A massive bunch of newbie questions.

[Sugarbit]

Ok, I'm picking up my ball python hatchling this Saturday and would like to get a few things straight as the reptile store guy was completely unhelpful. Yeah, he answered all my questions, but according to the internet he gave me all the wrong answers. And then everyone on the internet says different things! It's driving me crazy!

So, here we go:

1. Do both hides need to be filled with live moss, or just one? Reptile store guy says one should be filled permanently with it.

2. How/where do I store the spare live moss? It's currently in a sealed plastic bag.

3. Will my python be OK with just a heat mat, or should I get him a ceramic lamp as well? (Everyone has been giving me conflicting info on this one). If it makes any difference temperature-wise, I live in the UK.

4. The heat mat seems to take up 2/3rds of the floor space, as opposed to a third. Yet this is the one the store guy gave me for it. Should I buy a smaller one, or should I just move this one to the side a bit?

5. Where in the tank should the thermometer and humidity gauge be placed?

6. How many of those do I need?

7. Does anyone know any good brands? (Also bearing in mind again that I don't live in the US)

8. How often do I need to mist the viv, if at all? A few people I've asked have said it's unnecessary, but how else would I keep up humidity (I guess I'd have to get a massive water dish?) Also, the moss needs to be misted… arghhh.

9. I'd kind of like to get some extra furnishings. What would be appropriate?

10. I think he gave me beech chippings as a substrate (I'll call tomorrow and check). Is this fine?

11. Should I get a Mat Stat, or a Pulse Prop one?


Oh gosh, I'm in paranoid momma-mode. I hate to think what I'll be like when I actually have kids.

Thanks in advance!

[Wapadi]

We have some really good care sheets on the forum page!!

I have never used moss in any of my setups - FYI
Definately 2 hides - one on hot side and one on cool side
Water dish big enough to get in , not massive
I used pine shavings, alot of folks use cypress to help with humidity. You can also wrap the lid of the aquarium in saranwrap partly to help also.

Again just my two cents worth...

[Simple Man]

Ok, I'm picking up my ball python hatchling this Saturday and would like to get a few things straight as the reptile store guy was completely unhelpful. Yeah, he answered all my questions, but according to the internet he gave me all the wrong answers. And then everyone on the internet says different things! It's driving me crazy!

So, here we go:

1. Do both hides need to be filled with live moss, or just one? Reptile store guy says one should be filled permanently with it.

2. How/where do I store the spare live moss? It's currently in a sealed plastic bag.

I can't help here. I use tubs so I don't have any experience with moss. I assume you have a glass tank though and would sugggest covering most of the top so you retain humidity. Humidity should be 50-60%.

3. Will my python be OK with just a heat mat, or should I get him a ceramic lamp as well? (Everyone has been giving me conflicting info on this one). If it makes any difference temperature-wise, I live in the UK.

Your snake needs a hot side that is about 90 degrees. The cool side needs to be 80 degrees. If your setup has this temp gradiant then there is no need for additional heating sources.

4. The heat mat seems to take up 2/3rds of the floor space, as opposed to a third. Yet this is the one the store guy gave me for it. Should I buy a smaller one, or should I just move this one to the side a bit?

See above but if it helps keep your hot and cool side temps where they need to be then it is perfect.

5. Where in the tank should the thermometer and humidity gauge be placed?

You need a temp reading from the hot side and cool side where the snake can actually be. That means directly on your substrate on the hot side and cool side. The hygrometer should be centered in your tank as best as possible.

6. How many of those do I need?

7. Does anyone know any good brands? (Also bearing in mind again that I don't live in the US)

In the states they sell simple digital units that read two temps and the humidity. I would recommend looking for one. For a referance picture you could look up an Accurite digital temp/hygrometer. I don't know if they sell them in the UK but I'm sure there is something similiar.

8. How often do I need to mist the viv, if at all? A few people I've asked have said it's unnecessary, but how else would I keep up humidity (I guess I'd have to get a massive water dish?) Also, the moss needs to be misted… arghhh.

As often as is needed to keep your humidity at 50-60%.

9. I'd kind of like to get some extra furnishings. What would be appropriate?

Up to you but hiding spots are always appreciate by Ball Pythons.

10. I think he gave me beech chippings as a substrate (I'll call tomorrow and check). Is this fine?

Aspen is typically one of the better wood chips. You need to make sure there is no dust. I use paper so I can't help a lot here.

11. Should I get a Mat Stat, or a Pulse Prop one?

If you mean a thermostat, proportional is the best way to go!

Oh gosh, I'm in paranoid momma-mode. I hate to think what I'll be like when I actually have kids.

Thanks in advance!

Welcome to the hobby! You're off to a great start if you have come here to get some answers. Feel free to PM if you need any more specific help.

Regards,

B

[Sugarbit]

Thanks so much for all your help!

Welcome to the hobby! You're off to a great start if you have come here to get some answers.

Haha, thanks! I've waited 12 years (since the moment I first held a snake!) for this moment so I want to get it right!

Thanks again,

Erm, also... (out of paranoia again) here's the size of the mat in relation to the viv. It looks kinda big to me, but maybe I'm wrong. :s

[dr del]

Hi,

Don't use that faunarium - you will never be able to keep the humidity or temp up in it.

If you can get your money back on it fine but if not keep it as a temp housing for when you need to clean the snakes enclosure thoroughly.

I would go find a suitable sized rubbermaid ( or "really useful box" - try staples either online or in a physical shop ), solder a couple of holes in it to allow for the right humidity level ( start with, say, 5 per short side and see how that works out ) and simply sit it on the heatmat - that way you can move it more over the mat etc if needed.

What I do not see in that pile however is a thermostat. You really need one of those to control the heatmat in most cases.

You can get some from ebay for quite a decent price ( don't buy a dimmer stat for only one mat though as it has a minimum wattage requirement of 40w ).

You might have trouble with the cool end temps depending on your house temps though.

Oh and buy a digital weatherstation with a probe from ebay as well - it will let you measure the humidity and temp at the base unit ( I put this on the cool side while testing ) and the temp at the end of the probe ( I usually pout this in the warm end hide) - I would probably use paper towel for the substrate for at least a short while with a new arrival so I could check the droppings and keep my eye out for mites or anything else dodgy.


dr del

[Ham]

The guy who sold you the live moss is nuts! Do not put that stuff in your snakes cage, there is no reason to have that in there, just use some cypress mulch across the whole bottom of the cage and mist down the tank once a day, but you should have a hide on both the cool and hot side of the tank, and make sure you have digital thermometers to measure your temps as well as a thermostat to regulate the temp of your heat pad.

[Sugarbit]

What I do not see in that pile however is a thermostat. You really need one of those to control the heatmat in most cases.

Actually, question 11 was about the thermostat.

So all this is just confusing the hell out of me. It sounds like I should basically just try and sell this stuff back to the store guy. Which is a bit worrying since I think he's the one that actually owns that store.

EDIT: He was also the one who said the python only needed one hide because 'his pythons always chose the warm ones'.

[ogdentrece]

I would probably be repeating some of the things already mentioned in above responses, especially Simple Man's but there are some pointers I would like to add in myself, so I'd just put everything in anyway.

1. Do both hides need to be filled with live moss, or just one? Reptile store guy says one should be filled permanently with it.

Nope, I dont see the need for any moss anywhere, let alone LIVE moss, unless youre using it for humidity. In that case it still doesnt need to be live. So question 2 should be taken care of too.

3. Will my python be OK with just a heat mat, or should I get him a ceramic lamp as well? (Everyone has been giving me conflicting info on this one). If it makes any difference temperature-wise, I live in the UK.

Try not to use the lamp as much as possible, makes your life hell when it comes to humidity. Use the heatmat alone if you can, and if you ambient temperatures stay above 80F. Thats about 26-27C. If it goes below that, I do believe that youll need the CHE to bring up ambient temps, cos low ambient temps are bad even with really good floor temps and hot spots, since the snake's lung runs a good length of its body, by the heart. So cool air cools it really fast.

4. The heat mat seems to take up 2/3rds of the floor space, as opposed to a third. Yet this is the one the store guy gave me for it. Should I buy a smaller one, or should I just move this one to the side a bit?

Like others said, try not to use that enclosure. If you have to, 2/3 is pretty big. No more than half really. I have mine at 1/3. The glass on the bottom of my enclosure a few inches away from the edge of the UTH's get pretty warm too, they conduct pretty well, so 2/3 is too little gradient.

5. Where in the tank should the thermometer and humidity gauge be placed?

In the enclosure. If you have the digital thermometer with a probe, probe goes below the substrate on the bottom surface of the tank. Always measure the hottest surface your snake can come into contact with.

6. How many of those do I need?

You could use just 1 for that hot spot, you could use 2 for hot and cool side, you could add another for ambient temps, you can overkill it in any way you wish.

7. Does anyone know any good brands? (Also bearing in mind again that I don't live in the US)

Sorry, not sure about the UK. Look around, they dont have to be specifically for reptiles. But I really spend wayyy too much on my snakes - I'm all the way in Asia and ship everything I need over.

8. How often do I need to mist the viv, if at all? A few people I've asked have said it's unnecessary, but how else would I keep up humidity (I guess I'd have to get a massive water dish?) Also, the moss needs to be misted… arghhh.

This depends greatly on many factors. Firstly, your humidity. If its low because of your heat lamp, and you HAVE to use it, then the water dish under the heat lamp would help. Misting, it depends on the substrate youre using, the humidity of the room, the temperature. You have to experiment on your own, just keep all the basic husbandry points in mind and play around with the schedule and setup. If you still cant keep it up, bring in a humidifier.

9. I'd kind of like to get some extra furnishings. What would be appropriate?

I'm a fan of display tanks and decorative setups too, but do keep in mind that the more you put in, the more you clean. Please only add as much as you are willing to maintain. That said, anything honestly can go in, in my biggest enclosure relative to snake size, I have 3 hides, fake plants, branches and fake mangrove roots, rocks etc.

10. I think he gave me beech chippings as a substrate (I'll call tomorrow and check). Is this fine?

11. Should I get a Mat Stat, or a Pulse Prop one?


Oh gosh, I'm in paranoid momma-mode. I hate to think what I'll be like when I actually have kids.

Thanks in advance!

I'm not sure about the rest, since I'm not sure what they are. But yes its good to be in that state, gets you more prepared and gets everything right. The best thing to do I think is experiment with everything. Try different ways to suit both yours and your snakes needs. But make sure you are able to meet the basic husbandry for your pet. I have done so much experimenting and actually wasted quite a lot of money. Even built an entire wooden cabinet with display tanks embedded in it only to find it traps too much of the heat and overheats. Of course I dont recommend going to those extents but yeah play around with it a little, you'll find the balance. And ask all you need too.

[Sugarbit]

Thanks for all the advice so far, people!

But would there be any way to adapt the faunarium so it's suitable? Maybe by plastic-wrapping lid lid, or by covering it with a damp towell? Someone has suggested duct-taping the lid, but that sounds a bit suspect. :s

[Simple Man]

No tape when snakes are concerned! It can hurt or kill your animal if they accidently touch it or get wrapped up. Assume the worst can happen to prevent it from happening.

As ugly as it is, a tub is really the best enclosure for these types of snakes. The security and ease of keeping temp/humidity make it superiot to any other enclosure. People can go around all they want about making other things work but ultimately it is the easiest way to do things properly.

Regards,

B