New Setup -- On the right track?

[MichGuy]

Hello all. I have been wanting a BP for a couple months, and finally purchased one on Saturday. I am near $350 dollars in, and want to make sure I am doing the best I can for my new BP -- even if that requires a bit more money.

He's only a couple month or so old (not exactly sure). He's about a foot long currently and housed in a 10 gallon terrarium...right now it is a good size for him, but I plan on upgrading sooner rather then later to a 30gal tank (Or maybe a plastic storage system, as I read those work much better).

I have covered +90% of the screen top with foil in an attempt to lock in some of the humidity and heat. I have thin carpet on the bottom with a thin layer of aspen substrate on top of that. I have terrarium moss scattered around to try help with the humidity.

On the 'hot side' I have a "night" heat lamp running 24/7. I was alternating the day and night bulbs, but I think the bright light overhead was too much, so I just run the night one now. I have a UTH also on the hot side, underneath one of the hides (A hallowed out fake rock). The UTH is regulated by a R-Zilla thermostat. My second hide is on the cooler side, and is a fake 'tree'.

I have a couple questions and concerns, and want to make sure I am on the right track to keeping my BP happy and healthy....

The last 24-36 hours, my BP has stayed curled up in the tree hide, into the tightest spot possible at the top. I read this is good if they are hiding, so I guess that is nothing to be concerned about? Is it a bad sign that he is hiding in the hide off the ground, instead of staying in the one on the ground, or using the lower base of the tree hide?

He ate on Sunday with no issues, and will be fed again next Sunday. If I plan on getting him out for feedings, and for occasional handling, should I remove the tree hide (even though he seems to like it) and replace it with another hide without a bottom? I don't want to stress him out, but I see no way of getting him out of the tree, as he is wedged in pretty good near the top. (I haven't tried, but it just seems near impossible if I wanted to)

I bought an infrared temp gun and scanned around all the areas. Originally under his rock hide (where the UTH is) the temp was 104.5 which I knew was too hot. After replacing the day heat lamp with the night heat lamp, and adjusting the thermostat, the temp dropped to around 93.5 on my last two hours later. The ambient surface temperature is anywhere between 86-90 on the hot side, and the cool side the lowest temp I measured was 76. Do these temps seem okay? And if I am not scanning the surfaces all the time, is there a very big problem with the temps running abit higher or lower for several minutes depending on if the thermostat has the UTH turned on or off?


Humidity when I first wet the moss is around 60% and by morning it is near 40%. How dangerous is it for the humidity level to dip down? Should I be misting more often? And also, do I take a big risk with mold by misting the terrarium moss and aspen shavings daily? Would I see mold on the ground and moss before anything like belly rot would set in?

And last but not least....how often should I be changing the water and the substrate/moss? I have seen a lot of variables there.


Any advise would be great! I have read some the stickies and tons of online information, so hopefully we're moving in the right direction.

Thanks!

[MichGuy]

One other thing I forgot to mention...my thermostat probe is on a suction cup on the bottom of the glass, about 1/8 - 1/4 inch off the ground. It is set to just under 90, as above that was getting under the hide too hot (104.5 with infrared scan). Should i instead have the probe under the hide? Or should I somehow secure it to the UTH itself? Is there any risk of the snake trying to eat the probe if it is freely lying in the cage, or how can I secure it to the UTH if I am supposed to?

[NH93]

Woo, a lot of questions! That's good though. This is my opinion on the matter, and it may differ with other owners.

Overall your setup sounds good. Don't stress too much about your snake's preferences! Where s/he likes to curl up is up to them
Right now, I'd wait to handle. Of course you should wait 2 days after feeding to handle, just in case, but I would wait until after your next feed (plus the 2 days) to handle, just giving her time to settle in more. Everything is still new and scary, after all!

A few minor adjustments: I really don't think you need that carpet! It's just an extra thing to clean, it sounds like. If you've got the aspen, all is well.
You should not be spraying the apsen directly, as it will mould. However, you can spritz the moss lightly every other day or daily, depending on how dry it is.
Having a moisture drop overnight isn't something to worry about too much in this situation. If you spray the sides of the tank every day or twice a day it should work out just fine. Keep an eye on the humidity though, to see when it needs a spritz.
Speaking of which, are you using a dial, or a digital hygrometer for measuring your humidity? Those dial ones (including thermometers) aren't very accurate.

As for feeding, most people do not take their ball python's out of the enclosure to feed. It can work well for other species - I'm thinking corn snakes - but can stress out ball pythons. If it works for you though, and the snake feeds fine and doesn't seem stressed, go for it. If you notice s/he doesn't eat when you take her out though, try feeding in the tank. You can do this by getting a pair of tongs (if you feed f/t) and offering it that way, while a little wamred up and completely thawed. If you have more questions about feeding there are TONNES of threads about that!

Where is your UTH (heat mat) located? It should be OUTSIDE the enclosure, stuck on the bottom of the tank. If you want to be able to reuse your UTH, you can cover it in aluminum foil tape (found at any big box hardware store for around $4) which will not burn.
When my ball was in his glass tank (ie. like 3 days ago, I just switched him to PVC) I too used a UTH (with thermostat of course) and a 50W red bulb (night bulb, etc.).

You should be changing the water whenever it needs to be changed. That sounds non-specific, but it kind of is. You can change it every day or every other day, as that is normally recommended. But I don't know if everyone does that... in the real world I change it every 2-3 days, depending on how it looks. It I see film developing on top or any dirt particles in it, I change it immediately. You can wash it out with hot tap water, or add a little vinigar or light dish soap - but remember to rinse extremely well!

Spot cleaning is typically recommended, which means when you see poop... scoop it up! An entire substrate change-out can be done once a month. You should be able to tell when it is time for a change, though. If it starts to smell, it's overdue for a change or you've missed a poop!

Best of luck with everything!

[bumblebee1028]

Welcome to the site! It sounds like you've done your research! I'm fairly new as well, so I'll just point out a few things that I can help with (in bold), and hopefully someone with more experience can help with the rest

Hello all. I have been wanting a BP for a couple months, and finally purchased one on Saturday. I am near $350 dollars in, and want to make sure I am doing the best I can for my new BP -- even if that requires a bit more money.

He's only a couple month or so old (not exactly sure). He's about a foot long currently and housed in a 10 gallon terrarium...right now it is a good size for him, but I plan on upgrading sooner rather then later to a 30gal tank (Or maybe a plastic storage system, as I read those work much better).

I have covered +90% of the screen top with foil in an attempt to lock in some of the humidity and heat. I have thin carpet on the bottom with a thin layer of aspen substrate on top of that. I have terrarium moss scattered around to try help with the humidity.

On the 'hot side' I have a "night" heat lamp running 24/7. I was alternating the day and night bulbs, but I think the bright light overhead was too much, so I just run the night one now. I have a UTH also on the hot side, underneath one of the hides (A hallowed out fake rock). The UTH is regulated by a R-Zilla thermostat. My second hide is on the cooler side, and is a fake 'tree'.

I have a couple questions and concerns, and want to make sure I am on the right track to keeping my BP happy and healthy....

The last 24-36 hours, my BP has stayed curled up in the tree hide, into the tightest spot possible at the top. I read this is good if they are hiding, so I guess that is nothing to be concerned about? Is it a bad sign that he is hiding in the hide off the ground, instead of staying in the one on the ground, or using the lower base of the tree hide?

He ate on Sunday with no issues, and will be fed again next Sunday. If I plan on getting him out for feedings, and for occasional handling, should I remove the tree hide (even though he seems to like it) and replace it with another hide without a bottom? I don't want to stress him out, but I see no way of getting him out of the tree, as he is wedged in pretty good near the top. (I haven't tried, but it just seems near impossible if I wanted to)

It actually will be easier on him if you feed him in his tank. Moving from his enclosure to a feeding tank causes extra stress, and you're actually more likely to get bitten if you're moving him while he's in feeding mode. I don't see any reason to change out the hide, but someone else may.

I bought an infrared temp gun and scanned around all the areas. Originally under his rock hide (where the UTH is) the temp was 104.5 which I knew was too hot. After replacing the day heat lamp with the night heat lamp, and adjusting the thermostat, the temp dropped to around 93.5 on my last two hours later. The ambient surface temperature is anywhere between 86-90 on the hot side, and the cool side the lowest temp I measured was 76. Do these temps seem okay? And if I am not scanning the surfaces all the time, is there a very big problem with the temps running abit higher or lower for several minutes depending on if the thermostat has the UTH turned on or off?

Those temps sound good, but it would be better if the cool side was closer to 80F. There shouldn't be a problem, the thermostat is supposed to sense when to turn it on and off to keep it around the temperature you've set.

Humidity when I first wet the moss is around 60% and by morning it is near 40%. How dangerous is it for the humidity level to dip down? Should I be misting more often? And also, do I take a big risk with mold by misting the terrarium moss and aspen shavings daily? Would I see mold on the ground and moss before anything like belly rot would set in?

A lot of people use cypress mulch or coconut husk to help with humidity. I know that cypress mulch is supposed to be more resistant to mold growth, and I'm not sure about coconut husk. Either of those substrates should reduce how often you need to mist. You can also try a larger water bowl to boost the humidity.

And last but not least....how often should I be changing the water and the substrate/moss? I have seen a lot of variables there.

I've read to change the water 2 times a week, and I think most people change the substrate every few weeks or once a month. I'm using newspaper in storage bins, so the paper gets changed every time someone makes a mess.

Any advise would be great! I have read some the stickies and tons of online information, so hopefully we're moving in the right direction.

Thanks!

One other thing I forgot to mention...my thermostat probe is on a suction cup on the bottom of the glass, about 1/8 - 1/4 inch off the ground. It is set to just under 90, as above that was getting under the hide too hot (104.5 with infrared scan). Should i instead have the probe under the hide? Or should I somehow secure it to the UTH itself? Is there any risk of the snake trying to eat the probe if it is freely lying in the cage, or how can I secure it to the UTH if I am supposed to?

The thermostat probe should definitely NOT be in the tank. If your little guy knocks it off the UTH, the temps could quickly skyrocket. I would definitely find a way to attach it to the UTH outside of the tank. I'm pretty sure you can just attach it using tape to the UTH.

I hope that helps! Congrats on your new addition!

[MichGuy]

Thanks to everyone that has responded so far! It is very appreciated and makes me feel more at ease about everything. I think I have been more stressed about having everything perfect the last two days then my BP has been!

I have answered the follow up questions below.

Woo, a lot of questions! That's good though. This is my opinion on the matter, and it may differ with other owners.

Overall your setup sounds good. Don't stress too much about your snake's preferences! Where s/he likes to curl up is up to them
Right now, I'd wait to handle. Of course you should wait 2 days after feeding to handle, just in case, but I would wait until after your next feed (plus the 2 days) to handle, just giving her time to settle in more. Everything is still new and scary, after all!

A few minor adjustments: I really don't think you need that carpet! It's just an extra thing to clean, it sounds like. If you've got the aspen, all is well.
You should not be spraying the apsen directly, as it will mould. However, you can spritz the moss lightly every other day or daily, depending on how dry it is.
Having a moisture drop overnight isn't something to worry about too much in this situation. If you spray the sides of the tank every day or twice a day it should work out just fine. Keep an eye on the humidity though, to see when it needs a spritz.

Okay that sounds good. I will plan on removing the carpet when I change out the bedding next -- that way I am not disturbing her habitat prematurely.

Speaking of which, are you using a dial, or a digital hygrometer for measuring your humidity? Those dial ones (including thermometers) aren't very accurate.

I'm using a dial hygrometer right now. I'll invest in the digital next. I am using a dial thermometer as well, but those seem to be matching up pretty closely with the infrared digital and the thermostat so far.

As for feeding, most people do not take their ball python's out of the enclosure to feed. It can work well for other species - I'm thinking corn snakes - but can stress out ball pythons. If it works for you though, and the snake feeds fine and doesn't seem stressed, go for it. If you notice s/he doesn't eat when you take her out though, try feeding in the tank. You can do this by getting a pair of tongs (if you feed f/t) and offering it that way, while a little wamred up and completely thawed. If you have more questions about feeding there are TONNES of threads about that!

Where is your UTH (heat mat) located? It should be OUTSIDE the enclosure, stuck on the bottom of the tank. If you want to be able to reuse your UTH, you can cover it in aluminum foil tape (found at any big box hardware store for around $4) which will not burn.
When my ball was in his glass tank (ie. like 3 days ago, I just switched him to PVC) I too used a UTH (with thermostat of course) and a 50W red bulb (night bulb, etc.).

I have the UTH stuck underneath the cage directly on the glass (outside of the cage). I do have the terrarium raised up on the plastic studs, so it is off of the table.

You should be changing the water whenever it needs to be changed. That sounds non-specific, but it kind of is. You can change it every day or every other day, as that is normally recommended. But I don't know if everyone does that... in the real world I change it every 2-3 days, depending on how it looks. It I see film developing on top or any dirt particles in it, I change it immediately. You can wash it out with hot tap water, or add a little vinigar or light dish soap - but remember to rinse extremely well!

Spot cleaning is typically recommended, which means when you see poop... scoop it up! An entire substrate change-out can be done once a month. You should be able to tell when it is time for a change, though. If it starts to smell, it's overdue for a change or you've missed a poop!

Best of luck with everything!

[thejenius77]

The only thing I can add is to attach your thermostat probe to the UTH outside of the tank. Also, Wal-Mart has Acurite digital thermometers. You place the probe under the substrate, under the hot side hide, directly on glass over the UTH & place the body of the unit on the cool side. This will give you hot side, cool side & humidity readings. Works great!

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[MichGuy]

The only thing I can add is to attach your thermostat probe to the UTH outside of the tank. Also, Wal-Mart has Acurite digital thermometers. You place the probe under the substrate, under the hot side hide, directly on glass over the UTH & place the body of the unit on the cool side. This will give you hot side, cool side & humidity readings. Works great!

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk

Can I use electrical tape to put the probe to the heat mat, or what is the preferred method?

[thejenius77]

Foil tape. You can find it in the heating & cooling section. It's silver foil.

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[NH93]

Just to add, remember to never put tape *inside* the vive!
If you find the digital probe for the thermometer moving all around, there are a lot of things you can use to keep it in place - I think there are whole threads on this, actually.

But as mentioned, foil tape is the only tape I believe that is safe for use around the UTH.

[thejenius77]

The probe for my Acurite thermometer had an adhesive pad on it.

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