Please rate my setup/give advice

[Chained]

Hey everyone, i'm currently the first time owner of the sweetest and prettiest ball python i've ever seen, i fell in love as soon as i held her.

However, i'm also super paranoid i might be doing something wrong, so please, feel free to take a look at my tank and supplies and let me know if i could change anything, or if i missed anything.

Supplies include-
15 gallon long tank with secure locking lid
1 repti-carpet
1 ceramic cave hide (warm end)
1 kiln dried half log hide (cool end)
1 water dish
1 climing branch
sphagnum moss
2 quick glance thermometers
1 digital thermometer with probe
1 hygrometer
1 8w heating pad with lamp dimmer plugged into a very good surge protector
1 overhead light with CFL bulb for daytime , 40w red bulb for nighttime
cardboard covering outside of sides and back of tank (i know its ugly, will replace soon)
1 lamp stand (so my lid doesn't get worn out)
1 set of feeding tongs
1 extra plastic box for feeding with locking lid
1 misting bottle
3 frozen mice (fuzzies)
3 frozen pinkies
and of course, 1 gorgeous ball python named samantha

my temps are 84 warm side, 72 cool side.

please let me know if i've forgotten anything. im so nervous i'm going to screw up and kill her. right now she seems pretty happy, shes currently trying to find a way out of her cage =P

[satomi325]

Hey everyone, i'm currently the first time owner of the sweetest and prettiest ball python i've ever seen, i fell in love as soon as i held her.

However, i'm also super paranoid i might be doing something wrong, so please, feel free to take a look at my tank and supplies and let me know if i could change anything, or if i missed anything.

Supplies include-
15 gallon long tank with secure locking lid
1 repti-carpet
1 ceramic cave hide (warm end)
1 kiln dried half log hide (cool end)
1 water dish
1 climing branch
sphagnum moss
2 quick glance thermometers
1 digital thermometer with probe
1 hygrometer
1 8w heating pad with lamp dimmer plugged into a very good surge protector
1 overhead light with CFL bulb for daytime , 40w red bulb for nighttime
cardboard covering outside of sides and back of tank (i know its ugly, will replace soon)
1 lamp stand (so my lid doesn't get worn out)
1 set of feeding tongs
1 extra plastic box for feeding with locking lid
1 misting bottle
3 frozen mice (fuzzies)
3 frozen pinkies
and of course, 1 gorgeous ball python named samantha

my temps are 84 warm side, 72 cool side.

please let me know if i've forgotten anything. im so nervous i'm going to screw up and kill her. right now she seems pretty happy, shes currently trying to find a way out of her cage =P

You have a pretty good basis so far.

1) I suggest replacing the half log hide with another rock cave hide. The half logs tend to mold after a while due to bacteria build up and humidity. Not to mention they're very difficult to sanitize. Your ball will appreciate a hide that surrounds all sides (like the rock cave hide). The log has 2 openings, which is "too open" for a ball to fell totally secure.

2) You might want to think about investing in a thermostat. Dimmers aren't safe enough to regulate a heating pad. If you're on a budget, amazon has the $30 Hydrofarm thermostat. It's not the best, but it's better than any dimmer and all other petstore thermostats. Getting a Vivarium or Herpstat thermostat is the best and safest out on the market. But they are more expensive being in the $99+ range.

3) You don't need a separate feeding tub. You can feed in the enclosure. Your snake won't develop 'cage aggression'. Cage aggression is a myth. As long as you don't smell like food or startle your snake, she won't bite. Removing a snake back and forth between it's tank and feeding tub may or may not cause stress.

4) Your temps are a little low. The hot side should ideally be around 88-92. And the cold side should be closer to 80. Anything below 75 has the potential to give a ball python a Respiratory Infection

5) Repticarpet might be difficult to clean, but it's easy to replace.

How is your humidity?

Not bad other wise
Welcome to the addiction of Ball Pythons!

[Homegrownscales]

Well first you need to bump you temps. Warm side should be min 90.f-92.f. Do you have a thermostat? This hooks up to the heat and turns it on or off according to what the probe say the temp is. This way your ball will never get overheated.
Cool side should be 80-85.f.
Your hides need to be exactly the same and tight fitting. The caves do work well so I'd exchange the log for another cave. You may want to black out the three sides of the tank for extra security. You can use black contact paper, or cork board, or car board.
Toss that carpet and get cypress or aspen or coco coir. Don't worry about the loose bedding causeing impactions. It won't. The carpet just breeds bacteria. You can never really get them clean enough. They get nasty quickly and then your baby will be sitting in that. Prime time scale rot awaiting to happen.
Lastly you may want to start feeding with lie. Most babies especially when they are in new homes don't do well with ft. They just don't readily accept it. Pinkies will never be a food source for even a new hatchling. Most youngsters do well on live mouse hoppers, or small adult mice. Whichever is the correct size. To determine correct prey size you will need a scale and correct prey is 15% of the animals body weight.
Scales are 100% necessary as well regarding husbandry. It's important to keep a notebook with the actions your ball does like sheds, feeds, and defecations as well as monthly weigh ins. In case there is ever a health issue you will Hve a consistant health background making it 1000% easier on a potential vet to look at the issue and diagnose.
Keeping track of things like this also takes out the guessing game. When your ball decides to go on a feeding fast and it will eventually this background will tell you whether he's ill or not. Sick balls loose weight quickly and fasting balls do not. So having a good baseline will help your overall pet keeping experience.
Well that's all the changes I could remember. Hope this helps.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[Homegrownscales]

Oh yes. Don't bother feeding out of the cage. It's more stressful and is one of the top reasons why people get bitten or their snake doesn't eat. Feed in the cage. No doubt about it feed in the cage.
You may want to get smaller rock caves. You could also make hides from the little plastic flower pots. Cheap and easy.


Check out what's new on my website... www.Homegrownscales.com

[satomi325]

Branching off what Homegrownscales said, you can use your rock hides, but many snakes tend to stress out more if their hides aren't tight. Balls like being able to touch all sides of a hide. Perhaps use something smaller temporarily until your little girl grows up a bit. Or you can stuff it w/ crumpled paper towel/newspaper to fill up the extra space.

For all my hatchlings, I use dollar store small plastic bowls and cut a hole in for a door. They're the perfect size for my babies and really cheap (3/$1).

[Chained]

okay, good advice everyone. ive bumped up my temps, and as far as the hides, the half log has one end facing the cardboard side of the tank, so only 1 end is open.

the large rock cave has alot of moss inside, so hopefully that will be good.

my humidty is around 50% right now.

and ill try feeding in cage in a few days =)