questions about owning my first ball python

[Justin Hatton]

I am new to the whole snake thing but i am buying my first one which is a ball python tommorrow...i have a few questions on some things....the area right under the heat lamp is at 95- 100 degrees which this area i think is called the basking area but is the temp ok... every where else on that side of the tank is around 90...the otherend of the tank is around 70 degrees. and also i am getting these temps with a heat lamp, do i need a uth also?

i am having trouble with the humidity getting above 55% which i know is a normal humidity level but i am worried about getting it up when it is shedding...i have heard that i can put some kind of moss in a hide for a humidity hide...but what kind of moss and does it need to be sterilized and if so how? and where do i get it?

also i took some clear tubberwear bowls and spraypainted them to make them dard so the snake will feel secure...will the spraypaint hurt the snake. i have had them out in the sun for 2 days and will leave them there till tommorrow.

and last thing is i have been looking at decorations at the pet shop and they seem to have drift wood that looks the same as i can get at the river and theres cost anywhere from 10 to 25 dollars...can i just go get some from the river? my only concern with getting it myself is i dont want to get any pine or cedar but i am not sure what it looks like, cuz all the drift wood looks the same to me...and if i do get it do i need to sterilize the wood and if so how?

any help will be apreciated...thanks...i think i am putting way to much thought into this thing and making it harder than it should be but i dont want to do anything to hurt the snake.

[Kinra]

I am new to the whole snake thing but i am buying my first one which is a ball python tommorrow...i have a few questions on some things....the area right under the heat lamp is at 95- 100 degrees which this area i think is called the basking area but is the temp ok... every where else on that side of the tank is around 90...the otherend of the tank is around 70 degrees. and also i am getting these temps with a heat lamp, do i need a uth also?

I would ditch the lamp and switch to a UTH that is controlled either by a thermostat or at least a dimmer. BPs don't bask so belly heat is better.

i am having trouble with the humidity getting above 55% which i know is a normal humidity level but i am worried about getting it up when it is shedding...i have heard that i can put some kind of moss in a hide for a humidity hide...but what kind of moss and does it need to be sterilized and if so how? and where do i get it?

You don't need to use moss in a humid hide. I used pieces of cloth that were damp. Another think you can do is cover the screen top with a towel or plastic wrap.

also i took some clear tubberwear bowls and spraypainted them to make them dard so the snake will feel secure...will the spraypaint hurt the snake. i have had them out in the sun for 2 days and will leave them there till tommorrow.

The spray paint should be fine as long as you used non-toxic paint.

and last thing is i have been looking at decorations at the pet shop and they seem to have drift wood that looks the same as i can get at the river and theres cost anywhere from 10 to 25 dollars...can i just go get some from the river? my only concern with getting it myself is i dont want to get any pine or cedar but i am not sure what it looks like, cuz all the drift wood looks the same to me...and if i do get it do i need to sterilize the wood and if so how?

any help will be apreciated...thanks...i think i am putting way to much thought into this thing and making it harder than it should be but i dont want to do anything to hurt the snake.

I've heard some people bake sticks before they put them in. I've never done this but I'm sure someone else can chime in and tell you what to do. BPs are going to hide most of the time anyways so you really don't need it.

Good luck with your new snake!

[Skittles1101]

Honestly, ball pythons don't bask, so those temps for "basking" is not only too hot, but unnecessary. I suggest ditching the lamps and switching to an under tank heater connected to a thermostat. The thermostat will keep the UTH from becoming too hot, and is a necessity for a UTH. The lamps not only bother the snake (they are nocturnal...and bright lights bother them and can stress them out causing them to go off feed), but they also suck up all the humidity, which will leave you with a stressed snake with bad sheds. the UTH should be set so that the hottest temp in the enclosure (hot spot) is between 88-92 degrees.

As far as the humidity, you shouldn't have any issues if you ditch the lamps, they are positively the reason why your humidity is low. I suggest getting a digital thermometer/hygrometer to read temps, as opposed to the analog dial guages. Those are dangerously inaccurate. These are cheap and accurate, and can be found online or your local Home Depot, Walmart, Lowes, etc.
http://www.amazon.com/Chaney-Instrum...7388103&sr=8-6

If you are using analog guages, the temps you are reading are probably much higher than you think, and the humidity is probably much lower than you think. I'd cover the top part of the screen about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way with aluminum foil, or a towel, or even plexi glass. It will help hold in humidity.

The spraypaint should be okay as long as they were air dried for at least 3 days.

I don't suggest putting anything from the outside into the enclosure. Whatever it is (such as driftwood from the river) could contain bugs, parasites, mites etc, and like you said you can't even tell the difference between pine and cedar, which is like poison over a long period of time for a snake. Any decorations should be store bought, just to be on the safe side.

I don't think you are making this out to be harder than it is...it actually is a lot more complex than most people think. I suggest looking over the caresheet here, which is quite helpful, and ask as many questions as you need

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

[Justin Hatton]

thanks and i have about 70 percent of the screen lid covered and will the uth heat the whole tank or just that one area...i guess what i mean is do i need the uth and a smaller heat bulb or just the uth? and also the bulb i have is the purple one which dont put off no light.

[Skittles1101]

Unless the temps in your house get below 70 degrees or above 90 degrees, you shouldn't need much more than a UTH. Belly heat is most important, however too cold ambient temps can cause health problems such as respiratory infections. I wouldn't use any lamp, but if needed a ceramic heat emitter would be the way to go. You can get a lamp dimmer to adjust the power to the CHE, or just buy a lower wattage. Degrees in the tank should never be 100....

Edit: the purple light is just as bad with humidity as the blue ones, white ones, etc.

[Justin Hatton]

ok that pisses me off that i now know that because i had a uth at the petshop the other day when i was purchasing the stuff that i needed and they all told me to put the uth up and get the lamp and bulb becuse the uth would burn the snake.

[Skittles1101]

Most pet stores have no idea what they are talking about. I'm assuming Petco or Petsmart or the sorts? Yes a UTH can burn the snake if it is not connected to a thermostat/rheostat/dimmer. That is why they are necessary

[Justin Hatton]

um no its call greentree pet center, its a small business, but the only reason i listened is cuz all of there snakes only have heat lamps and no uth and because a couple of the guys there said they have been breeding snakes and owning them for quite sometime.

[Skittles1101]

Don't get me wrong heat lamps aren't horrible, they just aren't ideal. Belly heat aides in digestion for the snake, which is why after a meal 99% of the time my snakes will all stay in their hot hides for 2-3 days. Heat lamps just suck because they dry out the air causing bad sheds, and usually they are very hot, and can cause ambient temps to be too high. I have met plenty of people that have successfully kept snakes with heat lamps, etc, but it just seems to be much more work than needed. With the UTH, you set the temp on the thermostat and that's it. The thermometer/hygrometer that I linked to you, you put the unit on the cold side, the probe on the hot side and it reads both temps and humidity all in one unit.

[j.smith7823]

Ya the pet store did that to me too.. told me a uth was not required.. he sold me these 15$ bulbs which make the husbandry a pain.. go to amazon.com and atleast spend 26$ on a hygrofarm thermostat. Also purchase the appropiate size uth for ur terrium or tub.. and last but not least look into a temp gun!!