Tub Setup Feedback Needed

[The Night King]

Hey everyone!

we are picking up our new ball python this week:

Female, 4 mos old, BEL Mojave X Super Butter (or maybe just Butter). Good size and currently feeding well off frozen / thawed

I ordered an AP Cage but I know it will take at least three months to get here. I will also have them install my radiant heat panel… We have had that set up before they worked out very well a few years ago.

So in the meantime, I’m just going to use a tub set up for about 90 days… I have a 32 quart tub with six top latches to ensure no escaping.

I have a reptitherm 12 x 8” under heat pad. Currently connected to a zoo med thermostat. The heat pad takes up about 1/3 of the tub. I also have two wireless Bluetooth hygrometers on each side of the tub to monitor humidity and ambient temperature.

I’ve never used a tub before, so I just want to make sure I have everything set up properly aiming for a surface temperature of 90°… After working with the tub today it appears I need to have the temperature on the heat mat a little over 100 to get it right at 90°. Should I turn that up a bit more? It definitely does not feel very warm or even hot to the touch.

Humidity is a little low right now right at 50% but it could be worse.

The only issue was the ambient temperature as I’ve read many times sometimes that’s difficult depending on the room. This little girl will be housed in a big room in our house here in South Florida that generally stays between 71 and 72° 24 hours a day… That will probably make it a little difficult to get the temperature up so I was gonna grab a very small 6 inch high space heater and put it on the table a few feet away and put it on low and see how that helps.

Again, it’s only a temporary set up for three months, but I do want to make sure that she eats and acclimates to her environment and sheds well.

Is there anything I should do differently or adjust?

Note: two equal size box hides will be here tomorrow.

A few pics:

[Bogertophis]

I would suggest running the heat (UTH) set to the required temperatures for several days at least (a week is preferred) before your snake moves in to make sure it's neither too hot nor too cool for your new BP. It can take a few days for UTH to build up heat (it gets absorbed by surroundings- what the tub is sitting on, etc), so if you rush this, & aren't paying attention, it can get too warm. (I know you'll be "paying attention", but just saying...)

I wouldn't worry about what the t-stat says- you need to set it to whatever temperature achieves the warmth you need inside the tube, where the snake will be touching the substrate over the UTH. You don't want that over 90*, but it's fine if it takes setting the t-stat over 90* to achieve that. Obviously you're measuring inside the tub independently, not taking the t-stat's "word" for it.

Also- remember that we're 98.6* roughly, & that's why 90* feels "cool" to us. It confuses most everyone at first, lol. But you seem to be on track- the only other thing that might help is putting dark paper on several (or 3) of the sides to add privacy for the new snake- otherwise your movements nearby will likely scare & stress the snake. Some just put a towel over half of an enclosure instead, which is fine too- as long as there's no heat-generating light on top & next to flammable fabric.

Remember that snakes see motion well, but don't identify us visually- so anything moving nearby is either prey or a predator to them. And new homes are already unsettling & stressful, so privacy can help them settle in, & eat sooner for you, too.

It looks like you have quite a few ventilation holes- if you have trouble maintaining heat & humidity, you might find yourself covering up some of them (from the outside only, with tape)- that's another reason to test this out before the snake moves in.

[BlueOrleans1290]

With my tub setup, I personally like to use EcoEarth and sphagnum moss because it does amazing at keeping the humidity up (90-99% for my BRB). Without the substrate, it was difficult for me to keep humidity up. For snakes like a BP you may not need to keep it as humid and you can just not use as much sphagnum moss and go linger periods of time without slightly dampening the substrate. As for the heat mat, I have my probe inside the tub through a small hole, and under the substrate (with there NOT being much substrate so it doesnt make a difference in what the snake feels) in the warmest spot, I only set a few degrees higher because it will stop it when it is right. For ambient Temps, I use a heat lamp about 12 inches away from the enclosure with a 75-watt infrared heat bulb with another thermostat. The probe is sectioned to the top of the lid on the outside, and it raises the ambient Temps to where I need them perfectly without having to make too many changes.

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[Bogertophis]

With my tub setup, I personally like to use EcoEarth and sphagnum moss because it does amazing at keeping the humidity up (90-99% for my BRB). Without the substrate, it was difficult for me to keep humidity up. For snakes like a BP you may not need to keep it as humid and you can just not use as much sphagnum moss and go linger periods of time without slightly dampening the substrate. As for the heat mat, I have my probe inside the tub through a small hole, and under the substrate in the warmest spot, I only set a few degrees higher because it will stop it when it is right. For ambient Temps, I use a heat lamp about 12 inches away from the enclosure with a 75-watt infrared heat bulb with another thermostat. The probe is sectioned to the top of the lid on the outside, and it raises the ambient Temps to where I need them perfectly without having to make too many changes.

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I caution anyone with a new snake to only use white paper towels for substrate for the first month+ or so, while you make SURE there's no mites. Otherwise, they can hide in those other nice substrates very well, & since they reproduce exponentially, they can overwhelm & even kill a snake pretty quickly if you don't notice right away, & especially if it's a small snake.

So personally, I'd suggest the OP holds off before incorporating substrates that hold humidity, because they also hold mites & mite eggs spectacularly well. In the meantime, a humid hide can be provided, or preferably* a soaked sponge in a dish can be used to increase humidity, & the tub can also be misted daily+ if the snake goes into shed. (*A sponge would be better than a humid hide, since mites are easier to see.)

[Armiyana]

You already got some great advice above.

Make sure to follow the instructions on how the breeder had been feeding. Even if they were feeding live and you want to do f/t, the first couple of meals are important. They can stress out a lot from shipping and knowing a familiar prey item is at least one but less stressful.

Also... I think it was just because you took the photo after reading the temps, but make sure the heat gun is fairly close to the spot. The further away you take temps from, the higher the risk of it being off by a bit. I've seen it flux as much as 5 degrees when moving from 4 inches away to 12 inches away. Usually it's not that big of a jump tho.

I'd also want to say that while it is a tub setup... It is already a bit large. Young ball pythons can be notoriously fussy and nervous.

As a heads up when you get your little one, as exciting as it will be, you won't want to handle the little one until she's eaten at least 3 consistent meals with you.
Because this is a bit of a large starter size she may do one of two things, stay in the hide or squished between items in the tub and show no interest in food at all... Or hang out all day in one spot, coiled in an s curve and striking wildly whenever she sees something move.

#2 is definitely the more worry some mode. She'll be super defensive and nervous. Not liking this setup at all and stressed out badly. The easiest thing to do in that case is just set up a smaller tub inside this tub. The temps will still be within a good range. And a smaller sized tub can make them feel more secure. For #1, you can try smaller hides and adding some crumpled newspaper for extra hiding. Again, small temporary tub may help.

Once you get the feeding down and feel confident on knowing her feeding quirks, you can try moving her to the bigger tub or the new cage when it's setup. A lot of it is just monitoring and learning your snake's behaviors.

There's also some snakes that just don't adapt well to life outside a tub setup. My oldest girl is one of these. Very defensive and when able to see anything or given a larger space she'll strike at anything. She's a bit calmer now at 5 years old, but still gets feisty when she's out too long.
It won't be anything you would be at fault for, just the personality of your individual snake.

[Bogertophis]

...As for the heat mat, I have my probe inside the tub through a small hole, and under the substrate (with there NOT being much substrate so it doesnt make a difference in what the snake feels) in the warmest spot, I only set a few degrees higher because it will stop it when it is right....

This is an "accident waiting to happen"- probes should never be inside any tub or enclosure, because sooner or later the snake WILL find & move it- and once it's no longer over the UTH it will read as being much too cool, which will make the t-stat kick on high & that heat could injure or even kill your snake, especially since it might be quite some time before you even notice it. I strongly suggest that you re-install the probe outside the tub- underneath & sandwiched between the UTH & outside floor of the tub, & secured in place there, & adjust your t-stat accordingly. Safety first.

Sooner or later, snakes accidentally "find" wires & probes inside their homes, & since they always seek traction (things to grab onto because they haven't any hands or feet), they will tug on that probe & dislodge it. I truly don't want to read about your beloved pet getting cooked.

[Homebody]

Nice basic set up. I just have a couple notes. Don't take your temperature readings on top of the substrate (paper towel). Take them on the bottom of the tub right above the UTH. You want to know the highest temp your snake has access to. If it's 90F on top of the paper towel, it's probably warmer underneath it. Also, be patient when assessing your temperature and humidity adjustments. It'll take days, not hours, to know how effective your adjustments are.

[Homebody]

Hey everyone!

we are picking up our new ball python this week:

Female, 4 mos old, BEL Mojave X Super Butter (or maybe just Butter). Good size and currently feeding well off frozen / thawed

Oh! I almost forgot. Congratulations.

[The Night King]

Nice basic set up. I just have a couple notes. Don't take your temperature readings on top of the substrate (paper towel). Take them on the bottom of the tub right above the UTH. You want to know the highest temp your snake has access to. If it's 90F on top of the paper towel, it's probably warmer underneath it. Also, be patient when assessing your temperature and humidity adjustments. It'll take days, not hours, to know how effective your adjustments are.

Great point - thank you for that. I did check the temperature under the paper and it was definitely much warmer so I adjust the thermostat and will continue to monitor closely..9

I also went ahead and covered up one row of holes with my heat tape to see if that affects humidity.

I picked up an oscillating ceramic heater and I use that for a little bit just to see how that affects the ambient temperature… Our house stays fairly cool even though it’s pretty warm outside year round here.

Here is a current pic with the heater.

I appreciate everyone’s input!

I did have a really nice set up with my AP cage about four years ago and I built a custom habitat inside to resemble a Gladiator pit. I’m going to do something similar with this AP cage but I think I’m gonna do an Alien (1979) movie theme but I have plenty of time to plan.




Here was my previous setup:

[Homebody]

I did have a really nice set up with my AP cage about four years ago and I built a custom habitat inside to resemble a Gladiator pit. I’m going to do something similar with this AP cage but I think I’m gonna do an Alien (1979) movie theme but I have plenty of time to plan.

That's a thread I'll be looking forward to.