cost of equipment

[hirschy75]

Hi everyone i'm new and i joined this site because i am interested in getting a bp and totally love snakes but i haven't had one yet. i was wondering if i went out and bought everything except the snake and food about how much would it cost me?

[Rapture]

You have a lot of routes that you can choose to go that will greatly affect the cost of your set-up. Why don't you take a look through some of the threads in the Husbandry forum to get some ideas, then ask again?

[monk90222]

If you are going to have the BP in a plastic tub, with flexwatt and a thermostat..I would put aside about $150- $200 bucks to set it up correctly.
Remember a helix (tstat) is at least $125 or a pre wired Ranco is about $65 or so....The tub and flexwatt are the cheapest part.

[digcolnagos]

The cost also depends on where you live. If you live in a cold clime, be prepared to use a space heater, which can bump utility bills significantly, to keep ambient temperatures adequate. If you use a glass tank, figure the following budget:

Tank: You'll need a 20-gallon long, maybe 29-gallon, for an adult BP. That's $30 or so new, but widely available used for $5 or so. Check your local classifieds, thrift stores, garage sales, etc. This could well be the cheapest part of deal.

Screen top: Tough to find used. Figure about $10-$15. Add another $5 for the clips to secure it. You don't want any escapes.

Heat: This is where the bills start mounting. In the Midwest, where I live, I need a UTH for each side. Each one costs about $15.

Heat Control: You'll need a thermostat for each UTH (although, again, this might well depend on where you live. If you live in Arizona or some other warm place, you might be able to get away with just one UTH). A first-class t-stat costs $110 or so, but you can make do with cheaper ones. Figure $25 apiece.

Hides: You'll need two identical hides, one for each side. If you're on a budget and inventive, you can make something yourself for next to nothing. Otherwise, figure $10 apiece.

Thermometer/hygrometer: Essential equipment. About $15 from Wal-Mart of Lowe's.

All told, you're looking at about $150--minus substrate, misting bottle and other sundries--and that's doing it on the cheap, meaning you get everything but the tank online and the tank you get for practically free. This is my own personal experience, but I suspect most would agree this is a good ballpark. If you cannot afford this, do not get a ball python. Do not get the snake and a cheap tank and figure you can add other stuff as you get the money. It doesn't, or at least shouldn't, work that way.