Thinking about getting one ... What do I need?

[fluffpuffgerbil]

I am afraid this is a case of you get what you pay for. I guess the hydrofarm is ok but the probes are terribly inaccurate I do instrument calibration in my work and I was asked to test 3 hydrofarms they all read differently buy one degree and one two degrees and the lowest one is is still too high by 1 degree. If you go that route make sure you have an accurate thermometer.

I'm getting a Hydrofarm T-Stat(Should be here today or tomorrow) finally, and though I trust you that they do fluctuate, but the hotside temp requirements are 88-92*F, right? So if you set it at 90, it should fluctuate between those two temperatures, right?

[Orange Sunshine]

I'm getting a Hydrofarm T-Stat(Should be here today or tomorrow) finally, and though I trust you that they do fluctuate, but the hotside temp requirements are 88-92*F, right? So if you set it at 90, it should fluctuate between those two temperatures, right?

Yeah that's what I was thinking myself. Even if it does fluctuate it's gotta be better then a dimmer right? I don't want to be a jerk and torture the snake, but lets get real, a $100 thermostat for a $50 snake just doesn't make sense to me.

[crepers86]

When I got my full grown ball python I bought a 64 qrt sterilite it worked really well, and though she hasn't grown any I wanted to upgrade my baby's cage. I had originaly bought one of those 20gal long cages and to be honest I hate them. They are heavy and harder to clean. I ended up getting a 106 qrt sterilite for my big girl for like $12 (i paid $8 for the 64 qrt) if they are a little smaller like closer to a hatchling and you feel the 64 qrt is too big what you can do is pack it that way it has a tighter seeming smaller enclosure.

The one thing I hate about sterilite is the heating pads don't stick them that well but I fix that with electrical tape. This is good actually because

1. when I need to clean the tube I just take the heat pad off
2. if I need to transport my snakes I can just remove the heat pads empty the water and take with there whole enclosure with me. this I love because it seems less stressful for the snake and less stress on me. like when I go do like education shows its easier.

here is some pics of what I am talking about


my baby's enclosure. she is at about 2 1/4 feet right now


and my big girls enclosure, she is 3.5 feet right now

[Cupid]

Most people here spent more than $50 on their snakes.. (more like $100+). No matter the price on the animal, you have to be willing to properly care for it. Look around and see if you can find a thermostat in your price range.

[fluffpuffgerbil]

I only spent $20 on my snake, but I would be willing to buy a Herpstat at some point, but I had to get what I could for her in a day since the expo was the very next day. I only had $120 to spend for heat pad,hides,dimmer,waterdish, and something to control temps with. So I got a $18 dimmer for her. I was expecting to pay more for a BP, at least $25 for a normal male, but I liked the female's colours and size better so I went with a female. The prices were from $20-$40 for the normals(male or female, average was $25 for male, $30 for female) but this one was my favourite and happened to be the $20 one.
Anyway, for the first several days I had her, I kept her tub (I use a 16q/15L sterilite for her) on my computer desk so I could keep constant watch on her temps. They still fluctuate and get a little too cold at night, but they're a little more stable now and she's in my room now.
I still check on her temps a bunch though. I can rest a little better once my thermostat comes, hopefully tomorrow.(Her hotside was just at 93.9*F when I went to put her back in her cage!) Dimmers I suppose are fine temporarily, but Thermostats I'm sure are just so much more reliable from what I've read on here.

[Orange Sunshine]

I appreciate all of the help so far, but I seem to be having trouble finding a ball python now lol. I am near Panama City in Norther Florida. They have 2 pet shops in the immediate area and they are trying to charge $80 for them. How can I find breeders or another place to buy them besides PetShart? I have been looking online and have had no luck unless I want to take a 3 hour drive ... What do you guys suggest? I've seen a few companies that sell them online but it's a little steep. If I went with an online vendor, who would you recommend? I would appreciate any help.

[crepers86]

I appreciate all of the help so far, but I seem to be having trouble finding a ball python now lol. I am near Panama City in Norther Florida. They have 2 pet shops in the immediate area and they are trying to charge $80 for them. How can I find breeders or another place to buy them besides PetShart? I have been looking online and have had no luck unless I want to take a 3 hour drive ... What do you guys suggest? I've seen a few companies that sell them online but it's a little steep. If I went with an online vendor, who would you recommend? I would appreciate any help.

Have you tried craigslist under community, pets. in know a lot of the times I cand some going for good price from local breeders her in houston, might be worth a try.

[Orange Sunshine]

Have you tried craigslist under community, pets. in know a lot of the times I cand some going for good price from local breeders her in houston, might be worth a try.

Yeah I checked it out, unfortunately I didn't see anything. I'm in a pretty remote part of Florida so I'm not surprised. I was hoping there was a classifieds website of some sort, but I'm not seeing much. Looks like it's down to an online vendor because I don't trust PetSmart. Can anyone please recommend some places I should check out? I don't want to put you guys on the spot, but if you know some places that you've dealt with or heard good things about I'm all ears. I don't know who to trust ...