Help me build the perfect tank for a b-day gift...

[AnUnseenHope]

Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum, but i'm hoping ya'll can help me out. I'm building a snake cage/tank for my cousin (and his snake - Ball Python, adult size) as a birthday gift to him. He's been wanting/needing a new one for a while and i now have the money to do it for him. I've done hours and hours of research on Ball Pythons and enclosures for them because i have no experience when it comes to snakes, period. So, here it goes...

I'm building a 4 foot wide, 3 foot tall, and 2 foot deep enclosure. I'm using a 2 foot section of flexwatt as the belly heater and it is going to be sandwiched between to pieces of ceramic tile attached to a proportional thermostat (and i know all of you are going to freak out and say it's not safe, but i work with flexwatt for a living. it does not need to breath. being sandwiched is just fine as long as its below 95 degrees, which for a BP is more than enough heat.)

Now my question is, since the tank is 3 feet tall, i'm going to put a large piece of driftwood inside above where the flexwatt will be about a 1.5 feet up or higher. I want to make the driftwood a 90 degree basking area with a top mounted RHP (radient heat panel). the belly warmer is going to run cooler than 90 degrees. What size heat panel should i get? Also, would that be too much heat for that side of the cage? They are both going to be regulated by thermostats. but like i said, i'm new the the snake scene so i dont exactly know how much heat a RHP puts out or how far it traves/radiates.

Please let me know what you guys think on how i should set it up... or if you have any other ideas please feel free to voice them. i'll give a list of the items i have (not that i will need all of them, but some were given to me by a friend)

two hides, one for the cool side, one for the warm side,
a big water basin thing
two driftwood perches (one on each side about 1.5-2 ft each)
two decent sized air vents on each side of the tank
Two proportional thermostats (one Helix, one Herpstat)
A Ranco 111000 thermostat
one digital thermometer
1 humidistat
a rock to coil around (what hes using right now)
Substrate (what hes using right now)
A ZooMed UTH (what hes using right now)
A Flukers Ceramic Heat Lamp (what he's using right now)

any other suggestions as to what i might need would be much appreciated.

[jefrow]

thats really cool you are doing that as a gift and it seems like you have some good ideas but the main thing is that the cage seems like it would be to big for a ball python even as an adult. I think it would be best to drop the height to about 1 foot and the length to around 2 or maybe 2 1/2 ft because ball pythons like small enclosures and for heat all you would really need is flexwatt for belly heat since they don't climb to much if at all

[AnUnseenHope]

thats really cool you are doing that as a gift and it seems like you have some good ideas but the main thing is that the cage seems like it would be to big for a ball python even as an adult. I think it would be best to drop the height to about 1 foot and the length to around 2 or maybe 2 1/2 ft because ball pythons like small enclosures and for heat all you would really need is flexwatt for belly heat since they don't climb to much if at all

The thing is, for some reason, his snake LOVES to climb. He's in a 2-2.5 ft tall cage right now and likes to stretch/explore (i dunno if that's what you call it - snake newbie, sorry) upward and is head is always at the top of the cage. Only when he is sleeping or eating, he is curled up on the bottom of the tank. So my cousin has been asking for a 3 foot tank for a while now.

What do you think though? Like i said, i'm no expert when it comes to snakes, but every time i'm over there, the snake's head is moving around the top of the tank. Maybe next time i'm there, i can take a picture and show you what i mean?

The way i figure it also, is that if it is too tall to for the snake, i can just put a shelf in at the top and it'll cut the snake tank down by a foot.

So you're saying no RHP at all? and just regulate the flexwatt to ~90 degrees instead?

EDIT: his snake is a rather large Ball Python from what he says (longer than 4 feet). I dont know if that helps/makes a difference.

[Vypyrz]

Hello, and to BP.net...

It looks like you have a pretty good plan and plenty of equipment. In order to make suggestions on building an enclosure that the snake will be comfortable in and not stressed we need a little more info on the snake. Adult Ball Pythons have alot of variation in their size. They can be anywhere from 3-5ft long and weigh anywhere from 1100 grams to 4000+ grams. It would help alot if you could find out at least how long the snake is, how long your cousin has had it, and if it was a juvenile or already an adult when he got it. Also, what are the dimensions and type of enclosure is it currently housed in?

What size heat panel should i get? Also, would that be too much heat for that side of the cage? They are both going to be regulated by thermostats. but like i said, i'm new the the snake scene so i dont exactly know how much heat a RHP puts out or how far it traves/radiates.

To help with the RHP questions, here are the links to a couple of websites that sell them and these are their Info/FAQ pages:

http://www.reptilebasics.com/radiant...panel-faq.html

http://www.pro-products.com/index.ph...d=55&Itemid=59

Also, here is the link to the DIY and Caging sections of this forum, where you may be able to find some ideas:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...y-and-Supplies

Hope this helps some, for now...

[BPelizabeth]

Check out the DIY forum you will get lots of ideas and step by step instructions.

[Vypyrz]

The thing is, for some reason, his snake LOVES to climb. He's in a 2-2.5 ft tall cage right now and likes to stretch/explore (i dunno if that's what you call it - snake newbie, sorry) upward and is head is always at the top of the cage. Only when he is sleeping or eating, he is curled up on the bottom of the tank. So my cousin has been asking for a 3 foot tank for a while now.

What do you think though? Like i said, i'm no expert when it comes to snakes, but every time i'm over there, the snake's head is moving around the top of the tank. Maybe next time i'm there, i can take a picture and show you what i mean?

Have you noticed if the snake is doing this during the daytime or mostly at night?

[AnUnseenHope]

Hello, and to BP.net...

It looks like you have a pretty good plan and plenty of equipment. In order to make suggestions on building an enclosure that the snake will be comfortable in and not stressed we need a little more info on the snake. Adult Ball Pythons have alot of variation in their size. They can be anywhere from 3-5ft long and weigh anywhere from 1100 grams to 4000+ grams. It would help alot if you could find out at least how long the snake is, how long your cousin has had it, and if it was a juvenile or already an adult when he got it. Also, what are the dimensions and type of enclosure is it currently housed in?

I know for a fact that the snake is over 4 feet long, but definitely not 5. Lets say its between 4 and 4 1/2 feet. As for the weight, i'm not exactly sure how to go about getting that? And i dont think my cousin knows either. It's a surprise gift so i don't know even know how i would get that information from him anyways.

My cousin has had the snake for almost 4 years now and he got it as an adult. It was already full grown when he got it.

The enclosure it is in right now is 3 feet wide, 1 foot in depth at it's narrowest points (the two sides) and 1.5 feet at its thickest (where it bows outward in the center front), and 2 feet tall.

Also, I'm going to build the new tank 2 feet tall only and tell him that 3 feet is just WAY too big. The guy at the reptile shop today was showing me some tanks and talking about ball pythons, even showed me some in their environment. I explained to him that the snake loves to go upward a lot and he said that's fine but 3 feet is still too much.

[AnUnseenHope]

Have you noticed if the snake is doing this during the daytime or mostly at night?

I've really only been over there in the day time. So i can't really say if it's ONLY during the day, or both day and night. From what i've read though, they are great escape artists and maybe it's just him trying to find a way out? since the opening to the current cage is at the top...

[zina10]

You've got some great tips, so all I'll say is that its awesome you are doing this for your cousin and his snake

[AnUnseenHope]

Also, another question... should i have any plants in there? or fake plants? vines? what would you suggest? what do they like?