Noob BP help

[h00blah]

Maybe I am calling it the wrong thing, but it is tiny cylinder pieces of wood.

Would you suggest the heaters that stick to the bottom of the enclosure that can be bought at most pet stores over the heat pad I am using?

buy a tub, buy some DIGITAL THERMOMETERS, buy a heat pad or heat tape and ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS use a thermostat to regulate your temps or it could get too hot and possibly melt the tub!

as mentioned before also invest in tight fitting hides! half logs are open on 2 sides which can make the BP seem vulnerable! get a hide just big enough for him to fit in and leave 1 entrance. this will increase the security.

with tubs it's difficult to go wrong. they're cheap, very effective in keeping heat and humidity, and most of the time, the sides are very blurry so it can keep stress low as the BP will feel secure!

[Greg31]

Should I stick with my substrate which is equine (small cylinder pieces of shaved wood) or go to paper towels?

[55Ballin]

Should I stick with my substrate which is equine (small cylinder pieces of shaved wood) or go to paper towels?

If you know what kind of wood it contains and you are sure that there is NO PINE and NO CEDAR (these are toxic to reptiles) then you should be ok. If you don't know for sure what it contains then you need to get rid of it. The substrate should also not be dusty because this can cause RI's (respiratory infections).

As for the heat pad, first you need to get digital thermometers so you can measure the heat. It should be between 90-93 on the hot side. If you can attain this heat with the pad you have now, all the power to you. If you are coming up short, then you need to get a new heat pad. You can do whatever you want, really, as long as you are providing the best conditions for your snake and there are certain measures that you need to take to ensure that you are doing so.

[Greg31]

I just set up my tub. I will post pics in a bit. Looks pretty good I think. The hide may be a little big. You guys can be the judge.

[snakesRkewl]

Equine is not a good substrate for ball pythons.

I've used it for rats, and stopped using it fairly quickly.

[Greg31]

What would you suggest?

[Nocturnal]

What would you suggest?

Aspen shavings, cypress mulch, and newspaper have all worked well for me.

[55Ballin]

Aspen shavings, cypress mulch, and newspaper have all worked well for me.

I have used all 3. Cypress mulch I like the best but newspaper is sooo easy to clean.