New Setup..

[stratus_020202]

Trust what everyone says. I have a 55 gal. The whole snake set up was givin to me as a gift, by someone who really didn't know what they were doing. My snake is almost always happily hiding, so a bigger tank just means more places to look when you want to check on the snake. It was also hard getting the humidity at a constant 55%. I had to get a humidifier, and I have to check it often. I also have to be careful the temp doesn't drop too low. I do think you care a lot for your snake, and if you really want a big tank you can make it work. Be prepared to spend more money. And happy herping!!

[Otto1208]

You said you are getting a 55gallon because that is what you want. Sorry but I think you need to reevaluate the situation. You should be doing what is best for your ball python, not just what you WANT to do. A 55 gallon is HUGE even for a full grown BP. Most of the hugeness comes from its height, which is next to useless for a full grown BP. They are terrestrial and will spend most of their time on the ground. If you really want a bigger tank, I would look into getting something that has more floor space than height.

As for substrate, I would use shredded aspen, looks great and hold humidity pretty well and keeps the smell down.

I had one of those Styrofoam backgrounds once and my BP ended up wedging herself behind it and I had to cut it to pieces to get her out. D:

Get a scale. I got mine from target for $20. Make sure it goes above 3,000grams and has a "tare" button. Weigh your snake, length is really not very useful for measuring snakes. Weigh your snake every week. If he is loosing a considerable amount weight while fasting, then I would see the vet. If he is maintaining his weight, then I wouldn't worry too much.

As for you saying at the beg. NO its not about me. But thanks for the concern I was saying that just to inform everyone that I know I can make it work, and too many people on here decide to bash everyone for their decisions that they make. Just because they believe that is the way it should be(when in fact none of us know exactly how the snake feels about the situation. They could love the bigger tank, and yours might hate it we don't know what they want because they can't talk.....but thanks for all the opinions everyone has given...

[Slim]

Otto, here's the thing about huge tanks. By nature, BP's are secretive and somewhat shy animals...that's one of the reasons they are so easy to handle, which is one of the reasons we all like them so much. Due to their nature, the vast majority of them do better in smaller surroundings. A tank that big, while workable, is really overkill. Ok, maybe you have that one BP in a million that wants some room to roam and loves all that extra space....but are you sure you have that one in a million, or are you just hoping you do?

I'm not really against large enclosures...heck, it's hard to find a bigger tank than Africa. What I'm against is subpar husbandry. The smaller your enclosure, the easier husbandry will be to maintain. In the long run, easier is better for your BP. Even if you achieve proper husbandry in a 55 gal tank, when the temps or humidity take a dive, they do so in large swings, not small increments. Big swings are bad.....that's all I'm trying to say.

[Kaorte]

As for you saying at the beg. NO its not about me. But thanks for the concern I was saying that just to inform everyone that I know I can make it work, and too many people on here decide to bash everyone for their decisions that they make. Just because they believe that is the way it should be(when in fact none of us know exactly how the snake feels about the situation. They could love the bigger tank, and yours might hate it we don't know what they want because they can't talk.....but thanks for all the opinions everyone has given...

You said that you wanted to use the 55g. You said yourself, the snake cannot talk and therefor cannot tell you what it wants. All of the care-sheets I have read and all of the people I have talked to have assured me that a 55g is either way to big and can cause stress, or is just a waste of space. If you seriously want to have an animal in a 55g, I would look at a different type of snake.

Can a ball python live in a 55g tank with no problems? yes. But the reality is, it isn't an ideal environment.

And if you read my whole post you would have read a pretty good reason for why a 55 gallon doesn't really work. Most of the space is not in floor space, it is in height. except for the 10" from the ground up, the other 11" will not be used. That is over HALF of the entire tank. HALF of it will never be used by the BP.

If you truly want a large enclosure for your BP, I would suggest the largest you go be a 33gallon long: 48"x13" x12"

Here is a 55 gallons measurements for comparison: 48"x12"x21"

The height measurement is the key with ball pythons.

[PrioBull]

If you truly want a large enclosure for your BP, I would suggest the largest you go be a 33gallon long: 48"x13" x12"

Here is a 55 gallons measurements for comparison: 48"x12"x21"

The height measurement is the key with ball pythons.

I never thought of that way... thanks! I am considering to get a larger tank too.

[Otto1208]

I do not want anyone to think I do not care about my BP.. I do care about him so much..And i do not want anyone to think that I do not care about the information given. It is different when you bash someone because they are thinking about going a different route then you want to. I will prob go with a 33 long, but their is no need for comments like that was made just because the wording was not to your understanding. "It is better to ask questions than assume." I really appreciate all the help everyone has given me at this point.. What do you think about a 40 gallon breeder. Do you think this would be a good size for a BP....

[Kaorte]

a 40gallon breeder is not that much bigger than a 33 long. Most of the extra gallons come from the extra height, which is useless to BP's.

I know you want a bigger tank, but seriously, smaller is better.

[disabled.101]

How about this?

http://www.animalplastics.com/

Go under terrestrial cages and you will find cages with large floor space but not a lot of height eliminating the humidity and heat issues

You said its about the animals not you so I take you will be willing to spend the extra amount for a cage like that. There are more companies out there I am just giving an example.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

While I do not really care whether you use a glass tank or a tub I would like to make one little comment here.

Whenever picking an enclosure this

but it is what I want.

should not be your priority, what you need to keep in mind is that your priority is that the enclosure chosen meets the need of your reptile and is not simply is what YOU want.

[Otto1208]

IF you read the whole thing Debroah. I said it is not about me. Once again... Somtimes wording can mean a whole deal....I said It was not about me so this is a perfect example of people bashing someone without reading the whole thing first...I KNOW IT IS NOT ABOUT MY WANTS....But also I know for a 4 foot python a 20L is not enought floor space is all I am saying and I want him to be able to have more room to be able to move around better when he is out....So IT IS NOT ABOUT ME!! I really appreciate all the real good help instead of all the bashing.(and NO i do accept constructive cristisim there is a difference) any one with other help I would appreciate it.