Possible First Snake

[ILikeHockey]

Hi, been a lurker for a while and had a few questions about owning a Ball Python in particular that I couldn't find.

I've owned one reptile in the past (Bearded Dragon which lived to be 9), and have over the past month been wanting to invest in buying a ball python. I've been reading up on care but wasn't sure if I will be able to provide a happy home for one so I thought I'd ask some questions to you guys.

Firstly, in the summer months keeping my cage at the correct specifications will be pretty easy but I'm worried about the winter. I don't like to run a heater to heat my apartment (currently at school) and the room temp is somewhere around 70 degrees, I've read that plastic tubs don't retain heat on the cool side that well. Is it possible for me to keep a plastic tub warm enough on the cool side while still having my room at 70 degrees in the winter, or will I need a different type of cage, if so could you point me in any directions on cages that retain heat better?

Also I would want to do this right, if I do decide to get a Ball Python and am not sure where to go for herp vets. I know there are some in San Fran/Bay area but I'm an hour away and can't really drive there on a whim if there's an emergency. Does anyone know if there's a good herp doctor in Sonoma County? If I can't find a local herp vet will this be a problem? I don't want to be a bad owner and if this will lessen its life span I'm not sure I would feel safe about getting one.

And one final question about actually buying a snake (would be in a month at the shortest). Like I said I can't readily travel to the bay to actually buy a snake and am not aware of any herp expos coming to Sonoma/Napa county any time soon so I will probably have to buy online. (I refuse to buy from petco/petsmart) Do you guys know of a very good breeder that sells online? I'm very wary about buying a snake like this as I wouldn't be able to have contact with the snake beforehand to make sure everything is okay with it.

Thank you for taking the time to read my post and possibly answer any questions. This would be a big decision for me, and I've been thinking about it for 2 months so far so I need any help I can get in making sure that I can provide a good home to a pet.

Edit: I forgot to add in the cage question I'm somewhat on a budget and won't be able to spend over $100 on the actual cage (not including UTH, thermometers and thermostat) So that rules out designer cages.

[Skittles1101]

As for the ambient temps in the winter, I live in a big drafty apartment and to avoid my gas bill from going through the roof I keep my apartment at about 70 degrees. On the colder days, I use a CHE on a dimmer to keep temps inside the enclosure (the tank...don't ave any issue in my tubs or rack...) warm enough without killing too much humidity.

I can' help you with a vet as I'm not from the area, just call around. The most you'll need unless the snake gets sick is a fecal test done to make sure they are clean of parasites.

As for buying online, there are TONS of breeders, even on this website, kingsnake.com, faunaclassifieds.com...just make SURE you check out other people experiences and ratings before you buy.

Congrats on your decision and good luck! Welcome to the forum

[ILikeHockey]

As for the ambient temps in the winter, I live in a big drafty apartment and to avoid my gas bill from going through the roof I keep my apartment at about 70 degrees. On the colder days, I use a CHE on a dimmer to keep temps inside the enclosure (the tank...don't ave any issue in my tubs or rack...) warm enough without killing too much humidity.

I can' help you with a vet as I'm not from the area, just call around. The most you'll need unless the snake gets sick is a fecal test done to make sure they are clean of parasites.

As for buying online, there are TONS of breeders, even on this website, kingsnake.com, faunaclassifieds.com...just make SURE you check out other people experiences and ratings before you buy.

Congrats on your decision and good luck! Welcome to the forum

Thank you, you the temperature advice makes me feel a bit better. Forgot to ask, I've never worked with a thermostat before and was unsure of what happens if, say, they fail? Does it cut off power to the UTH or make it so the UTH continues heating? The reason why I ask is I'm worried that if when I visit parents for 2 days that the UTH will get too hot if the thermostat failed.

[fr3nchvanilla]

If you are worried about the temperature in your enclosure getting too cold on the 'cool' side, you could always have 2 uth's (or however you are heating the enclosure) hooked up to a thermostat that allows multiple inputs. For example, on the 'hot' side you could put it between 88-91, and the 'cool' side at ~80. I looked it up because I live in Canada and it gets pretty cold here, especially in my apartment. I hope it helps. Also, there are tons of posts on here detailing pro's and con's of different enclosures and how to keep them as well as 'thrifty' options. I hope I could help and welcome to BP.net. I hope you are able to add a BP to your family as they are wonderful pets