Adopting a 2 year old ball.

[DoomKraiken]

Hello all!
My name is Zack and i am adopting a close friend of mines ball python named Kain. He is about 1 1/2 feet long, and about 2 years old. He hasnt had alot of people time but i have been spending some time with him lately and letting him get to know me before i adopt him. Hes really a sweet snake once hes warmed up to you. I have been researching quite a bit so that i can properly care for my new friend and keep him healthy and happy Im not new to handling snakes, but i am new to owning one and would greatly appreciate any tips or advice you can give. My current set up is about a 30 gallon tank with wood shavings (not sure what kind, but my friend knows what kinds are safe to use), a hiding log, a climbing vine, and a small water pool. This is everything that she is giving me already set up. However i have a 50 gallon tank i want to transfer him to, and switch him to astroturf or indoor/outdoor carpet to see if he likes it. I am however curious about exact temp setups and humidity conditions. Thank you all for any help you can give me!

[06gt]

he seems to small for a 50 gallon maybe even the 30 gallon unless there is alot of stuff in there for him to hide in i would say personally 10-20 gallon for a bp that is only 1.5 feet long they like to feel secure .

[steveboos]

If he's 2 years old and 1 and a half feet long, either your friend was misinformed about his/her age, or he/she was extrememly underfed.

Your going to want to keep him in that 30 gallon, with ball pythons the smaller the better. So like the above poster, for a snake that small, you would want something no bigger than a 10 or 20 gallon long tank.

Temps on the cool side, or the ambient temps should be no lower than 75-78 degrees. The hot side should be between 88 and 94 degrees. Humidity should be around 50-60% at all times, higher if you can during a shed.

2 tight fitting hide boxes like plastic cereal bowls with holes cut in the side or a Reptile Basics reptile hide. One on the cool side, one on the hot side. Then put a large water bowl in the center and your good to go. Mist the tank frequently and keep the humidity up that way, or one of the many other methods found in the care guide.

[JLC]

Welcome to the world of Ball Python ownership! I'll warn you though, they're addicting!

Some suggestions:

I would stick with the 30 gallon tank...it's plenty big enough and would be much easier to maintain than the larger one.

I would not use astroturf or any carpet-like substrate. It collects and holds bacteria like nothing else. It can also be abrasive to their belly scales. If you don't want to mess with the "wood chips" (probably aspen, or maybe cypress mulch) then you can use anything from newspaper to papertowels. Paper like that usually makes for very simple, easy clean-up.

The half-logs are not ideal hides for ball pythons. They really like a tight, snug cave that hugs them all the way around.

They don't need a pool of water...but there's nothing wrong with providing something like that if you wish. A simple small dish to drink from is all they need. However, when trying to maintain proper humidity in a glass tank, then having a wide surface area on your water source can help.

You didn't mention what sort of heat source you plan on using. Have you checked out our CARESHEET?

Good luck with it!! Come show off some pictures when you get him all set up! And feel free to ask for whatever help you might need.

[Quacking-Terror]

Welcome to BP.net! The people here are great, and so is the information they provide. They also don't seem to mind if you post just to babble on about how awesome your BP is . I do it regularly. Don't be afraid to post if you have questions. The only dumb question is the one that goes unasked, and you're better safe than sorry. I'm more than willing to share the little bit I've learned, and there are some really amazing helpful folks here that will too.

Rick

[mommanessy247]

bp's dont really make good climbers so i'd say omit the vine or lay it down across the floor space of the cage.
i'm using cypress mulch for substrate cuz its supposed to be better for humidity. carpet is, as i've heard, one of the hardest things to maintain and if you have to mist, it will stay very wet which will cause scale rot.
good luck with it all.

[DoomKraiken]

Thank you all for your tips and advice! I found out that cypress is the most ideal thing if you arent going to use paper products. He was a bit underfed, and im going to put him back on a regular diet, i feel like overfeeding can only lead to problems. i was mistaken about the log, he has a nice snug hiding rock and a medium size water bowl/basking pool. Im going to get some new heat bulbs for him in the morning, along with some fresh food and other supplies. If theres anything in particular that i should have on hand id like to pick that up as well. The people at my local pet shop (locally owned of course) were very helpful. They also said that astro turf and carpet were a bad idea. If i should keep him in the 30 gallon tank then ill keep him there, i just wanted him to have room to grow since hes a bit of a runt right now. Like i said im new to snake ownership and i really do appreciate the advice. I am curious though as to how to keep the humidity levels right without a waterfall or something expensive. I suppose misting a few times a day will suffice? Thank you all,
Zack.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Welcome to the group and a bad habit!! (In a good way)

[DoomKraiken]

Haha im excited to be part of it and i can already tell theyre addicting. Ive been eyeing some of those black eyed leucistic pythons. they are so beautiful there are so many awesome morphs! I hope to have some pictures up for you guys soon. Maybe we can figure out what morph he is.