New Ball Python Owner!!!! Need Help and Advice Pleaseee!!!!

[BallPythonBabe]

Looks good to me! Some folks block 3 sides of their glass enclosures but if your snake is eating, pooping, and shedding I wouldn't change much.

I plan on trying to block off the 2 sides of the enclosure, I do have a question tho. There is a window on the opposite side of the room from the tank. The distance across the room is not super large. Do you think the light from the window will disturb him? If so, I could possibly try and move his setup somewhere else but it would have to be in the same room and there are 2 windows so basically no matter where I move him a window would be somewhere in his direction. The room is also white which makes it even brighter. Do you think maybe I should put a blackout curtain in front of the window facing his tank?

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

[EL-Ziggy]

I plan on trying to block off the 2 sides of the enclosure, I do have a question tho. There is a window on the opposite side of the room from the tank. The distance across the room is not super large. Do you think the light from the window will disturb him? If so, I could possibly try and move his setup somewhere else but it would have to be in the same room and there are 2 windows so basically no matter where I move him a window would be somewhere in his direction. The room is also white which makes it even brighter. Do you think maybe I should put a blackout curtain in front of the window facing his tank?

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

As long as the heat from the window isn't making the enclosure too hot I wouldn't move the tank. I think sunlight and a good light/dark cycle is a great thing. Your tank has hides and good floor covering so it shouldn't be too bright.

[BallPythonBabe]

As long as the heat from the window isn't making the enclosure too hot I wouldn't move the tank. I think sunlight and a good light/dark cycle is a great thing. Your tank has hides and good floor covering so it shouldn't be too bright.

Okay, thank you! Also heres a better picture of his tank, the last one wasnt the greatest.

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

[Faith.luu]

Theres really no way for me to get the air temp on the hot side up to 90°. Im thinking about moving my CHE to the hot side instead of having it placed in the middle so the air will at least be a bit warmer there but I doubt it will reach 90. Im also worried if I move my CHE from the middle it will get too cold on the cool side. I have 1 side of the tank covered on the back but Im going to try and cover the 2 side walls as well. I may also move my tank because theres a window on the other side of the room that faces the front of the tank but moving it may not be an option. So possibly a blackout curtain on that window will suffice?

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

As long as you have a UTH, you can have air temps in the warm side reach 78-80 even. So if you can’t reach 90 that isn’t a problem. Just don’t exceed past that. I’d say to just keep your CHE in the middle. You don’t want your cool side to get too low, and you already have a UTH on the hot side as is. A black out curtain would be nice, however your bp will still be able to see you walking around on each side that isn’t covered, so I’d still recommend covering it. Draping a towel over the sides and even front will work as well. I backed out 3 of my sides using poster paper and taping it on the outside.

[BallPythonBabe]

As long as you have a UTH, you can have air temps in the warm side reach 78-80 even. So if you can’t reach 90 that isn’t a problem. Just don’t exceed past that. I’d say to just keep your CHE in the middle. You don’t want your cool side to get too low, and you already have a UTH on the hot side as is. A black out curtain would be nice, however your bp will still be able to see you walking around on each side that isn’t covered, so I’d still recommend covering it. Draping a towel over the sides and even front will work as well. I backed out 3 of my sides using poster paper and taping it on the outside.

Theres really not much I can do about him seeing my walk by. But I am going to cover the 2 sides of the tank.

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

[BallPythonBabe]

Also now Im quite confused on where my CHE should be. Its in the middle to maintain ambient air temps and cool side temps. The ambient air temp through the whole tank and the cool side is 80°. Should I leave the CHE in the middle or try and move it to the warm sideso theres more of a gradient for the air temp? My only worry is the cool side getting too cool and the warm side getting to warm if I move it.

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

[BallPythonBabe]

And Im realizing I said the thermostat was set to 95 so the glass inside was 94. Im adjusting my temps for the warm aide and am realizing the thermostat was on 97 so the hottest spot on the glass was 94. I now have my thermostat set to 95 and now the hottest spot on the glass is 91 and the coolest spot on the glass is 86. Is this okay?

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

[Turningstar]

I have a juvie bp and my setup is as follows-

40 gallon terrarium with a plastic hinged locking lid, which has a middle metal screen portion where I have a 75 watt CHE, hooked to a thermostat set at 80, with the probe down inside at just above floor level on the hot side. The screen portion of the lid has aluminum foil over it except for a 1" ring around the CHE dome. (I should also mention that this particular terrarium has an airstrip for ventilation on one side of the tank.)
I have an UTH hooked to a thermostat set at 95, which gives a digital thermometer readout of 89 directly on the glass under the warm hide.
My substrate is coco block with a little reptichip mixed in. I also have several branches and an aloe plant in the tank to clutter it up, a large water dish on the cool side, and 3 hides of different sizes throughout the tank. The back of the tank also is blacked out (sort of. Its a jungle scene).

My ambient stays 78-80 with this setup. My room gets about 79 during the summer afternoons (Florida), so the CHE really only comes on at night or in the winter.


My bp is around the same age as yours and was very nervous and defensive when I got him home. With this setup, he has never refused a meal, sheds perfectly and has quieted down to puppy dog tame with minimal handling.

Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to share since we have similar snakes and setups. This has worked well for me.

Sent from my LM-X220 using Tapatalk

[BallPythonBabe]

I have a juvie bp and my setup is as follows-

40 gallon terrarium with a plastic hinged locking lid, which has a middle metal screen portion where I have a 75 watt CHE, hooked to a thermostat set at 80, with the probe down inside at just above floor level on the hot side. The screen portion of the lid has aluminum foil over it except for a 1" ring around the CHE dome. (I should also mention that this particular terrarium has an airstrip for ventilation on one side of the tank.)
I have an UTH hooked to a thermostat set at 95, which gives a digital thermometer readout of 89 directly on the glass under the warm hide.
My substrate is coco block with a little reptichip mixed in. I also have several branches and an aloe plant in the tank to clutter it up, a large water dish on the cool side, and 3 hides of different sizes throughout the tank. The back of the tank also is blacked out (sort of. Its a jungle scene).

My ambient stays 78-80 with this setup. My room gets about 79 during the summer afternoons (Florida), so the CHE really only comes on at night or in the winter.


My bp is around the same age as yours and was very nervous and defensive when I got him home. With this setup, he has never refused a meal, sheds perfectly and has quieted down to puppy dog tame with minimal handling.

Sorry for the long post. Just wanted to share since we have similar snakes and setups. This has worked well for me.

Sent from my LM-X220 using Tapatalk

So do you think my CHE will be okay the way it is? Again I have a 60 watt CHE on a clamp lamp placed in the middle of the tank which gets my air temp throughout the entire tank up to 80 and the substrate temp on the cool side and middle of the tank up to 80. I dont have a dimmer or second thermostat for the CHE which is why I have it on a clamp lamp instead of directly on the screen so he can not reach it and get burned. I also have tin foil on the screen except for a square where the heat lamp faces and for ventilation to keep heat and humidity in. If I get another thermostat for my CHE it will not be for another number of months. But If I do get another thermostat so I can set it to 90 should I move the CHE to the warm side and set it on the screen and how exactly would I place my probe if theres a hide there? And if the probe is on the substrate wouldnt the CHE get too hot if the snake decided to go up toward the lamp itself? Or should I move the CHE to the warm side now? But again if I do so my cool side may get too cool so should I test it out? I do have a 100 watt CHE but because I have no thermostat or dimmer for it I feel like it would be way too hot. Also my UTH thermostat is now set to 95 and the hottest it gets for the temp of the glass is 90-91 and I have a very very thin layer of substrate under the hide (thicker everywhere else) because he does not seem to be a burrower. Also the back of my tank is a jungle scene as well but because my room is white and I have 2 windows I think Im going to paint the 2 side walls black and possible get a dark curtain for the window across from the front of my tank. Thank you so much!

Sent from my LM-Q720 using Tapatalk

[Turningstar]

I would definitely recommend a second thermostat. Otherwise, its going to be heating constantly. That may be okay if you have lower temps in your room, but IMO, better safe than sorry. If price is an issue, you can get a bk link or jumpstart thermostat on Amazon for 20-30$. Inkbird are about 40.

As for the clamp lamp, many people recommend against them because of fire hazard if it should fall. I have mine secured directly to the metal screen with a spring attachment you can get for the dome. I have never had an issue with him burning himself.

Ive never used dimmers. I bought one, but felt safer with a thermostat, so I cant really comment on that.

Sent from my LM-X220 using Tapatalk