Share your ideas for Perfect Habitat

[Lisn123]

Hi~

yes, we are one of the very few, who have kept it to a one snake household
Its my daughters. We've had Medusa for about 18 months now and
ready to move her up to a larger "Habitat". She is more for "display" (& YES,
im fully aware that ball pythons are not the optimal display snake, but since its
my daughters and her only one- you know what I mean, by "display"
So Tub is out...

Tank vs. Animal plastics (or similar ideas)??

Im SURE many of you are jumping on the animal plastics bandwagon and they
look beautiful. and Im sure lighter then a large glass tank??. but for some reason,
they look more challenging to clean?? I guess because I can't open it and clean from the
top, like I do my current tank?

They also seem "Darker" (animal plastics) overall? less light inside for viewing?

The T-8 is on sale and a great price, but also seems slightly larger
then what I need for a single ball?

What is the min. size for a tank you would suggest?

Any opinions, suggestions, other ideas.... would be GREATLY appreciated.
We have a little time and since this will be her home for a long
time, I want to make sure we do it right.

THanks in advance!
Lisa

[MsMissy]

http://www.reptile-enclosure.com/rep...NCLOSURES-cage

[TheSnakeGuy]

I recommend an Exo Terra 36"LX18"WX12"T. Yes it's a glass cage and it's not cheap, but a ball python can live out all of it's days in one. Don't let the haters get to you here. With one or two tricks heat and humidity are a snap to manage. And it makes for a great display tank. The 18" tall model may look nicer but ball pythons really don't need height; also having less height makes temp easy to manage with one 75w Red lamp and a dimmer switch depending on how warm/cool your home is.

[Lisn123]

http://www.reptile-enclosure.com/rep...NCLOSURES-cage

Thanks! I like the way these look.

[Lisn123]

I recommend an Exo Terra 36"LX18"WX12"T. Yes it's a glass cage and it's not cheap, but a ball python can live out all of it's days in one. Don't let the haters get to you here. With one or two tricks heat and humidity are a snap to manage. And it makes for a great display tank. The 18" tall model may look nicer but ball pythons really don't need height; also having less height makes temp easy to manage with one 75w Red lamp and a dimmer switch depending on how warm/cool your home is.

Thank you- this is sort of where we are at right now. Just wanted to ask to see if anyone had any other options here.

[MsMissy]

I use 20g long glass tanks right now but just assembled my xmas list. It consists of 3 things. A pewter, that tank and a Herpstat 2.

[brobertson]

Animal plastics can't be beat!

[Marrissa]

Animal plastics. So much easier! I wish I never started with the tank. I used to have to spray the tank all the time because the heat lamp zapped the humidity, this was with covering the top too. I have the T8 and I feel that's its much easier to clean than the tank. Also I bought lights and RHP for either side. I never have to spray the tank and have 60/70 humidity all the time. It makes my life much easier than stressing about temp and humidity.

[martin82531]

I don't know if I would consider getting a AP "jumping on the bandwagon". Keeping the correct temperatures and humidity are very important to a Ball Pythons health and survival. Can it be done with glass, absolutely, is it easier with PVC, I think so. Are there other options besides AP, of course, Cages By Design, Vision, Boaphile, NPI... just to name a few.

I think why Animal Plastics are highly mentioned is on this website is for a couple reasons. One of our members (The Serpent Merchant) has a very detailed write up on one of the model's the AP sells (T8), I think it is always nice to see in detail what your getting before you purchase it, unfortunately AP's website does not do them justice (according to FB they are getting a new website). Another reason I think they are so popular is because of the customer service they provide. I have never dealt with any of the above companies but, AP as always treated me great, and also with my T8's that I have purchased (2), they have shipped out in a very reasonable amount of time. I think when all said and done, their product does the job and works perfect for a display cage.

As far as cleaning and size, I would say cleaning is breeze, nothing stands out in my mind that would prove this cage to be difficult to clean. I have heard from one poster, (don't remember who) that this particular PVC has very small "pores" and over time they tend to smell, I have had my first T8 almost a year, if not a little more, smells the same as they day a I purchased it. For size, I would still say go with a T8 just because you can get a divider that will allow 1 T8 to house two adult Ball Pythons. Ball Pythons are like Lays, can't have just one.

Hope this helps...

[Eric Alan]

I love my T8s - I consider them the perfect display habitat and have two of them. I would never buy anything else (except a rack in the future) and am glad I chose them for my first BPs:


As you can see, the lights on the inside are plenty bright for display purposes. From a weight perspective, I would consider them more awkward than heavy. I can easily lift one myself, but I prefer to have someone on the other end for simplicity's sake. Size wise, they are a little large for a small BP - even divided they were still large for my baby girls, so I added the newspaper. A big female would do great in an undivided T8 though. Just in case Medusa isn't quite up to size yet, you can just pop in a divider and add a friend for her on the other side. Also, they are incredibly easy to clean. I do the majority of the work with a Clorox wipe and paper towels after each pee/poop.