new to ball pythons, snake owning in general

[thetonyage]

hey guys im new to snake owning, ive been researching for the past few months on ball pythons and i am ready to take the plunge. i will be getting my 2010 captive bred female pastel in the next week or 2. i have a spare 125 gallon glass aquarium that i am thinking of eventually housing her in. at first she will be in a 10 gallon aquarium. if you guys have any tips or advice, it would be much appreciated. i also need some recommendations for under the tank heating. thanks in advance.

[llovelace]

Hello & Welcome to BP.net , look over the caresheets here they are extremely helpful.

[winq]

hey guys im new to snake owning, ive been researching for the past few months on ball pythons and i am ready to take the plunge. i will be getting my 2010 captive bred female pastel in the next week or 2. i have a spare 125 gallon glass aquarium that i am thinking of eventually housing her in. at first she will be in a 10 gallon aquarium. if you guys have any tips or advice, it would be much appreciated. i also need some recommendations for under the tank heating. thanks in advance.

hi.. remember to upload your pastel female photo.. i m gettin a pastel female too in a week time..

[tonkatoyman]

Wow I can't believe I beat Walt and Derek in welcoming you to the forum. So, welcome and yeah there is a load of expert advise here to be had. Welcome to the forum.

[Boanerges]

Welcome to BP.net Any questions you may have feel free to ask!!!

Ball Python Caresheet

*125 Gallon fish tank is 72 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 23 3/8 (LXWXH). That is too big for an adult ball python. The biggest tubs used to hold a ball python are 41 qt tubs and they are roughly 34 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 5 1/2 (LXWXH).

*For under tank heating you can use flex watt, heat cable or heat mats. I personally use flex watt. Just make sure you get a good thermostat to control whatever heating choice you use

[thetonyage]

thanks guys, i actually ran into a bit of a speed bump; there was a problem with the snake i was supposed to get, so i am back on the hunt. if anyone knows where i can get a baby lemon pastel female please let me know it would be much appreciated.

[thetonyage]

Welcome to BP.net Any questions you may have feel free to ask!!!

Ball Python Caresheet

*125 Gallon fish tank is 72 1/2 x 18 1/2 x 23 3/8 (LXWXH). That is too big for an adult ball python. The biggest tubs used to hold a ball python are 41 qt tubs and they are roughly 34 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 5 1/2 (LXWXH).

*For under tank heating you can use flex watt, heat cable or heat mats. I personally use flex watt. Just make sure you get a good thermostat to control whatever heating choice you use

just read that, looks like ill hafta get a 20g when my snake outgrows the 10g itll be in. Thank you.

[5snakes]

Hello, I am 5 snakes. I have been registered to this forum for only a day, but I have been a python and boa keeper for around 7 years. I might have some advice for you. I am by no means an expert, but I hope you find this helpful.
All of my snakes have hides. I made "caves" for each of them. I used non toxic expandable foam and sprayed it around the appropiate size container. (such as a tupperware container or for my burm, a rubbermaid tote. Here is an example of My Burm`s "cave."
I highly recomend under the tank heater pads. you can get them from any online store such as Dr. Foster`s or Reptiledirect.com for a fair price. DO NOT use a heat rock or anything that closely resembles one. You WILL burn your snake. The water dish you see in this picture is done in the same idea as the cave I made.It is just a rubbermaid "leftover" container without the cover. Other hides can be made from a hollowed out log cut in half, making sure it is boiled or very seriously sanitized, as you would not want your beloved snake to contract mites. You say you are new to this, so I am trying to offer you as much advise as I can think of. You want to have your basic UV bulbs installed along with maybe some sort of humidifieror mister. You don`t want a dry snake. This is a little tricky, because you don`t want him to be too wet either. This will create certain bacteria and even fungus. With all the research you have done, I`m sure the proper levels of temp and humidity and soforth you are aware of. different snake that come from a variety of places, but most need quite a moderate humidity level. For substrate I use your average indoor/outdoor carpet...astroturf mats. you can find them in your local $ store for a buck a peice. This eliminates the chance of contracting mites, if you happen to get a bad batch of natural substrate. I find they all do well with the surfaces I use. There is also some new product named "reptile carpet" that you also can buy at most any reptile store online or otherwise. Try to always have a water container that your snake can fit in to soak if he pleases. frequent changing of the water is a must.
Well, this is some advise from me. you can use it or not. I have had quite a bit of trial and error times and I find that basic common sence and studying of your particular snake is always your best bet. Every animal is different, so keep a good eye on your new friend and give him a lot of attention and handling, and both you and your buddy will both enjoy your time together!!! GOOD LUCK!!! Any other ?s, I will be more than happy to do my upmost to give you an educated answer. Enjoy.....5snakes

[thetonyage]

thank you for the advice, i really like the painted foam "cave" idea i will have to give that a try. i have the eco carpet and one zoomed UTH that today i will be putting a dimmer on because it brought the bottom glass temp to 125*F and i had to unplug it! i just got my snake yesterday so im going to let her settle in for another day or so before i bring her out to take some pics for you guys my humidity on my accurite is staying between 45 and 50, id like to keep it stabilized at atleast 50% so if anyone has any suggestions for the best way to keep humidity up that would be awsome. thanks again

-Tony

[5snakes]

I usually keep a mister in the room where I keep my snakes. I also have, for my Burmese , a large tub of water so he can take a dip when I don`t have time to put him in the tub. I am far from an expert, so I think studying care sheets would be the best thing for you to do as far as accurate humidity. What I know about my animals, I have learned by their behavior and a little research. Every animal is different, so keep that in mind. My best advise is to spend as much time with you snake as you can and really pay attention to his body language and... believe it or not...the facial expressions. They do have them if you study them as hard as I have. Good luck and enjoy!! I also have enclosure ideas, but haven`t got to posting them yet. If you notice in the picture, we had to get pretty creative in constructing my Burmese`s enclosure. I will try to post as much as I can with the time I have on line. I see you mentioned you have a ball python, so I believe the larger size tank you have will be more than sufficient.