So Stinkin Confused!!! (tank related!)

[Skyecaitlin88]

ok..
We bought a BEAUTIFUL Ball Python today!
'It' is aprox. 6 months old, bred in captivity by a reputable breeder in the area, but then sold from a pet shop.

We bought
a 20 gallon tank
a water bowl
a hide
a thermometer/hydrometer
substrate
a reptifogger, that isn’t working, going back tomorrow, but this is something we really wanted, maybe not 'needed'
a lamp
a 75 watt red bulb for the lamp
moss, that I soaked in water.
a handheld pump mister
an under tank heater

Tomorrow I plan to exchange the fogger and get the hydrotherm thermostat and another hide.

My IDEA.. that I THINK is right.. but not positive..

The UTH is on the right side of the tank, with a hide over it. I have the thermometer probe under the substrate on top of the UTH.

Then the light is on top of the screen, in the middle of the tank, with the waterbowl under it, surrounded by moist moss.

then on the left side, I was gonna put the other hide, and the tube of the fogger..

Not sure where to put the thermostat, because honestly Ive never used one..

Im so mad the petstore even LET us leave with no thermostat...

Does this set up seem right??

[mpkeelee]

i would say bring everything back and get into tubs right away, it will save u money.

[Skyecaitlin88]

I dont think 'tubs' are an option for us because we have 6, 7 in march, children who would get into it!

i would say bring everything back and get into tubs right away, it will save u money.

[seeya205]

You put the thermostat probe inbetween the glass and the uth because you don't want the snake moving the probe and making the heat kick on. Put the thermometer probe on the glass under the substrate and set the temp on the thermostat to 90-94 and the cool side should be 80-84 with a hide and the water bowl in the middle. You should not need the lamp unless the ambient temp in the room is below 75! A 20 gallon is way to big so clutter it up with lots or plants and stuff. Also cover the sides and top with black paper, insulation foam(keeps heat in) or newspaper to add security for the snake. I recommend the foam board to help the temps! Here is a great caresheet to help you out: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

[Vypyrz]

-You do not need the fogger and I'm not real sure what a hand held mister is. I think most of us just use the plastic spray bottles from Wal-Mart or the Dollar stores.
-You are going to need 2 hides, snug and dark. Preferrably not the half logs. Cave type hides work best, and there are a variety of them availble, or you can use small flower pots or cheap plastic bowls with a hole cut in them. I prefer plastic hides because they are easy to clean.
-As was said above, you don't need the lamp unless the ambient temperature of the room gets below 75 degrees. There is nothing wrong with using a lamp, but you will need to be more vigilant with the humidity. One thing you can do to keep it up is to cover most of the the screen top with aluminum foil. When I was using screen top tanks, I wrapped foil around pieces of cardboard so that I could add or remove them as needed.
-For the Under Tank Heater, I do not recommend permanently sticking it on, (some come with adhesive to do this). Using Aluminum tape to hold the thermostat probe and UTH in place works great. It will hold and is also easy to remove if needed. I also recommend when taping the thermostat probe in place, to put the tape on the robe wire instead of the probe tip.
I hope this helps some...

[corgigirl9]

FYI not on the care sheet. Do not use tape anywhere in the tank for any reason. I think tanks are fine as long as the husbandry is right. Tubs are definitely cheaper if your planning on more snakes. (Be careful this hobby is addicting) Also most pet stores dont know jack squat about the care of reptiles. I get disgusted when I see unhappy looking or even ill looking reptiles at local petstores. And I know everyone has there own opinion and uses for reptiles but when I see baby leos on sand substrate or when their tails are so thin, I just want to take them home and plump them up. Anyway good luck!

[rabernet]

FYI not on the care sheet. Do not use tape anywhere in the tank for any reason. I think tanks are fine as long as the husbandry is right. Tubs are definitely cheaper if your planning on more snakes. (Be careful this hobby is addicting) Also most pet stores dont know jack squat about the care of reptiles. I get disgusted when I see unhappy looking or even ill looking reptiles at local petstores. And I know everyone has there own opinion and uses for reptiles but when I see baby leos on sand substrate or when their tails are so thin, I just want to take them home and plump them up. Anyway good luck!

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...48#post1412648

[Maverick67]

I have notices the vast majority of pet stores will have under tank heaters but not a single thermostat to control. it. this will more than likely be something you need to order online.

[Skyecaitlin88]

I have notices the vast majority of pet stores will have under tank heaters but not a single thermostat to control. it. this will more than likely be something you need to order online.

They sell the zoo med, hydro therm controler, which I wanted to get ORIGINALLY! But they said waste of money! They also said waste of money to the UTH.

Ive already stucken the UTH to the bottom of the tank.. not sure how Im gonna solve this! espically getting the thermostat probe inbetween it! lol

They SENT me home with.. The snake, the tank, the lamp and bulb, substrate, a water bowl, 1 hide and a mister pump (like a normal spray bottle, but this was on clearance 90% because they updated the color, and was cheaper than the plain spray bottle) thats it.. LOL Not even a THERMOMOTER!!!

[Skyecaitlin88]

Tubs are definitely cheaper if your planning on more snakes. (Be careful this hobby is addicting)

Ive been literally, reading these forums almost all night!!
Ive already hubby the pictures of the 4-3 underbed tubs stacked on top of each other with a UTH under each, plugged into a surge protector, plugged into a thermostat

Lets try my luck on uploading a pic!!