My glass enclosure, opinions please😊

[Roque]

I know that glass enclosures are not the best choice to house a ball python, but at the moment, I have to make the best of it until I can make room for a pvc enclosure. It’s a 10 gallon enclosure with reptibark for the substrate. Let me know what you think(constructively). Any advice is always welcome

Thanks!

https://imgur.com/a/oodgV

[kthoms104]

It looks nice! From what I have mostly heard, the only big reason that glass isn't preferable is because they don't hold humidity as well. If you were to use a substrate like coco fiber and just keep it damp on the cool side, you shouldn't have a problem w/ the glass at all! I like glass enclosures a lot, just because they look very nice.

Also, how big is your snake? If it's a hatchling, 95.7 seems a bit high, though I'm not completely sure. It is in the bracket of good temps, but 96 has always tended to keep my baby BP away from the hot side, so I keep it at around 92.

[Kira]

Swap out the half log hides with more of cave-like hides. Ball pythons need to feel secure so they like hides that are touching them on all sides.

All Living Things has a pretty good selection.

[Roque]

It looks nice! From what I have mostly heard, the only big reason that glass isn't preferable is because they don't hold humidity as well. If you were to use a substrate like coco fiber and just keep it damp on the cool side, you shouldn't have a problem w/ the glass at all! I like glass enclosures a lot, just because they look very nice.

Also, how big is your snake? If it's a hatchling, 95.7 seems a bit high, though I'm not completely sure. It is in the bracket of good temps, but 96 has always tended to keep my baby BP away from the hot side, so I keep it at around 92.

Thanks! The reason it was reading that is because I was messing with some things. I have the temp set on the controller at 93 so at the glass it reads about 91-92. The probe for the controller sits directly on the uth under the tank. I’ve been able to keep humidity pretty stable between 55-65% since I covered most of the screen with duct tape. I spray once a day in the morning and it stays pretty consistent.

[Roque]

Swap out the half log hides with more of cave-like hides. Ball pythons need to feel secure so they like hides that are touching them on all sides.

All Living Things has a pretty good selection.

Thanks for the advice! I’ll check those out for sure.

[Alter-Echo]

Glass enclosures work just fine, just need to cover most of the lids in foil sometimes to hold in heat and humidity. I've used log hides before with no issue, though I cover one end with substrate for more security.

Sounds like you got the lid thing covered though... covered... lol

[Roque]

Glass enclosures work just fine, just need to cover most of the lids in foil sometimes to hold in heat and humidity. I've used log hides before with no issue, though I cover one end with substrate for more security.

Thanks! Yeah the back side of both logs rest in the glass and since I painted the sides and back black, it’s as if he were enclosed in there. About 75% of the lid is covered in duct tape in order to retain heat and humidity. I’m measuring temps on 4 separate spots in the tank as well.

[Craiga 01453]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping!!!

I would ditch the log hides as well. They prefer cave like hides with single openings. Those half logs can also develop mold fairly easily.

I would also lower the thermometer/hygrometer to the floor. Your snake won't spend time at that height, and will primarily be on the ground. Therefor, that's where you want your readings to come from.

Sounds like you have the t-stat all figured out. Set it to whatever it takes to achieve a hot spot of 90-92 on the surface. (I personally aim for 90 and never higher.) One of mine is set at 98.5 to get a 90 hot spot.

All in all, your setup looks good, I would just make a few minor tweaks. And glass can work just fine. I've used glass for years with all my snakes and have never had any issues. It just may require a little extra work, but honestly it's a few minutes a day. If a person can't be bothered to spend a few minutes a day on your pet, that person probably shouldn't have one. PVC makes things easier, but glass is by no means hard. Its still a ton less work than most pets.

Keep researching and doing homework. The more you know about your animal and the species in general the better care you can provide. Just be careful who you take advice from. The internet is full of bull plop, so just because somebody says it doesn't make it true. Cross reference info before taking it as fact. Choose the knowledgeable people you want to learn from and who you should ignore. You can learn more from experience than from people who just regurgitate answers they read two days ago.

Anyway, hope I helped you out a bit.

[Roque]

Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping!!!

I would ditch the log hides as well. They prefer cave like hides with single openings. Those half logs can also develop mold fairly easily.

I would also lower the thermometer/hygrometer to the floor. Your snake won't spend time at that height, and will primarily be on the ground. Therefor, that's where you want your readings to come from.

Sounds like you have the t-stat all figured out. Set it to whatever it takes to achieve a hot spot of 90-92 on the surface. (I personally aim for 90 and never higher.) One of mine is set at 98.5 to get a 90 hot spot.

All in all, your setup looks good, I would just make a few minor tweaks. And glass can work just fine. I've used glass for years with all my snakes and have never had any issues. It just may require a little extra work, but honestly it's a few minutes a day. If a person can't be bothered to spend a few minutes a day on your pet, that person probably shouldn't have one. PVC makes things easier, but glass is by no means hard. Its still a ton less work than most pets.

Keep researching and doing homework. The more you know about your animal and the species in general the better care you can provide. Just be careful who you take advice from. The internet is full of bull plop, so just because somebody says it doesn't make it true. Cross reference info before taking it as fact. Choose the knowledgeable people you want to learn from and who you should ignore. You can learn more from experience than from people who just regurgitate answers they read two days ago.

Anyway, hope I helped you out a bit.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll be moving the ther/hyg to the floor. I didn’t even think about that, but I makes perfect sense. I’ve owned snakes in the past, it’s just been a while. I’m glad I’m finally back in the hobby.


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[Craiga 01453]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll be moving the ther/hyg to the floor. I didn’t even think about that, but I makes perfect sense. I’ve owned snakes in the past, it’s just been a while. I’m glad I’m finally back in the hobby.


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I got out of the hobby for a while too. Started out around 1999-2000 but took a break and just got back into within the last few years. A LOT changed since way back then.