So Many Details

[lyricalcyphr]

There seems to be so many details to follow. I hope i don't kill my bp. I keep him in a 20 gallon tank right now with one heat lamp. I live in ohio. No humidifier. He seems to do fine. he is about 7 weeks old. I take him out a lot and let him cruise around outside or in the house. I feed him 2 fuzzies a week. He has shed once. didn't go well. Ended up having to help with a warm soak and a wet wash cloth. Had to redirect one feed. He kept grabbing the mouse around the neck but he let me take it back out of his mouth and hold it by its tail so he could the mouse in by the nose. he is really docile. he has never struck or acted aggressive. I havent seen any of the illnesses you guys speak of. I do think he needs more space now because he can stand on his tail and touch the top of the screen now so i am looking for a bigger tank on craigs list since thats where i got him from.

this is my first snake, and as much as i would like more, i am so dedicated to him, that i don't think i want anymore right now. i thought about getting a tub for him but i want him to be able to see out of it his encloser so probably not.

how important is the humidity thing? am I missing anything? I just want to make sure i do everything right.

[LadyOhh]

Humidity is very important.

You also should probably not be using a heat lamp, but an under tank heater (heat pad). It would be more useful than an overhead lamp.

If you could give more detail as to how you keep your animal (tank, heat, temps, substrate, hides, water, etc), I think people could help you more

I would suggest keeping on reading up on the husbandry of these animals, and keep us updated with any questions you may have so that we can help you and your snake live a happy healthy life together.

[Beardedragon]

Agreed, you really need to have something to measure and make the humidity correct or your going to end up with alot of bad sheds and alot of other problems associated with improper humidity. Heatlamps also suck the humidity out of tanks too. Id look into buying a heat lamp

Get some screen top locks if you haven't already, or he will escape. Do not get a bigger tank, hes just exploring. Height really is not important with ball pythons. They like small enclosures. ( But not too small...) Snakes also see in Infrared, so him seeing out of his tank is not important, it will more than likely stress him out than help!

Hope this helps,
Matt

Posting pictures of your Tank would really help!

[lyricalcyphr]

ok i will work on it - when you guys say heat pad do you mean the same kind people use for aches and pains or a special one for reptiles? I have a piece of warped wood and some plastic leaf type stuff in the tank right now for hiding there was a half carved log that the guy gave me but it took up so much of the tank there was hardly no place to move. the temp in the tank constantly fluctuates. I try to keep it between 84 and 87 but i have seen it as high as 90 and had to turn the heat lamp off for a while. I can go out today and get a tub for him and a heating pad if you guys think thats better

[LadyOhh]

Special reptile heat pad...

[lyricalcyphr]

ok i will pick one up from the store today because i was just sitting the heat lamp on the top of the tank i was so lost - i see i am going to need so much help - i will be back on later after my daughters appointment

[Jenn]

You may want to look into prey size too. Fuzzies are probably way too small for him.

[lyricalcyphr]

ok the supplies will have to wait until friday but i did find a larger tank that i am happier with - i can get everything this weekend. i plan to make a list and get everything set up. i will post a pic when i am done. until then i have some major studying to do.

[Kathleen]

A 20 gallon (long) would have worked fine. What size is your new one?

I learned most of what I know about proper husbandry by looking at the caresheet and surfing various threads here. Whether or not you post directly, you'll find the people here to be immensely helpful. I think the most important thing, above all else, is providing the right temperature gradient: 80-84 on the cool side and 90-94 on the hot side (the temperatures vary by opinion but those are the general ranges you'll find). Generally speaking, these ideal temperatures are harder to reach in a larger tank (just a head's up).

I'd recommend purchasing a UTH (or two), an Acu-Rite thermometer (it has a probe so you can measure the hot and cool sides simultaneously. It also reads humidity. You can get one from Walmart for about $12) and two identical hides at the very least (one each for the hot and cool sides). You will also need a thermostat to control the UTH because they can reach really high temperatures. There's a variety available at RBI, and you can buy several other supplies from there.

If you're sticking with a tank, I'd treat your cage top with some foil to help with the humidity issue. For my 20 gallon long, I have 3/4 of the screen top covered with three sheets of foil (shiny side down) held down with duct tape. I still spritz every few days but the humidity stays right where it should be (around 50-60%). Prior to treating my tank, my BP had decent sheds but they came off in several pieces. Since I've modified it, he's shed once and it was absolutely perfect. (Thank-you to Argentra for this idea.)

Note that your heat lamp is what's likely sucking out most of the humidity as well. I heat the hot side of my BP's tank with a UTH on a Johnson A419 and the cool side with a 60 watt red bulb... so it's possible to use a heat lamp. I wouldn't say it's the best set-up (I personally want to spring for another UTH and thermostat when I can) but it can work. A lot of people like to put their heat lights on a rheostat for ideal control.

So for your shopping list, I'd add:

- 1 or 2 UTH (depending on whether you keep the heat lamp to heat one side)
- Thermostat
- Rheostat
- 2 Identical Hides (if you don't already have them)
- Acu-Rite
- Foil
- Duct Tape

That's just my two cents. I'm sure I missed something and anyone is welcome to correct/add to what I said. I hope it helps. Good luck!

[spaceturtle]

So for your shopping list, I'd add:

- 1 or 2 UTH (depending on whether you keep the heat lamp to heat one side)
- Thermostat
- Rheostat
- 2 Identical Hides (if you don't already have them)
- Acu-Rite
- Foil
- Duct Tape

Don't forget to add
- foil tape (for securing UTH to buttom of tub/tank, and for securing probes)
- little sticky furniture pads for placing in each corner to raise tub/tub off the ground (UTH need full airflow over one side to keep surface temps stable)
- doubling up on the acu-rite (or really any cheap probe based digital thermometer) for measuring warm and cool end both at the same time

The biggest cost in all of this will be the thermostat. Expect to pay under $50 for a cheap one, to around $80 for a good one.

Also, it takes time to get everything right. Eventually you'll get a setup where you can keep the snake at around an ambient temp of 80ish with about 1/4th the enclosure warmed up to between 88 to 95 with 90-92 as more of a target spot. Humidity at 50-60% all the time.