First ball python

[Tuna]

As the title says, I am looking to get my first ball python. I have been interested in them for quite awhile now, about 2 years. The only thing that has been stopping me is being super busy with school and work. I feel I can commit fully to taking care of one now that I have graduated high school.
The only thing stumping me is the discussion on how to care for a ball python. I did a whole lot of research and so many people say different things. I really dont know what to buy for the habitat at all, thats why im coming here to ask you guys for your advice and tips. What I was going to buy with what i have done with my research:
10 gallon tank
cypress mulch
hiding place
water bowl
heat source
thermostat
thermometer/temp gun
Now when it comes to the heat source, thats where i have my biggest issue. I read that people swear by overhead heat(heat lamp) and people swear by belly heat(heat pad). I personally was leaning towards the heat pad because a few more people believe that having a heat lamp will really reduce humidity in a tank. Another question i have is regarding humidity in general, I know this is a big thing for ball pythons yet I see a lot of breeders not really "caring" about it, like they dont talk about using any sort of humidifier device or anything. Simply sprits the cage once or twice a day and give them a nice soak during shed. Another thing is, i hear a temp gun is alot better than a thermometer?

I plan on buying my ball python in july during the reptile expo down here in Socal. So i really would like to start buying everything and setting it up now, any tips or advice you guys could give me would be very much appreciated, Thanks.

[JodanOrNoDan]

First read this if you have not. If you want to make life easy on yourself put the animal in a tub. Heating from below heat tape/heat pad reduces problems with humidity. I do not recommend any sort of lighting. I see that you mention habitat. Decide whether the habitat is for you or the snake. What I mean by this is that a ball python is an animal that likes to hide in as small a space as possible. A happy ball python hides most of the day and does little to nothing other than eat, poop, and sleep. I tell you this because many people buy these animals thinking they are something they are going to put in a nice tank and watch like a fish. A ball is not that type of animal. They make great pets as far as snakes go. Most are very calm and easy to handle but they are not animals that will entertain you much by watching them. Consider this before getting your first ball. Warning!!! If you do get one and you like it you will not stop at one. They are quite an addiction.

[chrid16371]

My recommendations to you are a animal plastics t8 with a divider if your getting a young snake. The t8 is a PVC enclosure made by animal plastics, PVC holds humidity great and is very light and will never rot. You can house a ball python in it for its entire life. Animal plastics has a divider option, this is something you would want for a young snake. You can move the divider little by little as the snake grows. I highly recommend this and it will save you a lot of stress. If you buy the ap t8 I recommend a 40w reptile basics radiant heat panel if your using a divider or if your not using a divider a 80w radiant heat panel the rhp will heat both the hot and cool side, a quality thermostat like the spyder robotics Herpstat 1 or the VE-200 from reptile basics, 2 identical hides size medium from reptile basics or if you buy a older snake the large size, digital hygrometer/thermometer acurite 00891 which will let you take your hot side cool side and humidity all with one unit, then a water bowl and some fake plants.

If your set on putting the snake in a glass tank then first thing I would think about your room temperature. If your room temp is under 75 then you will need a way to heat the hot and cool side and being that the 10 gallon is so small a rhp won't work. If your room temp is 75 or more year round you can use just a under tank heater and be fine but if it's cooler than 75 you could use a undertank heater for hot side with thermostat and cool side a ceramic heat emitter on a dimmer or you could use a ceramic heat emitter on the hot side with a thermostat and depending on how much cooler your room is under 75 the che may heat the cool side to proper temp like an rhp would. You will want to cover the screen completely to trap humidity in, if you want it to look nice I would get some plexiglass cut to size to sit on your screen. If you have to use a dome and che you will need to cut a hole in the plexiglass for the dome to fit through to sit on the screen, everything else should be covered except where the dome for che would sit. Then you would need a water bowl, and some fake plants, acurite 00891 thermometer/hygrometer, 2 identical hides from reptile basics size medium. I highly recommend the reptile basics hides, they are very dark and will give your snake a real sense of security.

Thermostat is something you should not skimp out on, it is what keeps your snake from getting burned so quality is a must imo. I'm going to list thermostats for you to look at in the order that I recommend, the first being the most recommended IMO. Spyder Robotics Herpstat 1, VE-200 from reptile basics, VE-100 from reptile basics, inkbird itc-308. First 2 should be the ones you try to get. If you need to use a uth and a che bc your room temp is to low I recommended you buy a spyder robotics Herpstat 2 or VE-300x2 but if you can't afford one of those 2 then use the Herpstat 1 or ve-200 for uth and lamp dimmer for che. If your going to use a che only I recommend you get one of the first two thermostats I listed, especially bc there's not a lot of room for error on the hot side. I highly recommend not getting a zoomed or zilla thermostat as I have used them and they are junk IMO. Ask about the quality of a thermostat on this fourm if your not considering one of my choices or you may end up with one that is not adequate enough for your snake.

There is more ways to set up a bp cage but the methods above are what I'm familiar with. I'm sure others will tell you other ways that you can setup.

As JodanOrNoDan said make sure you read the care sheet, it tells you proper temps, humidity and different ways you can heat your enclosure along with tons of other very important information.

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[Slim]

If you start out with some form of tub style enclosure, you'll save time, money, worry, and stress on the animal.
Good luck

[StephenT]

I'll throw my two cents in!
Assuming you're getting a juvenile, I'd start him/her off in a tub (16qt would suffice if you make it nice and cozy with hides and maybe some fake leaves, just something to cramp it up a bit), much less expensive than a tank and you don't have to worry about dropping a lot of cash on a larger one as he grows. Be sure to drill plenty of holes into the sides of the tub for proper air ventilation.

For heating I would reccomend heat tape or heat pads (we'll use the abbreiviation UTH, or under tank heater), Reptilebasics.com sells heat tape and will wire it up for you. With a UTH you NEED a thermostat, or it will get too hot and burn the tub and ground it's sitting on. There are many cheap on/off thermostats (they cut power to the tape when the heat tape's temperature exceeds what it is set at). If you're willing to drop a bit more cash you can get a proportional thermostat (which keeps the temperature constant). You can get one for just under $100 at Spyderrobotics.com. About 1/3rd of the enclosure should be heated, so be sure to pick an appropriate width of tape/size of pad.

Heat tape should be fastened to the ground the tub (or tank if you so choose) via aluminum tape, which you can purchase at just about every hardware store. If you have any carpentry skills you could build a little stand or even a shelf-like system (you can Google "snake rack systems" for many examples) or even just go out and get one, unless you're fine with taping up wherever you planned to set the enclosure originaly. Now Heat pads, they come with adheasive nubs to stand your tub up and stick the pad under the enclosure, also having an adhesive. Either a temp gun or thermometer is fine, though if you choose the temp gun I'd reccomend to check the temps often. Also getting a hydrometor wouldn't be a bad idea, to measure your enclosure's humidity (should be around %60).

I'll tell ya a little secret about substrate, the aspen meant for rabbits and the like are usually cheaper than the snake stuff and is still the exact same! Make sure the hides are nice and cozy too, BPs love to hide. Of course add the water bowl.

The tub size can be increased as your snake grows, there are many references of when to increase size if you Google "snake tub size."
If you have any questions feel free to message me or anyone else on the forum! We're usually a nice lot of people

Enjoy your new snake!

[Tuna]

Alright guys, thanks abunch for all the help. I have changed my setup "idea"
18 qt tub
zoo med mini heat pad
thermostat
aspen
now for the thermometer and hygrometer i was looking at some "acurites" but i dont know which one to get...could one of you shed some light on that, theres 2 without a probe and 1 with a probe that looks abit more older though
and of course hiding spot and water bowl and a few plants

[StephenT]

Alright guys, thanks abunch for all the help. I have changed my setup "idea"
18 qt tub
zoo med mini heat pad
thermostat
aspen
now for the thermometer and hygrometer i was looking at some "acurites" but i dont know which one to get...could one of you shed some light on that, theres 2 without a probe and 1 with a probe that looks abit more older though
and of course hiding spot and water bowl and a few plants

Make sure either of them stick with adhesive/velcro/suction, I don't think ActuRite is made with reptile enclosures in mind (doesn't mean they can't be used though). I'd personally avoid suction though, never had anything stick for very long with suction. A probed one means it will be measuring the ground heat, while one without such will be measuring the ambient heat. For a snake like a BP, I'd say ground is more important to know.

[chrid16371]

Just go to amazon and type in acurite 00891, which is the probe and what you want. I have 2 different styles of these and they work great and very accurate. They give same reading as my Herpstat and VE thermostats and I have done the salt test for the hygrometer and they are right on. I own 11 of them and lots of people on here use them. You put the probe under substrate on hot side and run wire under the substrate to the cool side and set the unit on the cool side and with one look you can see your hot side temp, cool side temp, and humidity. They have become very popular for reptiles and are actually more accurate then any thermometer labeled for reptiles that I have used.

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[Tuna]

Another thing that popped in my head guys...if i put a that mini zoo med heat pad under the 18qt tub...will it burn the plastic? and will that heat pad be enough to keep the temp in the tub in the mid 80s

[chrid16371]

Uth will not melt tub when regulated with thermostat. Uth does not affect ambient temps. You want your cool temps in the high 70s to low 80s, mid 80s is s little to warm for a cool side. As long as your house is 75-82 24/7 year round it will be fine but if your house temp is lower you will either need a different setup or you can put a uth on the cool side also but you will need another thermostat, or you could heat the room the snake will be kept in with a oil filled radiator heater. If you choose the last option I would keep the snake in a room that is not used bc it will be really hot for you in the summer running a heater where you spend a lot of time.

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