Advice for setup

[dynobyke]

hi my name's jon, i'm 22 years old and i have been reading this forum for a few weeks now and am confident i know what it takes to care for a snake.
i have a pet rabbit, and a 55 gal fish tank with fish. i've also had hamsters, hermit crabs, and a dog. and i know snakes are completely different than all of the above but i've loved and respected all animals my whole life, and i would like to own a snake. i bought the cb-110 tub, and have 2 flexwatt squares (square foot size). hooked up and tested. i just need a thermostat, 2 thermometers, and the rest of supplies. i have a couple questions -

1. do i need to use both flexwatt pads one at each end, or would 1 hot spot be enough, room temperature being the cool side? my room fluctuates anywhere from 76-84 (it stays hot in here esp. when the blinds are open, i'm in palm beach florida) i already have both pads but i was just wondering if it would be pointless to set a cool side up only a few degrees warmer than room temp. but i want what is best. it wouldnt hurt anyway -

2. i want to keep my snake in this room but i tend to have a lamp on until 2-3am, will this amount of light (i've read about photoperiods) agitate the snake? should i consider a different room for him so he is only exposed to the normal 12 hour day? its just a single 75 watt bulb after the sun goes down, and it will be at the opposite corner of the room than the tub.

3. i am having trouble choosing the right size hides and water dish for the tub... i can find the sizes online and ive cut out piece of paper and laid them in the tub to get an idea of how much space theyd take up, but i want to be sure it will be the right size for the snake. i was looking at the ExoTerra Medium sized hides.. for a ball python (i will be looking to get one that has had its 5th-6th meal) so around that age, between that age and 6 mos but definitely under a year old. if you have pix of the cb-110 stocked with hides and accessories i'd like to see them!

i plan on filling the tub with everything first and then calibrating the temperatures so i know they are stable before i go snake shopping. thanks for any help i appreciate it. i have learned more from the nice people/helpful responses on this particular forum than any books or verbal advice.

sorry this might be more appropriate in the "Caging" forum

[xdeus]

Welcome to the forum!

Hopefully I can answer some of your questions...

1. One heat pad should be plenty. Most people use just one UTH as it is enough to heat the cool side when the warm side is at the proper temps. The plastic cage will help keep the warm air in also, much more so than a typical glass tank with screen lid.

2. The light shouldn't bother the snake too much. The snake will let you know if it's stressed by things such as extra roaming during the day, showing aggression, or erratic feeding behavior.

3. The medium sized hide should be fine. If you find that it's too big, you can always find something such as an overturned plant tray until he grows into it which shouldn't be too long. As far as a water dish, a small deep dish would be perfect. They don't need to soak, so a large dish would be a waste. I use 4" pet crock bowls and they work great and are easy to clean.

[dynobyke]

thanks!

[JLC]

Hi Jon! Welcome to BP.net! :


Larwrence pretty much covered what I would have said, but I thought I'd add a couple more thoughts:

Since you're setting things up ahead of time to test and tweak before buying the snake, I think it would be fine to just start out with one heat pad and see if that is sufficient for maintaining a proper gradient. If it turns out to not be, then you can always add the second.

And about the light in the room...I have my BP here in the office with me. When my hubby or I am up late at night, we cover her tub with a dark sheet until the lights finally go out. Seems to work fine.

Great big kudos to you for doing all the research ahead of time, and being patient enough to get the enclosure just right before running out to buy a snake!