New Ball Python Owner

[DirtyJoker]

Hello everyone, I bought a Ball Python 3 days ago.

Problem I'm having is this, I set up his tank like its supposed to be,
I have two hides and use a UTH on the hot side which is at 90-94F 24/7 and his cool side is at 80 or so day and night.

He has been in the Hot side hide since I got him, is this normal?
Maybe hes still getting used to his new home?

Also another question I have is about bulbs.
I bought a Repti Glo UVB 5.0 bulb that I run during the day, but it really does not give out much heat.
For night time I bought a Blue moonlight bulb which works pretty good. Some are telling me to get a red one for night time.
Which would be the best choice?

Also I know I read a lot about Ball Pythons not needing a UVB light but have also heard that it will not hurt.
What would be the best choice of light for him during the day?

Any advice would be highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[seeya205]

A ifrared bulb is a good source of heat 24/7! A day/night cycle is not needed, its just more work! Your snake will go to the warm side if he is cold and go to the cool side when he needs to cool down! Don't worry, he will choose what is best for him! Congats on the new snake!

[Crawdad]

I've had my BP for 2 weeks now -- don't worry if you don't see him for the first week or two, ours has just now begun to swap hides. Ball pythons are very secretive animals, since they are ambush hunters, they lay in wait most of the time, so don't expect to see him too much even when he's used to things .

Out of curiosity, what are you using to measure temps?

[Crawdad]

Sorry to double post, but the reason I ask is that I was originally using those "reptile strip" thermometers to measure temps, and I thought they were fine. I went and bought a $13 Acu Rite thermometer from Home Depot, and found out that the strips were 10-15% off. What I thought was a warm 90f was actually in the low 80s, to high 70s. My cool side temps of 76f were actually 71f. I hear that the dial thermometers and hygrometers are just as inaccurate. Once I corrected those temps, my BP really woke up.

[Kaorte]

A hiding BP is a happy BP. If you bought this as a display snake....well, sorry! You will rarely see a ball python just cruising around. Maybe on or around feeding day but thats about it.

A light cycle is not needed for ball pythons. Just UTH heat is preferable since it doesn't zap the humidity like lights do. If you can't keep your ambient (cool side) above 75-80* without the lamp, then get a low wattage red or moonlight bulb and leave it on 24/7. Neither will disrupt the snakes sleep cycle.

Make sure you leave your new pal completely alone for a week after you got him. No handling no feeding, just normal cage maintenance. Give him some time to get used to his home and you will have a better chance of him eating for you the first time around!

[DirtyJoker]

I've had my BP for 2 weeks now -- don't worry if you don't see him for the first week or two, ours has just now begun to swap hides. Ball pythons are very secretive animals, since they are ambush hunters, they lay in wait most of the time, so don't expect to see him too much even when he's used to things .

Out of curiosity, what are you using to measure temps?

For overall temps and humidity I use Fluker's Digital Display Thermo-Hygrometer.
http://www.strictlypetsupplies.com/_...rmo-Hygrometer

And for the hot side with the UTH heating pad, I use the Zilla Digital Thermometer.
http://www.strictlypetsupplies.com/_...al-Thermometer

And to monitor the temp on the hot side I use the Zoo Med Reptitemp 500R Thermometer Sensor.
http://www.bigalsonline.com/StoreCat...its=12&offset=

Another question I had was with the probes, I taped them down to the glass on the hot side.
There pretty much next to each other, is that ok?

Now for the bedding I use Aspen, should it be pretty loose over the probes for better temp readings?

[DirtyJoker]

Here is my setup at the moment, please do not mind the cardboard back round. It's just temporary until I get something better.

[SDballp]

i read in this article herehttp://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=33 that it is not suggested to use a towel because of the elevated risks of respiratory or other infection from bacterial growth.

curious if this still holds true as the article is a few years old

[HypoPita]

i read in this article herehttp://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=33 that it is not suggested to use a towel because of the elevated risks of respiratory or other infection from bacterial growth.

curious if this still holds true as the article is a few years old

bacteria growth is bacteria growth is bacteria growth. Whether it causes RI or not, really doesn't matter! It's no good. What I did (As well as many others do) is I cut a piece of acrylic (any plastic material basically) to size for 2/3 of the cage. My cage was large, so I opted to make a 2 piece one, so that I could slide one over the other to adjust coverage, and humidity respectively. Came in handy! You can find that type of plastic at your local hardware store (though I don't think Ace carries that kind of material.). I got mine at HD. You can use either a plastic cutter or saw. The latter was the option I chose; just make sure to score the piece to minimise cracking. I used improper tools, and would suggest using the proper plastic cutter though, they really aren't that expensive.

[DirtyJoker]

Yeah the towel being there is temporary also, I will be getting some Plexiglas to fit the top of the screen.

So let me get this right before I go back to the pet store,
I can use an infrared bulb during the day to keep the temps up on the cool side?
And do you think I should continue to use the moonlight bulb at night, or just use the infrared bulb day and night?

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to make this right.