Soon to be new owner.

[TraviZ]

Also one last thing on my mind, should I cover the sides of the tank so he is not exposed on all four sides? how should I do this best? where the tank is setup, cna be viewed from both the living room and kitchen. Perhaps I should block off view from all sides except one?

[Montie Python]

Also one last thing on my mind, should I cover the sides of the tank so he is not exposed on all four sides? how should I do this best? where the tank is setup, cna be viewed from both the living room and kitchen. Perhaps I should block off view from all sides except one?

I would love to take a picture of my painted tank, except my camera broke. I personally like using acrylic paint cuz you can put some sort of design if you add different colors...

I'm not a breeder, so I do have a tank setup (which is more expensive)...I don't have much to decorate inside the 10gal, so instead I pretty much painted an abstract mini mural on all three sides (all dark colors used) People seemed to be impressed by the artwork as well...

I do this only because, my house is well insulated already, his temperatures are right, so the foam wall is not necessary for me....

[JeffJ]

thanks for the info! this is helping alot!

I bought my tank this morning and the astro turf stuff. and reptile-bark made form douglas fir.

I also will be picking up the heating pad after work and some caves and water bowl.

two questions..

how big a water bowl should I get? A bigger one will help with humidity right?

and I am not sure still what lamps I should get for the top of the cage, what do our lovely bp's prefer? the infrared or what?

and I understand I should have two bulbs? which one should be on the hot side and which one should be on the cooler side? thanks for all your assistance so far!

Also one last thing on my mind, should I cover the sides of the tank so he is not exposed on all four sides? how should I do this best? where the tank is setup, cna be viewed from both the living room and kitchen. Perhaps I should block off view from all sides except one?

you can use any light you want really they only need it for day night cycle unless you need a topical heat source for ambient temperature. if your house never goes below 75*F i wouldn't worry about a heat source for the cool side. i use the a regular 50w basking bulb on my 30 gal tank. for my ball python. works just fine.

i have a heat pad on hot and cold side. 80*F on the cool side and 94-95*F on the hot side.

be sure to REGULATE any heat sources. this is a must. BPs don't require any supplementation light such as UV light. so don't bother with those.

use any water bowl you want. its not a big issue. u just may need to adjust the size when you figure out where your humidity is.


that reptile carpet STINKS to high heaven when its a few months old and there isnt really a way to get rid of the stank its a bacteria breeding ground. i suggest just returning it.

covering 3 of the sides is not necessary. some people do this to help picky ball pythons. yours may or may not be. if he is then covering 3 of the sides would be an idea to help it feel a lil safer and less stressed. The best suggestion is to fill his environment with lots of fake plants and other good looking clutter. the tighter and more of a mess it is the happier a ball python seems to be. dont worry about floor space per-say as its a snake it will climb in on and under what ever it wants when it wants.

[TraviZ]

Hey guys thanks! I got my buddy tonight! I have my cage all setup, My concern right now is the cold side is right around 75 degrees and my hot side is good at 90-95, it may be getting too hot with that heat pad though, it said it was adjustable from 4-24watt but i see no way to change the heat output? I should invest in a thermostat? I have a day time 75watt and a 40watt black light for night. my humidity is good at 50-55% just takes a mist or two a few times a day to keep it up

He has been home for about an hour now and he pretty quickly found his way up his little branch and been hanging out up top. is that ok? normal?

[rabernet]

I bought my tank this morning and the astro turf stuff. and reptile-bark made form douglas fir.

Actually, you don't want to use pine as a bedding and fir is a type of pine. If you haven't opened it yet - return it and get apsen instead. Cedars and pines can be toxic to ball pythons because of the oils in them.

and I understand I should have two bulbs? which one should be on the hot side and which one should be on the cooler side? thanks for all your assistance so far!

You don't need any lamps, under tank heaters are preferable (controlled with thermostats so that they don't overheat). Ball pythons need belly heat to aid in digestion. Most people use the lamps to help supplement heating, but belly heat is preferred. Lamps tend to suck most of the humidity out of the enclosure.

Good luck with your new baby!

[rabernet]

Hey guys thanks! I got my buddy tonight! I have my cage all setup, My concern right now is the cold side is right around 75 degrees and my hot side is good at 90-95, it may be getting too hot with that heat pad though, it said it was adjustable from 4-24watt but i see no way to change the heat output? I should invest in a thermostat? I have a day time 75watt and a 40watt black light for night. my humidity is good at 50-55% just takes a mist or two a few times a day to keep it up

He has been home for about an hour now and he pretty quickly found his way up his little branch and been hanging out up top. is that ok? normal?

Yes, you do need a thermostat!

It's more normal for him to be inside his hide where you can't see him, but his behavior right now is normal for a snake in a new environment and testing for ways of escape until he settles in!

[Shin86]

Actually, you don't want to use pine as a bedding and fir is a type of pine. If you haven't opened it yet - return it and get apsen instead. Cedars and pines can be toxic to ball pythons because of the oils in them.



You don't need any lamps, under tank heaters are preferable (controlled with thermostats so that they don't overheat). Ball pythons need belly heat to aid in digestion. Most people use the lamps to help supplement heating, but belly heat is preferred. Lamps tend to suck most of the humidity out of the enclosure.

Good luck with your new baby!

i'm sorry, but i think you should retract this statement as it is false

[rabernet]

i'm sorry, but i think you should retract this statement as it is false

What is false? No retraction here.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

[JeffJ]

What is false? No retraction here.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

i agree, i dont see any false info there.
Shin86; if your referring to the lamp statement... remember that boas and pythons are nocturnal for the most part.
the only snake that has a lamp in my collection is the tree boa and thats because its nice to watch on display. it has no heat value at all.

and if your referring to the statement about pine. it is in fact toxic to all reptiles. its a well documented fact here and every where els.

[Shin86]

What is false? No retraction here.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

k then...try telling this statement to the other schkibillion or so people who use fir bark....