Pricing/purchasing and questions.

[David802]

Hey all! I'm David I'm 20 years old, living at home while I finish college, thought I'd give a small intro while I ask some questions. Sooooo I've decied to get a snake since I'm allergic to just about anything that doesn't have scales (Yes even birds... Figure that one out ). But after 30 or so hours of reading/research I have a couple of questions.

1. I'd like to get a morph if I can, but funds are limited. I have about 300-350 dollars, but that has to include tank/setup as well, whats the pricing like for a morph. The ones I've seen seem to be all over the place, anywere from 100 bucks to 3 or 4 thousand. I'm particularly interested in a killerbee, pastel or albino but in all honesty any morph in my price range is good with me. I wouldn't complain about a normal BP either, which leads me into my next question.

2. Where to find a good breeder, I was able to find 1 in my area that I've sent an email to, but if I can't find something on line I'll have to wait until october when the reptile Expo is held here in SLC Utah, (something I dont really want to do). I've seen a few links here on the website but the bigger my selection the more likely I can find what I'd like.

3. What does HET mean. I figure its either a breeding thing or something thats so obvious I have just missed it.

4. When I get my snake I'm hoping to get a very young snake, if I do which is better. To purchase a 10-20 gallon tank and upgrade as he/she grows or to just get a 30 gallon tank and make sure I've provided the snake with a few small hide boxs that are small enough for the snake to feel comfortable.

Thanks for the help! Hopefully I'll be the proud owner of a BP soon.
David.

[Dave763]

Hi David. Well if you opt for a thermostat that will set you back a bit depending on model. That still leaves enough for a few different morphs.
Pastel, or a spider would be good. Pastels vary in quality/price, as do most morphs.
Shop around, go to show if you can.

[David802]

Thanks for the quick reply Dave! I found a good website with a few different snakes I can select but I'm still looking at this point. I'll be buying the best cage setup I can afford. I'd rather get a normal BP and a good set up to keep it happy then a poor setup and pretty snake. I had a thought though about Albino snakes .

With other animals albino's can be kind of tempermental and have kind of an attitude sometimes. I was wondering, has anybody with an albino in there collection noticed any problems like that that could be attributed to there being an albino.

[C-New]

Very good of you to research before you buy. I would take a look around this site and read about the different set ups. Ball pythons do much better in "tubs" as you will see them called. Its a simple plastic tub from walmart or target etc....
I started with a 10 gallon glass tank, but very quickly decided that the tub route was going to be much easier. I had to have a heat lamp and that took all the humidty out so I was misting two-three times a day...very annoying.

First off check out these links

Here is the Ball Python Care Sheet
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

This is a nice write up on humidity
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=33

Here is a very do it yourself for a tub set up
http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=40

Those are some good places to start.

I would suggest you also check out the morph list here
http://www.worldofballpythons.com/morphs/

I would figure out what all you need for your set up...glass tank or plastic tub. Get every and get it set up. Get the temps and humidity running smoothly. Then find what morph you REALLY want (do not settle because then you will end up a few snakes...) trust me it is addiciting!!
Once you really figure out what morph you want to look at for the next 15-20 years go to the SLC show and get one. Right now there is going to be slim pickings due to being the end of breeding season and people are just getting eggs. It 90 days there will be a ton of hatchlings out there to buy.
I can say in your price range the tub set up is much cheaper and normally easier to care for. Your not going to leave yourself much if you do not wait. Just make sure your happy with the morph you pick because the more your on this site and the more pictures you see the more you will want it if you do not get it up front.

[Vypyrz]

Definitely get your enclosure set-up first, whether it be a tub, tank, or rack. I would suggest going ahead and investing in a good thermostat now. It will save you the headaches of constantly checking and tweaking a dimmer. Once you have the enclosure up and running, then you can save/ search for your new snake. Good Luck and

[David802]

Definitely get your enclosure set-up first, whether it be a tub, tank, or rack. I would suggest going ahead and investing in a good thermostat now. It will save you the headaches of constantly checking and tweaking a dimmer. Once you have the enclosure up and running, then you can save/ search for your new snake. Good Luck and

Maybe I'm confused, I thought that most UTH's had thermostats built in and you regualated the tempreture of the cage with airflow and by spacing the UTH from the bottom of the cage.

[chapskis1]

I would definitely go with a tub vs a cage/aquarium. About a year ago I built a nice cage (because I thought all of the people on here housing their bp's in tubs were crazy). Well, I figured it out the hard way, and am now looking to buy a rack. With all of the money I spent building my beautiful enclosure I could have built or bought a nice rack for multiple snakes.

You see, bp's are very secretive and poor display animals. They are perfectly content in a tub.

This is what I would get to get started:

32 qt sterilite tub -- $7 (it's a bit large for a baby, but you can clutter it up with plants, etc. and it should work just fine for pretty much it's whole life)

flexwatt or uth -- $20 (reptile basics or petco, etc.)

reptitemp 500r thermostat -- $25 (amazon)

hides -- $5 (check out the hide sticky, or order from reptile basics if you get flexwatt from there)

water bowl -- $3 (just use a dog one from Walmart or Target)

unprinted packing paper for substrate -- $10 (Home Depot -- should last for a couple years)

Accurite thermometer $12 (to monitor temps and humidity) -- walmart

Aluminum tape $7 -- Walmart (to attach uth to tub)

Plastic terrarium plants (2) $14 -- petsmart

That's about all you need to get started, for a grand total of 100 bucks give or take.

I would say that would leave you with about $200 for a bp (figuring in about $50 average cost to ship a snake from a breeder)

You could probably pick up a normal, mojave, spider, or pastel.

I would defintitely check out baileyreptiles.com -- top notch!

Good luck!

Any more ?'s -- just ask!

[Kaorte]

Maybe I'm confused, I thought that most UTH's had thermostats built in and you regulated the temperature of the cage with airflow and by spacing the UTH from the bottom of the cage.

I don't know of any UTH that has a thermostat built in. The UTH is just a pad that plugs into the wall. The thermostat is the device that controls the amount of power going to the device. It has a probe that you adhere to the UTH so it controls the heat source directly.

If you want to go with a tank, it really doesn't have to be too expensive. You will need a UTH, thermostat, accurite thermometer/hygrometer combo, two hides, and a water dish at minimum.

If you want to go with a tub, it would be even cheaper and less of a hassle in terms of humidity.

[chapskis1]

Maybe I'm confused, I thought that most UTH's had thermostats built in and you regualated the tempreture of the cage with airflow and by spacing the UTH from the bottom of the cage.

I actually raise my tub off of the floor (I have it under my bed on top of a sheet of plexiglass) with 2 liter bottle caps super glued to each corner. That gives the heat tape ventilation.

You control the temp by placing (taping with aluminum tape) the thermostat's temp probe directly to the heat tape (on the outside bottom of the tub).

[PurplePython]

If you only have about $350 to buy everything you need, I suggest using a tub. Setting up a nice tank will cost WAYYYY more than a tub. Icurrently have a tank setup and its amazing, but that only because I only have 1 ball python currently. Once I get a couple more, I will switch them all to tubs in a rack system.

You can get 2 hides, substrate, a tub, and water dish for less than $40 all-toether. That leaves you with around $300 for a snake. You can get a nice pastel around where I live for around $100-$150. You could also just go for a normal for your first one to save money and even see if your truely going to get into the hobby before you shell out tons on a morph.

Everyone always wants a morph but to be honest regulars are nice to have too. My favorite is actually the regular.

So, $40 for the tub and substrate, and water dish and hides. And $300 to shop around for the snake you want.

I suggest saving some of that money and putting it aside though. You will need money for a feeder mouse every 5-7 days, and also any unexpected vet visits if your snake gets ill.

Good luck though man, your going to love having a BP



EDIT - Oh im sorry man, I totally left out the heat tape or heat pad along with a thermostat and thermometer. I use the zoomed heat pad hooked up to a REPTITEMP 5OOR, and an accurite thermometer from walmart. You can get these 3 things together for around $60.