Blacking out a terrarium

[kurt5153]

So I have a 30gal terraium and I was thing of blacking out the sides and the back. Questions:
Does it add any comfort for the ball?
Have you done it?
How to do it?
Is it worth it?

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[Eric Alan]

So I have a 30gal terraium and I was thing of blacking out the sides and the back. Questions:
Does it add any comfort for the ball? Yes - a lot.
Have you done it? Nope - my API T8s only have a glass front though - the rest of the material is black already.
How to do it? Anything from black construction paper taped to the outside to the stuff you can buy for aquariums (again - on the outside).
Is it worth it? Only if you prefer your BP to be comfortable.

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[The Serpent Merchant]

1. Does it add any comfort for the ball?: Yes, it makes the cage feel more secure to the snake, it works on the same principals that good hides do.

2. Have you done it?: Yes, I do it to every glass tank that I use, and my custom reptile cages are already blacked out from the manufacture. (Animal Plastics)





3. How to do it?: There are a few ways to do it, the easist is to tape paper to the outside of the cage (never use tape inside the cage). Any paper will do as long as it makes 3 sides of the tank opaque.

4. Is it worth it?: Absolutely, it costs only pennies to do and really does make a big difference to the BP.

[kurt5153]

Awesome! Thank you both for the info and the quick replays! Also this is my set up and my Lil baby ball.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...199692-New-guy

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[MsMissy]

What Aaron said x2, they love dark and secure. My glass tanks are covered. It's fast, easy, inexpensive and helps make a stress free happy home.

Looks good!!! As for your feeding question/issue on your thread...Once you get everything all set up and you leave him completely alone for about a week <no man handling unless to move him to clean up a mess>try again. One that small you may have to try live with. My baby wanted nothing to do with f/t and has been a compete pig snake since I switched her to live.

[Pyrate81]

Currently using 3 different methods to black out a tank.*

1. Aquarium backgrounds. It slides nicely between the glass and the black framing. Some parts are taped using scotch tape.

2. Black construction paper using masking tape.

3. Black wrapping paper using masking tape.

I wanted to see which would work better for over all durability, price, aesthetics, and ease to put on. So far I think my favorite is the black construction paper. All suggestions listed have bee useful imo.



*All tape and black out material is on the outside of the tank.

[kurt5153]

Awesome thank you all for the replys! I'll do it ASAP!

MsMissy - I'll try him on live Monday! Also do you think a fuzzy is good sized for him? Just in sure.

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[Expensive hobby]

Cheap can of spray paint from the hardware store or supermarket.

Mask off what you dont wanted sprayed, spray on the outside of the tank(flat black works better and dries faster) let it cure and tada, done. Looks better than any other method, won't degrade of it gets wet, easy to remove, no bubbles, and almost error free application(no cutting stuff to size, taping etc.


0.1.0 Normal Ball Python
0.1.0 Columbian B.C.I. 2013
1.0.0 EBV Red Group Pastel Hypo Jungle B.C.I. 2013

[MsMissy]

Awesome thank you all for the replys! I'll do it ASAP!

MsMissy - I'll try him on live Monday! Also do you think a fuzzy is good sized for him? Just in sure.

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Prey size depends on snake size. If he is a baby, he should be able to handle a small <15 gram-ish> mouse or a decent size rat fuzzy. You want something that is slightly bigger than the thickest part of his body.. Typically 15% of his body weight. Results will be a noticeable but not huge lump in him. Here is a chart someone gave me to help figure out my older snakes necessary feed. It helped me.

Rat progression by weight and size
Pinkies = 3-8 grams 1.5-2 inches
Fuzzies = 9-19 grams 2-2.5 inches
Pups = 20-29 grams 2.5-3.5 inches
Weanlings = 30-44 grams 3.5-4.5 inches
Small = 45-84 grams 4.5-6 inches
Medium = 85-174 grams 6-8 inches
Large = 175-274 grams 8-9 inches
XL or Jumbo = 275-374 grams 9-11 inches
XXL or Colossal = 375-474 11-13 inches
XXL or Mammoth = 475-600 grams 11-13 inches.

[kurt5153]

Prey size depends on snake size. If he is a baby, he should be able to handle a small <15 gram-ish> mouse or a decent size rat fuzzy. You want something that is slightly bigger than the thickest part of his body.. Typically 15% of his body weight. Results will be a noticeable but not huge lump in him. Here is a chart someone gave me to help figure out my older snakes necessary feed. It helped me.

Rat progression by weight and size
Pinkies = 3-8 grams 1.5-2 inches
Fuzzies = 9-19 grams 2-2.5 inches
Pups = 20-29 grams 2.5-3.5 inches
Weanlings = 30-44 grams 3.5-4.5 inches
Small = 45-84 grams 4.5-6 inches
Medium = 85-174 grams 6-8 inches
Large = 175-274 grams 8-9 inches
XL or Jumbo = 275-374 grams 9-11 inches
XXL or Colossal = 375-474 11-13 inches
XXL or Mammoth = 475-600 grams 11-13 inches.

Awesome thank you!

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