any advice for a first timer with cat??

[kitty000]

Hello everyone I've been researching about ball pythons for a while now, and I ready to get one, but my only concern is I have a cat. I have a studio apartment so I not able to lock up the ball python in a room. I hear they are escape artists, but I do plan on getting these snaps that lock the cage. But I would still worry a little :cry: Any advice??

[led4urhead]

First of all ... Welcome to the site!!!! What kind of cage are you planning on? An aquarium with a screen lid that snaps in, a rubbermaid setup, or a custom ( like an Animal Plastics )? With a screen lid on top of an aquarium you might want to try using a book or getting some extra snaps for the lid. I use bungie cords with my rubbermaid and havent had an escape yet ( knock on wood ). Most of the custom cages you can buy are pretty darn escape proof. They've been tested by the manufacturer and a good number of customers. I know people here use many different ways of securing their lids.

[kitty000]

I have a 29 gallon tank for now, and a plastic frame with wire mesh, and a startup kit that has just about everything I need I've heard some say not to use a under tank heater? Any suggestions on what to get and what not?

[Cody]

I don't see why you shouldn't use an under tank heater. Unless you're confusing that with a heat rock. Heat rocks are NO-NO's with snakes....well any reptile really. They're prone to burns. But I'd say 99.9% of the successful BP keepers use UTH for their heat. They're crucial for providing belly heat which is needed to help digest food in the BP.

As for what to get..just get a human heat pad you'd find at any store like Walmart and such. Just make sure it has adjustable heat levels(low-med-high) and no auto-shut off.

What not to get...those reptile heat pads with the adhesive. They're known to get too hot, and the adhesive sucks because once you put it on the bottom of your tank, it's stuck there, leaving the tank useless in the future if you don't need to use the UTH on it.
Also what not to get...Heat rock, for what I've said earlier....the burn thing.

Hope I helped a bit.

[elevatethis]

Cats would probably kill a snake if they saw it out. Maybe not a full grown BP but definitely a baby. Just make sure that you secure that lid at all times.

[badboyz2k4]

my cats all three of them and both my dogs all sit at the frunt of my snake viv (made of wood and only as glass slideing frunt doors) and try to play with the snakes all day long so it shouldnt be too much of a worry, just dont let the snake out of the tank when the cats around or its bye bye to one of them.

[gozetec02]

I have my ball python in a 20qt sterilite. I have 3 cats and my BP has gotten out twice but the cats just sniffed him and he balled up. I learned from then on you need to put something heavy on the top. Now if you have one of those screen top lids, cats have a habit of jumping on top of the lid and its not strong enough to hold the weight of the cat and the screen will collapse leaving the cat an opprotunity to "play" with your snake. Get one of those steel lids they are a good investment. Better yet use a sterilite because they cant be caved in and come in all shapes and sizes and they are dirt cheap.

[Sassafrass]

My adult bp has escaped twice...both times my cat wouldnt set PAW in the room the snake was in. Thats how I knew which room he was in...lol

[jotay]

I had my bp in a 20 gal long with a screen lid and it was on top of my son's dresser. I always just used the clips w/ the pins that came with the screen lid and never had an escape.
As for the cat, i have a cat and she would sit on my son's weight bench and watch the snake for hours or just watch the hide to see if he was coming out.
But soon as I opened the lid the cat would run like hell. She wanted nothing to do w/ the bp, If I picked her up to take her over toward the cage she would go crazy trying to get away.
Maybe it's because when we first brought the bp home I kept telling my cat if she was bad we would feed her to Ozzy
As for the UTH or any heating device you should get a thermostat to hook it to. Then no worries it gets to hot. Just always check the temps.
With a t-stat you don't need to adjust as the room temps change.
Since I put Ozzy in his new cage which is closer to the floor the cat doesn't even give it a second look
Good Luck

[kitty000]

Thanks everyone for the advice, I can't wait to get my bp. If anyone has any tips on feeding and care please repy it really helps to hear from people with experience. When I go to the pet store they don't seem to know to much, and I can read web sties with advice but hearing it from experinced people who actually have bp's makes me feel better.