do i have everything?

[skiTTles]

i've wanted a snake for awhile. i've finally decided to go with a ball python after lots of research. so far, this is what i've accumulated:

1.) the tank - a 90quart Sterilite container.

2.) substrate - pieces of AstroTurf. planning on using paper towels for the first month or two.

3.) hide boxes - two clay saucer pots, one on the warmer side, one on the cooler side.

4.) water dish - a large sturdy ceramic bowl which is placed inbetween the hide boxes.

5.) tongs - long w/ no sharp edges for feeding

6.) indoor/outdoor digital thermometer/ hygrometer - (the $15 one at wal-mart)

okay, so now for the questions:

for heating, i'm going to use a human heating pad (which i haven't boughten yet). i was wondering which brand is best (if any?). i know that you're supposed to get one without auto shut off.

is the heating pad going to be enough for heat? should i use anything along with it? also, what is recommended for keeping the Sterilite container elevated enough so that the heating pad doesn't touch it?

when i need to raise the humidity during shedding, how do i accomplish this? do i spray the tank? turn up the heating pad?

also, does anyone think i need anything else? am i pretty much done with the shopping?

sorry for such a long post :lol: and thanks in advance, everyone.

[sophie42204]

Sounds like you're well prepared so far. As far as the humidity, you can make a humidifier from the design in the Do It Yourself section of this site (top left corner list). I made one (well, my man made one for me) and it was pretty easy to put together and it works great.
I bought the $10 dollar heating pad @ walmart. I guess, as long as it doesn't have auto-shut off, you can go cheap or as expensive as you want (they run from $10-$30 at walmart). To make space between the pad and the container, you can buy furniture feet (also at walmart).

Welcome to the site! I've learned everything I just relayed to you from the awesome people in this community, so stick around you're bound to pick up a lot of useful, educational, and insightful info. here. Good luck!

[JamminJonah]

Good to see you around Skittles!! your list looks great ( I especially loved the part about the tongs with covers to prevent injury - THAT proves you did your research ) yup - Sophie nailed it = humidity can be upped through misting, a humidifier in the room, a humidifier you can build in DIY or buy through www.bigappleherp.com or misting or constructing a humid hide. Any heat pad works as long as there is NO AUTO SHUT OFF! Good tips Sophie!
P.S. I figured out the picture problem check the general section

[skiTTles]

thanks for the replies guys, how do i go about constructing a humid hide? somewhere i heard something about putting a well rung out wash cloth in a hide box?

[JamminJonah]

that works well- also Marla has spectacular ideas when it comes to this stuff so she'll be a good responder here. Another way is to get a disposable tupperware deal and use that here is a link to the good old DIY
Humid Hide
http://www.ball-pythons.net/Sections...39-page-1.html

Humidifier
http://www.ball-pythons.net/Sections...41-page-1.html

Here is a pic of my set-up - You can see I had to contact paper the lid, I have a thermostat and human heat pad and also a human humidifier (this pic was taken during early spring/late winter) that can be set for a humdity percentage (in my case 60%) the human humidifier is on the left - got it at WalMart I believe, also I moved my guy into my closet so it would hold heat and such better but you're using sterelite so that shouldn't really be much of an issuse

[amaya]

Well just to let you know. Today I went to petco... Yahh Petco...For some supplies today. And I saw The ZooMed Delux Snake Kit Today. Don't know how long they had them there but Its only $39.99... It has ....

ReptiBark Natural Reptile Bedding. 100% pure fir bark. 4 dry quarts.
Under Tank Heater. UL listed heater safely warms your snake's tank. 10-20 gallon terrarium size.
Wipe Out 3 Antiseptic Hand Gel. Fast-acting, no-rinse gel kills microbes on contact, including salmonella. Use to sanitize and clean hands between handling animals to help reduce the spread of infection.
ReptiSafe Water Conditioner. Drinking water conditioner for all types of snakes, lizards, turtles, tortoises, amphibians, hermit crabs, and arachnids.
Repti Rock Water Dish.
Habba Hut. A natural half log shelter for all kinds of reptiles, amphibians, and other types of small animals.Reptile Thermometer. Measures high range temperatures in fahrenheit and celsius

Its great for some-one who plans to get a small or baby ball/snake ...To bad it doesn't have every thing .....
But I got two, just in-case of an emergency .... Like a rescue... :wink:
O-yahh Free shipping at petco.com for it....

[Marla]

Skittles, it's great to see someone so prepared! With the Sterilite, you may not need to raise the humidity at all for shed time, but if you do, there are a few easy tricks you can use: switch to a bigger water dish for duration of shed, move water dish completely to warm side, add 2nd small dish or any other source of humidity (such as a sponge that you run through the dishwasher every day or two), or create a humid hide (my current favorite method for this involves using a coconut fiber hanging plant basket liner cut to size and turned upside down over a water dish, with an entry hole cut in).

A human heating pad should be adequate for heating the enclosure, but you may find you need to put it on medium instead of low for one that size -- just make sure your substrate is thick enough to avoid too hot a hot spot. Brand isn't important. The heating pad can touch the container, but you do need airflow either above or below the heat pad. The easiest way to do this is to use the stick-on feet for furniture and electronics that you can find at WalMart or any hardware store, but anything evenly-sized that won't let it slip around will be fine -- you can use paperbacks if you want, as long as it's on a snug shelf or something.

Just make sure you set it up completely and give yourself a couple of days to get temps and humidity right (wait a few hours between adjustments to give it time to stabilize), and you should have a great set-up.

[JLC]

Hmmm. I think it'd be interesting to compare prices for buying those things individually, and leaving out the stuff you don't need (such as the water conditioner) and replacing the stuff you would have to replace (such as the inadeqate hide and crummy thermometer). And see if you've really saved any money.

That's an excellent idea though...to have some extra supplies onhand and ready to go to take in an emergency rescue!