Hi! First snake! Making it cheap?

[PI-Thon]

Hi everyone!
I'm new here, I've been reading for a couple of days and learned a lot. I first started wanting a reptile at 14yrs old ,a chameleon, since I am more looking towards a reptile I can handle I knew it wasnt the right choice. My friend recently bought a Corn Snake, and my "fear" (more ignorance than anything else) dissapeared.
I recently went to the pet shop and saw a splendid and super friendly pastel ball. He's so nice! They also have a normal ball but he's really grumpy. The problem is that he's really pricey...350$CDN and the normal is 130$CDN. He's captive bred and a couple months old. The problem is that I am not really rich.
Is there a way to make my new purchase cheaper.
I already looked for the tank: Zilla critters 40gal 100$CDN
I need to know what I really need. Do I only need a heat lamp or do I need a day light too. Would an incandescent do?
also is it safe to use newspapers for substrate?
which temps and humidity should I keep (it gets pretty varied from site to site).
Sorry to ask so many questions it's just that I really want him to be comfy in his new home.

[starmom]

Awesome job not just buying the pretty pastel before you have things set up well for it!! There are plenty of breeders from whom you can get a good pastel; heck, even a really nice normal! Please read the care sheets and then feel free to ask questions and check your thoughts! Again, great to know that you care enough to wait to purchase until you have some education under your belt!

[Nate]

Welcome to the site!

First, I think pet store ball pythons are typically over priced. I'm not quite sure what those Canadian dollars transfer over to in US dollars...I'm sure one of our Canadian members will help me out with that

Regarding "cheaper"...I always tell myself, ya get what ya pay for...

I am almost certain you can find a quality animal from a quality breeder for a reasonable price, online.

Newspaper makes a fine substrate...I use newspaper, and then sprinkle a thin layer of Aspen on top.

I try to keep my warm side at 92, and cool side at 82. Humidity should be between 50-60% and then around 70% during a shed.

Don't be shy to ask questions...it's what we're here for

Check out our Caresheet too!

[Ranger]

I would find a nice, non-grumpy normal. BP's generally have very nice dispositions, so this shouldn't be too hard. Since money is an object, I would think you could get a nice normal for way less than $130. Although since it sounds like you are in Canada, maybe the supply of available animals is smaller there? I wouldn't know. But I would definitely look around and save some $ by going with a normal. Just my $0.02.

[PI-Thon]

as for the lighting/heat what should I get. An infrared light? and the guy at the shop told me it's a good thing to put a UVB light is it really a necessity? and is incandescent lighting enough if I buy an infrared light?
Thnaks a lot for the help,
Fred.

[SatanicIntention]

Here's all you need:

-Plastic tub(15qt for juvie, 32qt for sub-adult)
-Flexwatt or undertank heater
-Soldering iron for making holes in the tub
-Thermostat(this is a NEED-TO-HAVE thing)
-Digital thermometer
-Newspaper
-2 plastic plant drip trays(cut a hole in the side, flip it over, and it makes a perfect hide)
-Water bowl from dollar store or similar. It doesn't have to be big enough for them to soak in, just big enough to hold a few ounces of water.
-binder clips from office supply store, to hold your lid on, or small bunjee cords.

Contact some of the Canadian breeders and see what they have. I will defer to other Canadians for the breeder info.

[PI-Thon]

I didnt think of it but since he is still young I could just buy like you said a big rubbermaid and when he gets bigger I'll just switch it to the real tank latter on.
Although I'd like to know if I put I'm in a rubbermaid, when I switch him to a glass tank will that stress him to see all around (and be seen from all around)?
And what will the thermostat be used for? The flexwatt?
Thanks again!

[dr del]

Hi,

Ball pythons have no use for uv lighting at all as far as I have ever heard. Being nocturnal they don't have any specific lighting needs so your natural day/night cycle in the room would probably be fine. Also incandecent bulbs can really mess with humidity and, if you stick with a glass tank, that could be a big enough pain as it is.

For heating I would invest your money in good under tank heaters and a quality thermostat to control it as the main priority. It should be noted you need a good digital thermometer to make sure you are getting it right as well so look for one with humidity and a probe if you can.

Getting the temperatures controlled in a safe and reliable way is probably the single most important thing to focus on.

I think a lot of our Canadian members use beanfarm for supplies? Anyone want to share good links and specific item info here?

I'm sure the person in the shop will hate me for sayng this but a lot of the equipment needed can be found elsewhere at a fraction of the cost with a little imagination - upturned bowls with holes melted in them can be excellent hides and can be found for pennies in stores.

Do a couple of searches on the forums for hides and waterbowls and see what takes your fancy.

As for the price of the animal itself then I have no clue but would recomend checking out Markus Jayne as an excellent source of information and for some stunning pictures too. There don't seem to be any listed on his site at the moment but I would still recomend sending him an email to ask if he expects anything to become available in the near fututre as websites are not always updated as a priority.

If your budget is restricted ( p.s. we dont like the word "cheap" because of the negative connotations ) then you might want to think about using a tub (have a search for pictures and tips) instead of the glass tank. Tubs also make keeping the humidity right a lot easier .

You should also avoid the temptation to give it too much space without thinking of how the snake will feel secure in it - what size was the pastel you were looking at in the shop?

And, again, major kudos for planning all this ahead of time - getting the tank set up and running for a week before the anaimal is due to arrive should set you up in great stead for the future 30 years.

**edit**

LOL - I took so long writing the post Becky had it covered in a far better way.

If you move him to a tank you could always cover the back and sides (this can help keep the heat in anyway) with aquarium backing then add insulation.

**end edit**


dr del

[icygirl]

as for the lighting/heat what should I get. An infrared light? and the guy at the shop told me it's a good thing to put a UVB light is it really a necessity? and is incandescent lighting enough if I buy an infrared light?
Thnaks a lot for the help,
Fred.

UV light is not necessary for ball pythons. You can either use an overhead incandescent lamp for heat, or some kind of under-tank heat such as Flexwatt as mentioned by SatanicIntention. Most heating pads sold at pet stores are either inadequate, or get much too hot... so I would only use them as supplemental heating under a few inches of substrate such as Reptibark.

Make sure you have some way of monitoring temperature on both sides of the tank, and also humidity. If you have a Walmart nearby, they sell a thermometer/hygrometer for a reasonable price, called Acu-rite. It has a probe that you can put on the other side of the tank so you can see the difference between your cool side and hot side temps.

Hope this helps, and good luck!

[SatanicIntention]

If you're picking out a baby, you'll want a small tub. 15 quarts is perfect and provides ample room.

If you go to Target they have Sterilite ClearView tubs that are very clear. I don't know if you have those up there, but if you have a container store or similar, try to find Iris tubs, they are nice. Try to find something that is around 15quarts. You want something fairly long, and wide, but not too tall. 6-6.5" tall is perfect, and won't be hard to heat. A taller tub requires more energy to heat the air.

If you want to switch to a tank later on, I'm sure it'd be fine, but you'll likely fall in love with the plastic housing as it makes keeping up husbandry SO much easier. Plus, they are very inexpensive to buy if you ever need to upgrade. Tanks, being made of glass, are very hard to heat as the glass will always try to be the temperature of the room. You lose a vast amount of heat if it's not properly insulated. It's also very hard to get them humidified unless you modify the screen top.

I would invest in an Animal Plastics/Boaphile/Herp Enclosures plastic enclosure that is specifically made for reptiles. They may cost a bit more, but they will look very professional, and are built to last. Tanks.. if you drop it or set it down too hard once, there it goes. Tubs you can throw down the stairs, haha