Need help.

This is my first time owning a snake,
My name is Randy, His is Monty,

This is his cage.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...X/P8150298.jpg
This is him.
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c1...X/P8140296.jpg

Anyone wanna give me tips for his cage, things I need to know, stuff like that. :D

I would ditch the log hide and get 2 identical hides, one each for the hot side and cool side. You want him to feel secure, so add some foilage (fake plants) and such throughout the enclosure. Many people will block off the back and sides so it doesn't seem so open. How are you heating it and measuring temps and humidity?
Oh, and welcome to BpNet!

I JUST got him yesterday and I've run out of money, I have a heater lamp, Its up in the corner, The way I took the picture you can't see it. They guy gave me the log hide with.

I was actually planning on getting some plants to stick in there and another hide, I'ma get more money next month, for now I leave the lamp on almost all the time and I'ma go out a get a underbed heater for it. also Ima get the monitors.


Blah, I feel so poor.
I wish I could get some help with getting the stuff.

this is the reason alot of people save up to make sure they have enough money to support it. it really saddens me when people do this. how are you going to afford mice? checkups? new bedding?

OH no, I have that stuff, I have money for mice and stuff, I just dont have the money for all the other stuff, I thought i did but my dad had to borrow money from me,

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Originally Posted by bamf64

this is the reason alot of people save up to make sure they have enough money to support it. it really saddens me when people do this. how are you going to afford mice? checkups? new bedding?

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X2. Please make sure you know how to and can afford to care for a snake. They are just like dogs and cats; specific care requirements with a certain bill each month. All you need is $15 for 2 new, identical hides that keep the snake snug. I'm in high school, and saved up for 2 years before spending my $300 on my snake's home. Snakes require both knowledge and money. If you don't have the money, please have the knowledge.

P.S. That sure is a purty snake! :gj:

This may answer some questions regarding setting up a glass tank enclosure. It's long, but a good read.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=56846
Give it a read and it will probably answer most of your questions.
Btw, Craigslist can be a good place to pick up supplies on the cheap;)

Log hides are bad for BP's. You can crumple some news paper in the cage to help him feel secure until you can get the hides. You should have an undertank heating pad also with a thermostat (make sure you use a thermostat it is the most important thing in your set up, I found out the hard way). Screen tops are also not good for BP's, it doesnt provid them with enough humidity, I would suggest changing that after you've taken care of the above mentioned needs.

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Originally Posted by abuja

X2. Please make sure you know how to and can afford to care for a snake. They are just like dogs and cats; specific care requirements with a certain bill each month. All you need is $15 for 2 new, identical hides that keep the snake snug. I'm in high school, and saved up for 2 years before spending my $300 on my snake's home. Snakes require both knowledge and money. If you don't have the money, please have the knowledge.

P.S. That sure is a purty snake! :gj:

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Like I said, I do have the money, Just, My dad needed to borrow a hundred from me. :(
I have thirty bucks which ima go out later get him some another hide for now and some more bedding and get him his rat on Wednesday.
I planned on getting everything THAT day but my dad had to pay electricity or it would have been cut off and i had already bought the original tank that came with the bowl and tree hide, and like half a bag of bedding i was gonna go out and grab more stuff for him,

I was planning on making his cage really pretty, I'm an artist like that.

Thank you, i thought he was too.

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Originally Posted by RandellX

Like I said, I do have the money, Just, My dad needed to borrow a hundred from me. :(
I have thirty bucks which ima go out later get him some another hide for now and some more bedding and get him his rat on Wednesday.
I planned on getting everything THAT day but my dad had to pay electricity or it would have been cut off and i had already bought the original tank that came with the bowl and tree hide, and like half a bag of bedding i was gonna go out and grab more stuff for him,

I was planning on making his cage really pretty, I'm an artist like that.

Thank you, i thought he was too.

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Mm, okay. In the meantime, I used to have a log hide (not anymore) but what I did was close up one of the openings with bedding, and half of the second opening with bedding. This is a GREAT hide for bps: http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/reptile_cave.php. The second smallest is the right size for young bps. Try to, for now, make your log hide resemble this. Also, does he currently have heating? Because then you should budget an extra $50, $30 for the temp control and $20 for the UTH (Under Tank Heater). When he grows out of his tank, you could switch to a tub with newspaper as the bedding or stay with tanks. I'm planning on going back to tanks because they're aesthetically pleasing, but tubs with newspaper keep up the humidity better and are simpler to clean. Good luck! Post more pics soon!

You know, all of things needed aren't very expensive. I setup my enclosure for less than $150.
I simply used small basic flowerpots with holes cut out of them for hides--2 of them from Lowe's was about $3.00.
My UTH was only $23 from Petco. (I bought the 10-20 gallon size]
A thermostat could be a bit expensive so a Lutron lamp dimmer switch would be a decent temporary alternative for $12. (with a UTH you will absolutely need a thermostat or at least a dimmer..temps can hit over 120 degrees without one.)
An Accurite thermometer/hygrometer from Wal-Mart is only about $15.
Perhaps instead of plants, you could temporarily use crumpled newspaper? It doesn't look the best but it works and crowds up the tank....

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Originally Posted by abuja

Mm, okay. In the meantime, I used to have a log hide (not anymore) but what I did was close up one of the openings with bedding, and half of the second opening with bedding. This is a GREAT hide for bps: http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/reptile_cave.php. The second smallest is the right size for young bps. Try to, for now, make your log hide resemble this. Also, does he currently have heating? Because then you should budget an extra $50, $30 for the temp control and $20 for the UTH (Under Tank Heater). When he grows out of his tank, you could switch to a tub with newspaper as the bedding or stay with tanks. I'm planning on going back to tanks because they're aesthetically pleasing, but tubs with newspaper keep up the humidity better and are simpler to clean. Good luck! Post more pics soon!

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Actually, YES I was planning on doing that with the log hide later today, Mainly becuase he was asleep last time i checked on him. I may cover the top with black plastic for the time being, also I was planning on getting a temp/humid treader and the undertank heater too, I just hafta get out to the petstore and everyone who has a car is busy today. and he does have a top heater, Its a red light that gets hot to the touch in the upped corner of the cage near the bowl. My brother is going to go to the beach later and bring me back some drift wood for him to climb on. untill i go out and get vines and such.

Mae sure you disinfect the drift wood! That could be really dangerous for him! He is a cutie though, nice find, very nice. :)

Also, I didn't have time to read all of your posts I'm sorry, but if you do not have a temp gage or a humid gage, and have a glass tank, you should put that black plastic on the back of your tank to keep the heat in. I have the red bulb too, that is more for basking than regular light, but it will do just fine to keep him warm for now. Most likely you should keep it all the way up to keep it around 90 on one side. Also, try putting a damp towel ontop of your tank to keep the humidity up. Make a square out of it and put it smack dab in the middle of the top. It shouldn't cover the whole thing, but a small portion. This may help keep everything semi-stable until you have the equipment to properly tell.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by RandellX

Actually, YES I was planning on doing that with the log hide later today, Mainly becuase he was asleep last time i checked on him. I may cover the top with black plastic for the time being, also I was planning on getting a temp/humid treader and the undertank heater too, I just hafta get out to the petstore and everyone who has a car is busy today. and he does have a top heater, Its a red light that gets hot to the touch in the upped corner of the cage near the bowl. My brother is going to go to the beach later and bring me back some drift wood for him to climb on. untill i go out and get vines and such.

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Bake the wood for like1-1.5 hrs at least at 250F to kill anything on it.

Since you are on a tight budget, here are some tips for being cheap.

Check out the dollar store. Usually they have a lot of fake plants and flowers and stuff that you could use for decoration. Also you can use opaque plastic bowls as hides. Just flip them over and cut a small opening in the side and tada! Perfect ball python hides.

If you don't want to keep buying snake bedding (I don't blame you) a cheap alternative is paper towels or newspaper. You can also use the aspen made for small animals instead of snakes. It is about $5 for a HUGE bag. It will last you forever with one snake.

The best thermometer hygrometer combo is actually not even made for reptiles. It is the acurite weather station. It is sold at home depot, lowes, and walmart for around $12. That will be your best investment. This unit will measure your hot side, cool side, and humidity!

It might be worth your while to cover the back and sides with dark construction paper or foam core board. This will help the snake feel more safe and it will also help keep the temps more stable.


At some point when you get more money (like $50) I would invest in a UTH with a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by spitfireashlea

I have the red bulb too, that is more for basking than regular light, but it will do just fine to keep him warm for now.

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do bp's bask?

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Originally Posted by Ponthieux

do bp's bask?

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I'm going to assume you want to know that haha.
No, they don't. Unless by bask you mean bask in the shadows of a dark hide. Then yes. ;)

By basking i'm not talking about a specific light, I'm saying its a hot spot for the tank. I posted that wrong. The red light can be used to keep the temperature up, but i find that the colored lights (red/blue) are no substitute for a ceramic one.