Any tips for a new BP owner?

[HeyJordyn]

Hello! I'm new to ball pythons (and snakes in general) and to this website. I've done tons of research leading up to the purchase of Claire (not really sure if she's actually a she, but I was set on the name and don't plan on breeding anyway ) and everything she'll need. I bought her a couple days ago (Saturday the 7th). I know about temperature, humidity, feeding; the important info on bp husbandry. I'm sure a lot of the things I haven't learned online I will learn with experience. But I was hoping to skip some of the "learning by doing" aspects of this new experience and ask a few questions that I'm having trouble finding answers to in order to keep Claire healthy and happy.

1. What are some good signs that Claire is adjusting well to her new habitat? When I first put her in there, she explored the entire enclosure for quite awhile. Yesterday she stayed in one of her hides most of the day, coming out every once in awhile to drink, roam the cage for a little while, and sometimes lay her head on a rock for a short period of time. She wasn't too active last night, but tonight she is roaming all around the enclosure and laying on top of one of her hides. I also noticed she hasn't went into her UTH/warm side hide for more than a few seconds, and I remember reading that it could mean it's possibly too hot. She doesn't avoid that side of the the enclosure entirely, though, so maybe she just hasn't wanted to go in there yet...? If I was to guess, I would say all of this sounds very normal, but I figured it's better to ask than to assume.

2. Today was a really hot day, so I didn't really NEED the lamp on the warm side of the tank to maintain the temperature there. But the light in my room isn't very bright, leaving the tank pretty dark. Almost everything I've read has said they should have 12 hours of day and 12 of night, so I was afraid the lack of light would screw up that cycle. Is that a valid concern? I ended up finding a 25 watt bulb to use so the temperature wouldn't get too high but it would still provide light.

3. Also, the temperature gradient was almost nonexistent today as opposed to yesterday. The cool side was only a few degrees cooler than the warm side. Any tips on how to fix that should it become a consistent issue?

4. I have a 20 long tank with a screen lid. I am considering buying something better for maintaining humidity and consistent temperatures. Possibly the first cage here . If anyone has one, could you tell me exactly WHERE that 18" fluorescent vent is? It's hard to tell from the picture. I'm considering getting one, but part of me also thinks I should just wait until Claire gets bigger and I have to get a larger tank anyway, although that could be quite a long time since she's only about 15". It seems like a good investment, though. Facts and opinions would be greatly appreciated before I buy a $120 cage. Also it says "Heating: Under Tank Heater". Does that mean it HAS a UTH or just that I can use one with it?

5. I have a UTH right now. It's not huge. It's 8"x8". It expands completely under the hide on the warm side of the tank. Should I have gotten one large enough to cover most of the warm side of the tank or will the 8x8 be fine?

Also, any general/random tips you can think of would be nice. Maybe something you wish you would have known with your first snake. Sorry for the super-long post. Thanks in advance!

[AkHerps]

1. BP's hide a lot, some explore at night all the time, some just hide almost 24/7.

You need to get a thermostat or rheostat for your uth and make it so you have a hot spot of 92-94.

Ditch the heat lamp if you can keep the ambient air temps at around 80-82.

Cover the top of the screen with tin foil to hold in humidity/heat.

Ball pythons are nocturnal, ambient room lighting is usually enough. Many can become stressed by bright lighting from bulbs on them all the time.

How big is your snake? If she is still just a baby, a 20 is too big and you may want to keep her in a 10, or a tub set up.

[greg728]

Hello and welcome! I'm pretty new on this site myself. My advice for you would be to read as much as you can on the forums here. I had a lamp & UTH setup at first too and everyone told me to ditch the lamp. This was such a good move - the UTH is warm enough! I would also suggest hooking your heat source up to a thermometer & trying to keep the warm side around 92. You'll also notice how much easier it is to maintain humidity without the lamp. But again, read a lot on here and have fun!

[Bones]

1) A happy ball python is a hiding ball python. If she's too active and you notice her frequently being "out and about", that's a good sign that something is wrong. Keep monitoring her and if she continues to avoid the hot side, it is most likely too hot. Unless you have two different sized hides, then that could also mean she could be favoring a hide.

2) No, it's not a valid concern. BP's don't need any special kind of light. Lamps can also suck the humidity out of the tank. My BP's tank is in the back corner of my bedroom, adjacent to a window. I'm not home a lot, so the only light he really gets is the natural light that shines through the window and that is sufficient.

3) A thermostat is a must! An UTH plug into it and it will keep the warm side at a constant temperature. I can't really elaborate because you didn't say how hot your hot side is. It is around 100* or so, with your cool side being about 96*? (I'm just guessing.) How are you monitoring your temperatures? Do you have digital thermostats with probes; one on the cool side and one on the hot side? What do you use to measure your humidity?

4) Save your money, don't buy that cage. Just do a foil treatment on the screen lid. The foil will help hold the humidity and keep the temperatures stable in the tank and it will cost you a lot less than $120.

5) As long as it is large enough to keep the entire area of his hide warm, I think that is good enough. I have an 8x12 under my 30 gallon and that seems to be more than enough.


Random tips:
- Paper towels are a great substrate. Cheap, easy to clean, and looks nice. I used to use shredded Aspen, but not anymore.

- An old toothbrush is great for cleaning poopy spots off of hides.

- A pair of feeding tongs is a great thing to have.

- Make sure you have some kind of container/pillow case available to put your snake in while you're cleaning it's tank.

- Screen clips are also another must have item.

- Covering the back and sides of the tank with some kind of non-transparent material will help your snake feel more secure.

- You do not need to move your snake to a 10g or a tub. She will be fine in a 20g long as long as you crowd up your tank. You can put wadded up pieces of paper, sterilized rocks, fake plants, etc. in it.



Here is a link to the BP caresheet:
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

Here is a link that explains how to do the foil treatment on the lid. You'll have to scroll down a bit to get to it. I did this with my tank and I haven't had any problems with temps/humidity since.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ring+foil+tape

[Kyle@theHeathertoft]

First, congrats on your new pet!!!!! Balls rock, I adore them.

When I first put her in there, she explored the entire enclosure for quite awhile. Yesterday she stayed in one of her hides most of the day, coming out every once in awhile to drink, roam the cage for a little while, and sometimes lay her head on a rock for a short period of time. She wasn't too active last night, but tonight she is roaming all around the enclosure and laying on top of one of her hides.

That's good, IMO. My happiest, healthiest snakes are the ones I almost never see outside of their hides...they're in one or the other. Remember that in the wild they lie in wait for prey in rodent burrows and things, so...hiding is kindof their thang.

2. Today was a really hot day, so I didn't really NEED the lamp on the warm side of the tank to maintain the temperature there. But the light in my room isn't very bright, leaving the tank pretty dark. Almost everything I've read has said they should have 12 hours of day and 12 of night, so I was afraid the lack of light would screw up that cycle. Is that a valid concern? I ended up finding a 25 watt bulb to use so the temperature wouldn't get too high but it would still provide light.

Ech, my snakes deal with relatively dim (by sunlight standards) day cycles. They all seem fine with it. So long as it's brighter in daytime than at night they SHOULD be ok.

[HeyJordyn]

3) A thermostat is a must! An UTH plug into it and it will keep the warm side at a constant temperature. I can't really elaborate because you didn't say how hot your hot side is. It is around 100* or so, with your cool side being about 96*? (I'm just guessing.) How are you monitoring your temperatures? Do you have digital thermostats with probes; one on the cool side and one on the hot side? What do you use to measure your humidity?

Unfortunately, I bought the Exo Terra thermometers and hygrometer that everyone has said are too inaccurate. I didn't read anything about that until after I had everything set up and stuff. I plan on buying new ones with probes as soon as possible (in 10 days at the very latest). Do I just place the probes underneath the substrate on the cool and hot sides? I'll be getting a thermostat, as well. But once I read how inaccurate the ET thermometers can be, I grabbed a regular thermometer to check the temps. The hot side was about 92-93 and the cool side was about 87-88. I know that's probably too hot (especially on the "cool" side), but I really didn't know what to do. Even with the lamp off, It was still about 85 on the cool side. Right now the tank is about 85/89 with no lamp or anything. I think I lost the better temp gradient that I had the first few days I had the tank set up because my aunt turned the AC off. So I'm not really sure how to cool the one side of the tank a little more... Plus, I wouldn't mind getting rid of the lamp, but when fall and winter come, I'm afraid it won't get warm enough.

I really thought I had all the important things figured out before I got her. Now I'm afraid I'm going to screw something up.

Thanks for all tips everyone! I can't wait until I can finally get the majority of this stuff down so I can quit worrying as much.

[Vypyrz]

The rule of thumb I use for Under Tank Heater sizes is that it should cover about 1/3 of the floor but no more than 1/2. The others are right. You will need a thermostat or at least a dimmer to control the UTH. You can pick up a dimmer/rheostat for around $10-$15, and thermostats usually start at around $30. So it all depends on what you want to spend and what you are looking for in a thermostat...