General Husbandry Q's on my new Ball

[MitsuMike]

Howdy folks-
Im new to the site & have been reading thru hundreds of posts. There is a lot of great info here & Im happy to have found yall..
I recently took a rescued ball python(normal) that I got from an animal shelter & the story I got was a college kid moved & couldnt take him/her with 'em. She came with a 10 gal aquarium & I feel this is way too small for her. She is rumored to be 2 1/2yrs old and is around 3' in length. She has beautiful flawless & vivid markings & is very tame. We've had her for a week and she took a mouse that was knocked in the head & dizzy with a quickness..

I've learned all kinds of things I didnt realize about Balls. In college I started getting into Hot snakes ie, Green Mamba, Mangroves, Gaboon vipers, spitting cobras etc,etc along with corns & milks & TX rats but have since gotten rid of my collection.

The only tank I have left (besides that 10g) is a 55gal. After reading I found that this tank is considered huge for Balls. Eventually I'll try breeding these guys & will get a 40g but would like more info on putting her in the 55.

The goal is to set the tank up in the living room and make the enclosure look nicely landscaped with rocks, aspen or an eco mix & ground branches and cover to try and make the tank seem smaller to her. Anything else I can do to the tank?

Also, I live near the lake & would like to find my own unique piece(s) of driftwood for my tank. I read on the forums that I could soak them in water for an hour or so & then bake @ 350 I think for 20mins or something. I'll have to go back to read it again.

I got rid of all my equipment/supplies years ago so Im fighting to keep that 10g tank at the correct temps. The tank is so small I find it hard to get a temp gradient. Im using a sprayed towel over half of the mesh top, a UTH & a night red heat lamp.. We check the temps regularly altho the tank wants to sit around 84F. I have a thermostat & a bigger UTH to fit the larger tank on my shopping list.

Any ideas, comments, suggestions would be greatly appreciated..

Thank ya all for giving me another education.. If ya dont learn something new on a daily basis you're not trying hard enuff~

Lucas

A 55 gallon is 4x2 feet ish. For an adult that should be fine. THOUGH it might stress the snake out due to the fact that is was being kept in a 10 gallon for so long.
If you do the 55 up right, then the snake should be fine in it. Another option is:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/2x3x14-cage.html
that with:
http://www.reptilebasics.com/2x3-cage_pedestal.html
would be sick as a center piece in a room
But if you have the 55 gallon you can just get a stand and cover all 3 sides wit fishtank paper. Plexiglass the screen lid and make it all pretty as well.