What do i need to get started?

[mpianter]

Hi my name is mitch. I am new to this site and i am looking into buying my first snake. From what i have herd ball pythons are the ideal beginer snake. I have a 20g long for right now and what i have researched that will be enough for a year or so if i buy a hatchling. this is what i have researched for housing, i will need a heat pad, and lamp a large water dish, hydrometers (2 one on hot one on cold side of tank), 2thermoters(one on hot one on cold) 90'F on hot side and 75-80'F on cold. screen lid, a seperate container for feeding, substrate, one or two hiding spots and maybe some beach wood.

Any help would be greatly appriciated from you thank you.

[Drumsinthenight.]

You will need lots of money.

[mpianter]

lol i know that i have been saving and i know its not goin to be like my salt water fish tank, i had a standard 20g tank with 45lbs of live rock and 40lbs of sand coral and fish every where and i dumped $3000 into that stupid little thing lol

[JamieH]

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

welcome!

[RichsBallPythons]

Hatchlings under 300g should be in a 6qt tub or 10gallon tank.

2 hides one on each side
water bowl in middle
DIGITAL thermometer/hydrometer dont buy stick on dials
paper towel,newspaper,aspen bedding
cover 3 sides of tank to enclose it better
Cover 80% of screen lid to hold in humidity and heat
DO NOT need a separate feeding container, feed in its home less stressful.
No need for any logs or sticks, ball pythons are not climbers, not matter what other beginners want to say.
and most important THERMOSTAT to control heat

[mpianter]

ok thanks guys, the reason i said a seperate feeding tank is so it doesnt associte me with food every time i go to pick it up or clean. Now my local pet store has what i beleive are hatchlings(roughly 18in) when i first get it home make sure i have everything set up and people said not to disturb them for a week or two then feed them the a couple days after you can handle them, whats the truth to that?

[Inknsteel]

What you need depends on what kind of setup you're going for. You can use a 20L tank for sure, but you could also use a plastic sterilite tub from Walmart that would be a lot cheaper. As for the heat, if your room temps are pretty steady, you should be able to use just the UTH and ditch the lamp all together. Heat lamps often do more harm than good because they only serve to raise the ambient temps in the enclosure, but suck the humidity out of the air while doing so. As for thermometers and hygrometers, you don't need two of each. You can buy an Accu-Rite weather station from Walmart for about $11 that has a probe to measure hot side temps, and sensors on the unit itself to measure the cool side temp and ambient humidity. With just the one unit, you will be able to measure all the necessary temps and humidity. For heating, if you are going to use a UTH (under tank heater), you also need to consider a means to regulate the temperatures. Those UTHs can get up to 120-130 degrees, which is hot enough to burn your snake. Ideally, you should get a thermostat to hook the heat element into so as to control the maximum temperature it will reach. You can go with a top-of-the-line thermostat if you can afford it (Helix, Herpstat, etc) or for a single enclosure you could go with a cheaper one such as the Repti-therm 500R, or even use a rheostat or dimmer switch as long as you constantly monitor the temps. 2 identical hides are recommended for tank setups as it offers security for your bp, but some keepers use rack systems or tubs and either offer a single hide or none at all. That will ultimately depend on your snake's preference. You do NOT need a separate feeding container at all. It is purely myth that you need to remove your bp from their enclosure to feed. In fact, moving the snake to feed only causes unnecessary stress to the snake and can trigger food refusals or regurgitation, which is really stressful and bad for your snake. Substrate can be as simple as using paper towels or newspaper, if you don't mind the looks. If you're looking for something more natural, you can go with aspen, cypress, or coconut husk. Just make sure with a substrate like that, you are spot cleaning when needed and doing a full bedding change every 4-6 weeks so you avoid bacteria growth... Beechwood is primarily for decoration and can be used as something for the snake to rub against during shedding, but isn't a necessity...

Anyway, sorry for the long post. Welcome to bp.net. Read up and learn as much as you can. This site has a WEALTH of information available to you. And feel free to ask questions!

[Inknsteel]

ok thanks guys, the reason i said a seperate feeding tank is so it doesnt associte me with food every time i go to pick it up or clean. Now my local pet store has what i beleive are hatchlings(roughly 18in) when i first get it home make sure i have everything set up and people said not to disturb them for a week or two then feed them the a couple days after you can handle them, whats the truth to that?

That is fairly accurate. When you first get your new bp home, you do want to leave them alone in their enclosure for the first week with no handling and very minimal interaction (only change water and spot clean if needed) to allow the snake to de-stress and get used to the new environment. I personally don't see any reason not to at least offer food on schedule. If the snake chooses not to eat, no harm, just remove the prey and try again the next week.

[RichsBallPythons]

The snake associating your hand with food when opening the cage is a myth. Dont listen to who ever told you that as its not true at all.

[mpianter]

Ok thanks guys ill keep you posted