Okay, so.. I've never owned a reptile. I intend to own a ball python, hopefully sometime soon. Over the past many months I've done a ridiculous amount of research through sources I trust, like blogs run by people who have owned BPs and local breeders. I actually have my first reptile convention coming up in July! I don't think I'll be able to purchase an animal this time but I'm still really excited, and if I have the money I'll buy other things to get me started.

Anyway though... All of my sources all have their own ways of keeping their ball pythons. I have a good friend who keeps his 7 BPs in a rack system and he swears by it, he loves the simple setup and his reptiles are very well taken care of. But, I plan on only having one, so I don't want to do that. I have another friend who keeps hers in a custom glass tank, I have a friend who keeps hers in a completely custom plastic vivarium, I have many friends who keep theirs in PVC enclosures... you know, etc etc.

BUT THO, this is the important part! My point is I'm not totally sure what I want to keep my ball python in. Initially I wanted to keep him in a glass tank, but after months of lurking here I see a lot more people claiming they're just more trouble than they're worth. So I was thinking I wanted a PVC enclosure from Animal Plastics. I don't want to use any heat lamps because I have the feeling I'm gonna have trouble keeping his humidity up, but I have no idea how i'm gonna keep up the ambient temperatures where they need to be. A PVC enclosure seems best for this, but the ones I see on Animal Plastics are at least 24 inches in width and that seems like a lot? Everyone's been telling me 12 to 16 inches in width is best for a BP enclosure because big spaces can kinda scare them. As of right now I plan on using aspen bedding on top of a repti-carpet so the UTH doesn't burn my baby's belly. Honestly I kind of want to spoil him, I want him to have everything he needs and then some, but I don't want to stress him out. I want him to have an enclosure with enough space to explore and hide but I don't want him to be overwhelmed with space. I want him to be cozy!

I guess I'm just really confused. I'm leaning heavily towards a PVC enclosure, but they seem awfully big for a BP and awfully expensive. I'm definitely willing to dish out the cash if it's worth it. I definitely don't want to keep him in a sweater box or a tub. Not ragging on people that do, it's a great setup when done correctly, but I really wanna spoil my first baby with an awesome shiny setup and I'm not quite sure how to do it! I know if he ever got sick (like with mites or something) I'd take everything out and keep him on paper towels with just the bare essentials, but while he's healthy I want the cage to have plenty of hides and sticks or "greenery" or whatever to explore. When I get everything I'll do trial runs for a few days or weeks to see how well I can regulate his temperatures and humidity. I just want to make sure I have everything ready when i'm ready to welcome a ball python into my home. (sorry about the weird font.. it's easier for me to read without my glasses)