Enclosures and extras, what would you recommend??

[seeya205]

You may need to upgrade depending on how big the snake gets! A male would propably be okay all of its life but a female would eventually need an upgrade! A 20 long will last you a long time though!

[starfire]

... He is on shavings as his substrate and has a water bowl, a tree hide, and a rock hide.

Just was wondering what kind of shavings you're using as substrate... as suggested coconut husks are fine, as are aspen shavings and good ol' newspaper, and there are many other options. However, commonly sold pine and cedar shavings are toxic to ball pythons and shouldn't be used. So please make sure that your substrate doesn't contain any pine or cedar.

I've enjoyed using a fine aspen shaving in my tubs for the past year or so. Great for spot cleaning with a nice woodsy smell. Just my opinion.

Best of luck to you.

Star

[trott]

uth on warm side with control/dimmer 92d.
place hide on warm side
use lamp on cool side with control/dimmer 82d
cover 3 sides of tank with something dark.
I place the probe just on top of the subsrate because this will be the exact temp to which the snake will be laying. Usually the snake will lay right on it.Just what i do.

If your not using a thermostat it is important to be able to control your heat sources because the temps in the room will fluctuate. Keep the temps in the room constant and your heat temps will stay more consistant. Or you be adjusting your heat sources constantly. A temp gun will be a good friend.

[jls6214]

... He is on shavings as his substrate and has a water bowl, a tree hide, and a rock hide.

Just was wondering what kind of shavings you're using as substrate... as suggested coconut husks are fine, as are aspen shavings and good ol' newspaper, and there are many other options. However, commonly sold pine and cedar shavings are toxic to ball pythons and shouldn't be used. So please make sure that your substrate doesn't contain any pine or cedar.

I've enjoyed using a fine aspen shaving in my tubs for the past year or so. Great for spot cleaning with a nice woodsy smell. Just my opinion.

Best of luck to you.

Star

He's definitely on aspen shavings. I read that in my book, but it doesnt help with a lot of the details into setting up the habitat. Thank you and everyone else! I feel much better knowing I have a community of bp owners to rely on for advice!

[h00blah]

also, i dont think ive seen it, but if its a glass aquarium, just cover over 3/4 of the sides with dark paper or something to increase security ^-^

as for substrate, i use paper towels. ditch the heat lamp!

[jls6214]

Well, I should have everything that I ordered for my bp today. I have a UTH, thermostat, two digital thermometers, hygrometer, repti-carpet, and a refill of aspen shavings!!! I hope he likes the new setup!! Thanks again to all that replied!! It is very much appreciated!!

[MsPrada]

Just something a lot of people here say but two hides that are identical are recommended. Some snakes will pick the hide they like the most even if they need heat or to cool down and this can cause them harm. Also, I use a tank for both of mine and I use a lamp for the cool side. It does suck out humidity and if you use a higher wattage or a CHE then thats more humidity lost. I have three sides of my tank covered with foam core board and the humidity stays at 50 for both of mine when not in shed. A way you can raise the humidity when it needs to be raised it changing the substrate to one that holds humidity more and/or misting. Now, don't soak it, but misting can help. I mist for mine when they are in shed. Also, most snakes will burrow into the substrate so its best to place the probe on the tank bottom itself under the sub. Some snakes might not burrow, but mine def. do.

[jls6214]

Just something a lot of people here say but two hides that are identical are recommended. Some snakes will pick the hide they like the most even if they need heat or to cool down and this can cause them harm. Also, I use a tank for both of mine and I use a lamp for the cool side. It does suck out humidity and if you use a higher wattage or a CHE then thats more humidity lost. I have three sides of my tank covered with foam core board and the humidity stays at 50 for both of mine when not in shed. A way you can raise the humidity when it needs to be raised it changing the substrate to one that holds humidity more and/or misting. Now, don't soak it, but misting can help. I mist for mine when they are in shed. Also, most snakes will burrow into the substrate so its best to place the probe on the tank bottom itself under the sub. Some snakes might not burrow, but mine def. do.

Thanks for the info! I was curious about that because he seems to prefer the rock hide over the other, but still climbs on the other. I think I'll replace my tree hide with another rock hide. After cleaning out his tank and installing all of the new equipment, I am looking at 92 on the warm side and 82-83 on the cool side! Much better than what I was getting with the heat lamp alone!!

My next thing to tackle will be the humidity. I am going to cover the screen lid to help hold some of that in. Right now, it is at 45, which I know needs to be higher, so I'm making that my current priority.

Thanks for the info! Much appreciated!!