New to the forum. Hello.

[Gio]

Just wanted to say hi. I joined the board today. Tomorrow we are getting a 1 year old normal female Royal. It's a birthday gift for our 9 year old son, but I'm going to be the main caretaker and in charge of the climate, feedings and supervised handling of the snake.

It will be housed in his room in a locked 40 gal breeder tank with aspen sub, 3 thermometers and for now an over screen heat lamp. I think judging by the past week, that we'll get an under tank heater as well. I'll check archives for some setup issues if needed. I'm a bit nervous and want to do things the right way because I'm not into buying and dumping pets. If we buy it, it stays.

Though I feel we've researched well, I'm ALWAYS open to advice. Its a first for the family to have a snake and it's obviously different than our other pet hobby which is protection training and competing with dogs.

Cut me a little slack if I ask some rather obvious questions cause we're beginners. However we are very excited and I think joining this forum will help us out.

Cheers,

Gio

[Kaorte]

I think you will find this forum extremely helpful for all of your ball python questions! Remember, no question is a stupid question!

A lot of beginners will start out with glass tanks but as you may find, they are a little unfit for ball pythons. You will notice that the heat lamp will suck all of the humidity out of the tank. Many people will choose PVC cages or plastic tubs over glass enclosures, simply because they hold temps and humidity better, and seem to be better sized for ball pythons. They are terrestrial snakes and don't do much climbing, so height is not important when it comes to enclosure size.

Aspen is a good substrate choice, I personally like to use paper towels as it is easy to spot messes and easy to clean up (doesn't get little wood chips everywhere).

I could go on and on haha..

I do applaud you for doing some research before getting the snake. That is a mistake many new owners make (myself included once upon a time), and it ends up costing a lot of money to fix. If you are interested, posting a picture and a description of your current setup can help us determine how fit it is for a ball python. All of us are eager to help!

[che]

hi there and welcome to bp.net!!!

Congratulations on making the leap! Im sure your son is very excited!!

With regards to the setup, I think under tank heating and a thermostat is a must. It is important to control temperatures as well as monitor them. You're of to a good start so far, specially with asking questions and doing research.

Check out the care sheet section, Im sure you will find a lot of info there.

I hope you enjoy your stay here.

Looking forward to seeing pics of the snake!!

[Mike41793]

I would go with a PVC enclosure instead as it will be much easier to maintain heat and humidity. A thermostat is a MUST have item. It controls how hot your uth will get so it doesnt burn your snake. A thermomter is different, it doesnt regulate the heat, just tells you the temperatures. Sorry if you already knew all that but sometimes people get a bit confused about the differences.
Welcome to the forum. I commend you on picking the best pet in the world for your son! Who will you be getting the bp from? What is it eating now?

[Crazy4Herps]

Welcome to the forums, and congrats on the soon-to-be new pet! Your setup sounds great; I can definitely tell you've done your research. On the issue of caging, many (myself included) prefer using PVC cages or tubs, but as long as you make sure to keep humidity levels up, a 40gal tank can make a perfectly suitable enclosure for a ball python.

I too would recommend a thermostat (for the under tank heater, if you get one, not the lamp). They come in a wide range of prices, but all you really need for a single UTH is something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...8235327&sr=8-1

And ask all the obvious questions you want; we're here to help!

I'm not into buying and dumping pets. If we buy it, it stays.

Just wanted to say, I love this statement. I think the world could use more pet owners like you!

[Slim]

Welcome to BP.net! Great to have you here

[Gio]

WOW! Thanks for the welcome! As I did my research I did hear the plastic enclosures were better. Unfortunately the purchase has been made and the set up is in place. I've been monitoring it for the past week before the arrival.

It's funny how you can research yourself right out of what you set out to buy. I was close to changing to a red tailed boa based on the "feeding issues" but that did not last too long when I read that even males could hit 9-10'. That would be one of those "beginners mistakes" mentioned above. That said, they seem to be a very cool snake. We're not set up for it though, and since my wife is barley into this idea, I think the red tail thought is just that.

We live just west of Minneapolis and have a decent amount of humidity in the summers. My biggest concern is climate control when we take our summer trip. (8 days) I'm thinking we'll have the under tank heater tomorrow which unfortunately will be an experiment instead of equipment in place.

Even though the snake is supposedly not overly active, my son wants a tank that he can watch it so that's how the glass tank came about. That and the fact I didn't know any better.

Do you guys usually use 1 under tank heater? Also, I only have thermometers (3) so a thermostat for the UTH may be in the cards.

Feeding and climate are my concerns. Once I get those dialed in I'll be relaxed and more of a "normal snake guy" until then, I'll be a little stressed.

Thanks for being nice to me. I like this board : )