A few BP housing questions :)

[Rejekt]

Well first off i'm new here this is my 2nd post i think, my name is Jon.
I have in the past bred bearded dragons numerous times, and leopard geckos as well. I just recently started looking into snakes when i came across an albino ball python. i fell in love! then i seen the price tag and decided id do more research. i found a breeder that sells BP's 100% het for albino for around 250 for a pair of baby bps. i think that's a fair price, plus on april19th i'm going to a reptile show upstate ny hopefully to try and fine a cheaper pair there. and id love to try to make my own albino BP. but onto the questions!

first off i'm building my own enclosure. its 37"x18"x18" i'm going to be adding a divider so i can house both snakes in that cage for the time being. i have read that BP's do not need a lot of space, and in the past i have had 2 bp's at different times. so each cage is going to be 18x18x18. is this alright enough for the baby's? and as an adult will the cage 37x18x18 be large enough as well? i know all of the temperatures needed and what kind of hides to make, i was also wondering how i would go about using an UTH on a wooden enclosure. im thinking of using one and placing it under a slate tile from home depot and then placing the substrate over that. but would the bottom of the UTH burn the wood and be a fire risk? i'm sorry for typing so much, i just wanted to cover as much as possible. the cage is going to be constructed by 1/2inch plywood, and the door is going to be the same with 2 12x10 glass windows centered for each side. for air circulation i'm going to have the top of the cage where the lights go sitting on a metal screen each hole is 1/2inch by 1/4 inch. and will be secured with screws. air will be able to circulate through there, and depending on humidity issues i will add a floor vent to the sides a small vent. thanks for looking sorry for the long read!

EDIT: also forgot whats the best type of bedding to use? something other then repti carpet or newspaper preferably
thanks!

[littleindiangirl]

so each cage is going to be 18x18x18. is this alright enough for the baby's? and as an adult will the cage 37x18x18 be large enough as well?

That is definitely large enough for an adult BP. However, many babies are overwhelmed by such a large amount of space, even one that is 18 x 18 x 18, if they are not given adequate cover to move and hiding spots.

i know all of the temperatures needed and what kind of hides to make, i was also wondering how i would go about using an UTH on a wooden enclosure. im thinking of using one and placing it under a slate tile from home depot and then placing the substrate over that. but would the bottom of the UTH burn the wood and be a fire risk?

I couldnt tell you what would be best for the wood UTH. I think making a thread about that question in the caging forum would get you a lot of answers and tips.

i'm sorry for typing so much, i just wanted to cover as much as possible. the cage is going to be constructed by 1/2inch plywood, and the door is going to be the same with 2 12x10 glass windows centered for each side. for air circulation i'm going to have the top of the cage where the lights go sitting on a metal screen each hole is 1/2inch by 1/4 inch. and will be secured with screws. air will be able to circulate through there, and depending on humidity issues i will add a floor vent to the sides a small vent. thanks for looking sorry for the long read!

With incandescent and halogen lights, you may find that its hard to keep humidity up. Try adding little ventilation at first, and add more if you can still maintain humidity.

EDIT: also forgot whats the best type of bedding to use? something other then repti carpet or newspaper preferably
thanks!

In large display tanks, cypress mulch, coconut fiber, or a mix of the two give very natural look. Cypress and the coconut fiber are also really good at holding moisture without molding.

Hope that helps.

[Rejekt]

it helps alot! i planned on having 2 hides in each side, and a log across the center with a higher point on the hot side, for basking if needed, and fake plants secured to the base or walls of the cage, and the lights will be ona timer type surge protector that i used with my bearded dragons is 18x18x18 still too big if i add plants to it?

[littleindiangirl]

is 18x18x18 still too big if i add plants to it?

No, in fact the fake plants will help a lot to make the space feel 'smaller' to him, while making it pleasing to the eye. That's pretty much what I meant by "cover".

[Rejekt]

awesome! thats what ill do then, and i took your advice about the UTH question and posted in the caging forum thanks again

[Toronto Python Gurus]

first id like to say welcome!!
you seem to be good with gettin ur research before the snakes which alot of people seem to neglect these days so your definately on the right track!!!

as im sure you know ball pythons need about 50% humidity all the time and usually bump it upto 60%-70% during a shed this might cause a problem when using a wood enclosure as the wood will take in the moisture and mold, so if u are goin to use wood maybe coat it with a melomin(spellin sucks)paint to block the moisture from bein absorbed, im sure there are a few other ways to go about it aswell . . .

another this is i know ur excited about the snakes and would like to make a nice comfortable environment for them but if your plannin on breedin in the future like you said then maybe it would be best to build a snake rack using rubbermaids as homes, they arnt that nice display wise but it gives you more room to house more snakes . . . im sure itll be some time before you actually get more snakes but sometimes its good to think about the long run . . . when i first started i had about three tanks all set-up nice then i got the ball python bug and the collection started growing i eventually ditched the tanks and made my own rack in a custom built snake room . . . you seem to be off to a great start and you also seem to know what ur doin when it comes to building so it might be fine to do what ur doin and u can always build something later down the line im just sayin i wish i knew what i knew now so i could have saved my money on the tanks, decorations, rock shaped hides and water dishes and just built a rack liek the one i have now, not to mention i use newspaper as beddin and get my water dishes and hides from the dollar store its alot cheaper and the snakes are just as happy if not happier then they were before


good luck with everything and again welcome to the community!!

[Rejekt]

yeah i know its only some time before i decide i want to have a\something other then an albino aswell and then another and so on! the only reason im not building a rack now, is mainly because i dont plan to breed for well over a year. being as i plan on getting babys. and once i start i will make a rack. and as far as the paint u suggested thats my plan my room is black on the walls with black/ white furniture so i planned on getting that type of paint for the inside and paint the inside white and outside black or opposite heh. but definately am going to paint it. would white paint be too much for the snake on the inside?

[Toronto Python Gurus]

you seem to be on the right track, what the heck to you need us for?

well again there are tons of people on here that love to help other enthusiasts out but seems like u did ur research . . . i dont think the colour of paint matter but im sure the darker the colour the more heat it will hold especially if your using heat lamps . . . but be careful with the heat lamps becuase they will take alot of the humidity away from the enclosure . . . the under tank heater with a thermostat should be perfect by itself, ball pythons require belly heat and spend most their time in burrows underground during the day and come out at night to hunt for food so they dont tend to need too much lighting either

[Rejekt]

haha it dosen't hurt to ask tho! as far as a heat light im gonna try to get the darkest possible heat bulb, and for day time light in the cage im just going to use a small very small almost equivalent to a night light type of a bulb in a fixture . so it wont be super bright jus tenough for a day light equivalent and the night will haev a dim heat light. as far as i know, the day and night temperatures are the same correct?

[Toronto Python Gurus]

sounds like you got it under control, good job!