Need Some Help

[mattchibi]

If starting out with a young Ball (because I prefer aquarium heavily over shelving type housing) I recommend a 20 gallon long however some BP are shy or easily stressed by environments too large or too open but that's what I started my current BP in. No undertank heater they can easily burn your snake well more so the heat rocks are dangerous. All I used was a 50 watt heat bulb with a UVB lamp during daylight and night glo about 50 watt cuz it burns cooler than the day bulb. A snug hide box I put mine on the warm side because my BP likes to chill in his water bowl (not sick just loves swimming.) I don't feel multiple hides are a necessity but mine is just very social. Never use softwood bedding as many are toxic to snakes cedar is the very worst, aspen is the way to go. It's gentle to snakes inexpensive and easy to spot clean. Lastly of the essentials a metal screen for the top and compatible clips to hold down the screen. The heat lamps will not bother a metal screen I have never had an escape out of an aquarium. And for when u get your python they are picky eaters if they eat frozen consistently keep doin it but everyone pushes frozen and there isn't an advantage to it and there's no disadvantages to feeding live if you do a few things: feed in a separate feeder cage so then won't become cage aggressive because they don't associate you're hand going into the cage for dinner time, DON'T LEAVE UNSUPERVISED WITH MOUSE OR RAT! they can harm your snake. When my BP was 6 months old he quit eating frozen for months and vets said push it for awhile if they're hungry they'll eat. Fed him live ate immediately and has not missed a feeding in a year and a half and eats all the way through winter. That's the best advice I can give I've read dozens of books and spent hours online I know how it is tryin to find info for pet BP and no 2 ppl agree on anything live/frozen, aquarium/beware, undertank/heatrock/heat lamp. Once you get to know you're snake he'll tell u what he wants
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Im not discrediting you... but you are saying some things that dont quite make sense and might not be the best advice for someone new.. No undertank heater because they can easily burn your snake? Really? This is only true if a proper thermostat or dimmer isn't used to regulate the temps. In fact, an undertank heater controlled by a proportional thermostat is by far the best way to provide heat to your snake. Just FYI if you didnt know.

As for the UV day glo bulb, BP's dont need light, especially not UVB light. Constant overhead light creates stress in ball pythons. Ambient room light is sufficient if you want to provide your snake with a 12 hour day/night cycle. If you want/need to use a bulb to increase ambient temps, I suggest a Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE for short) or an infrared 60 watt bulb. Both of these can be used with a dimmer and you can keep it on top of the tank 24/7 . It will drain the humidity though, so dont use it unless you have to (if your house is super cold)

And as for the multiple hides. You are right, it does not need multiple hides. It does need at least TWO though. One hide on the cold side, one on the warm side. Reason being so your snake can thermoregulate. DEFINITELY provide it with two identical hides on both sides so that your snake does not have to choose security over temperature. There might be a reason why your snake is so "social"...

And last, as for the feeding in enclosure linked to cage agression thing.. thats a myth. Snakes are super-predators. They can use their tongue and their jacobsons organs to "smell" their prey. Unless you smell like rodents, you wont get bit. Just wash your hands before and after handling your snake and you should be fine. Of course there are some naturally aggressive ball pythons, but once "tamed", as long as you dont smell like a rat you wont get bit.