time. :)

this is what i have for a therometer

http://www.reptilesupply.com/product...roducts_id=655

Does anyone have a ten gallon that i can see? Just to see how much room a ball needs? people make it sound like they like to be cramped :weirdface guess it makes sense though. Would a UTH be ok under a tank on a wood table? Even with the under tank heater and lights its still hard for me to retain the heat :tears: in the 15 gallon i mean. So im confused on how you would use a low watt bulb and a UTH :confused: im too much of a novice i guess :/

ball pythons like those small hidy houses O.O Really?!? Thats what i used for my cornsnake O.O well at least for alittle while and then changed to a coconut thing :rolleyes: How big is your snake? i just cant even imagine her fitting in there :confused:

and like i said i live in MN so my house is kinda cold. :/

Use a quilt, or some other sort of insulation, across the back and 2 sides, and that may help you retain some heat as well.

ok ill try that :) i hate minnesota :P

My BP just outgrew his hides, but i left them in there anyway because he burrows in the aspen so that he can fit. BPs love tight hides.

Here's the ever-famous hide size thread :D
http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...=543688#543688

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mainbutter

Well a 10 gallon might be too small for a water bowl and two hides, I remember thinking that I was glad I picked up a 20 gallon long tank when I was fitting my snake's hides and water bowl in.

Here's my setup, you can see how I set up two hides and a water bowl with some extra plants for decoration/extra cover.

http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/8867/dscf0990hu7.jpg
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/d...jpg/1/w320.png

If a 10 gallon is half this size, I couldn't fit those two hides in there with a water bowl. Granted for a snake the size of mine I could put some pretty dinky hides in there, but these aren't too big for her and will last her for a good long while.

---

sick hides

Why does everyone put foil on the lids of their cages? Does that make it hotter?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by chinchillachic18

Why does everyone put foil on the lids of their cages? Does that make it hotter?

---

The foil is to retain humidity. It's hard to do in screen-top tanks.