Enclosure questions

[DrawnToLife]

Hi everyone, New to the site not so new to ball pythons, had them since i was 13, currently have a baby male 100% het pied? not much white but he's pretty, i forget what the breeder called him, anyway I'm setting up his new tank pretty soon he's in a 40g right now but its ugly and its only my quarantine tank for new animals and stuff, but I'm looking to make a gorgeous vivarium already have most of it planed and already have all the plants in a seperate tank.


My biggest question is how humid is too humid? the plants i don't believe need to much watering but i can't keep it too dry either, had a couple plants die on me for leaving them un watered for a weekend, I assume the tank is about 50g I'm not entirely sure its 48x24x30 inches, custom.


Another is would it be too much to have a running stream and or waterfall. if it is its no biggy but i do want to keep the snake in a live area, no other animals, at least not till i make a much bigger enclosure. Any tips on absolutely anything would be amazing especially a low maintenance substrate or even a no maintenance substrate+false bottom, if i have water in there. I'll post pictures when i get a new camera and finish this thing snakes pretty heavy even as a baby by the way, any sturdy plants miniature trees you can think of would be great.



Thanks loads for any information you provide, in advance.

[BPelizabeth]

65% is good you don't want it to be wet due to causing scale rot. As far as real plants ....some snakes are pretty hard on them due to rearranging their enclosures. Then you have to also remember that whatever is in there can get icky so you will have to pull everything out and clean it. I know one of mine will poo and pee all over the plants and the log. Sounds great but it is a lot of work every week to keep clean.

[DrawnToLife]

So far i've noticed he poos maybe every month and a half and i have him on 5 hoppers every 8 days less if he seems hungry, very active as well so im more worried about him destroying the plants

[CoolioTiffany]

Hi everyone, New to the site not so new to ball pythons, had them since i was 13, currently have a baby male 100% het pied? not much white but he's pretty, i forget what the breeder called him, anyway I'm setting up his new tank pretty soon he's in a 40g right now but its ugly and its only my quarantine tank for new animals and stuff, but I'm looking to make a gorgeous vivarium already have most of it planed and already have all the plants in a seperate tank.

First of all, a 40g tank is much too big for a baby. For a baby, you should try to shoot for at least a 10g enclosure. Ball pythons like small areas, actually, and get very stressed when in a large area if it does not have enough hiding spaces. Whenever you give a Ball pythona large area to roam around in you should always provide several hiding areas and no area in the tank should be open.

The thing about the plants isn't such a good idea. The reason I say this is because the plant can most definitely hold bacteria and parasites, as well as attract bugs into the enclosure. I highly suggest using fake decor plants that you find at most local pet stores.

My biggest question is how humid is too humid? the plants i don't believe need to much watering but i can't keep it too dry either, had a couple plants die on me for leaving them un watered for a weekend, I assume the tank is about 50g I'm not entirely sure its 48x24x30 inches, custom.

The humidity should be between 50%-60%, but 65% is the highest you should go when the snake in not shedding. During shed, the humidity level can be around 70%. The reason why you should not have it too humid in the enclosure along with the tank being very damp or wet is because that can cause scale rot.

Since your snake is still a baby, a 50g enclosure is much too stressful. Since your snake is new, I would suggest keeping everything easy for now. Try just a 10g enclosure since he is still quite small and will get stressed very easily. A 50g enclosure is more for an adult Ball python.

Another is would it be too much to have a running stream and or waterfall. if it is its no biggy but i do want to keep the snake in a live area, no other animals, at least not till i make a much bigger enclosure. Any tips on absolutely anything would be amazing especially a low maintenance substrate or even a no maintenance substrate+false bottom, if i have water in there. I'll post pictures when i get a new camera and finish this thing snakes pretty heavy even as a baby by the way, any sturdy plants miniature trees you can think of would be great.

I think just sticking with a basic, 10g enclosure would be the best for your snake right now since it's new and still trying to get used to its new surroundings.

About the part I bolded, I would like to explain something. Ball pythons are solitary animals and it would do them a lot better if kept by themselves. They are very prone to stress and having more than one animal no matter what species in the same enclosure would be very stressful. Stress can lead to the snakes not eating. And mixing species isn't the best idea because different diseases and parasites can be passed around.

[CoolioTiffany]

So far i've noticed he poos maybe every month and a half and i have him on 5 hoppers every 8 days less if he seems hungry, very active as well so im more worried about him destroying the plants

5 hoppers every 8 days?? That's way too much, unless these meals are small compared to him and he needs to be fed more small meals. For hatchlings, I would suggest one rodent about the same size as the middle part of their body every 5-7 days. Snakes have very slow metabolisms so it is ideal to feed them at least every 7 days, but 5 would be the minimum amount of days you should feed your snake.

[DrawnToLife]

I only call him a baby because he is next to my others sorry, I have 2 adult females and a 6 year old male in a 100g tank, and the 40g is a QT with 4 hiding spots and plenty cover, mainly vines with leaves, he's not super small like i said he's heavy, he's thick enough for the hoppers and he eats until he doesn't want any, I plan on keeping him alone till his year and a half mark in about 5 months i believe I'll have to check my notes to be exact, and as far as plants being not a good idea i have a couple ferns with the adults and orchids, helps with the oxygen content of the tank, and provides a good ecosystem but that tank is easy to maintain the plants are potted i plan on making the substrate the soil for the plants, thanks for the advice but I'm looking for vivarium tips mostly, thank you though