Beginner Ball Python Care - Need excessive clarification

[redshepherd]

1) I'd get a gist of your home's humidity to begin with before making those decisions. For example, so many people have issues with maintaining humidity online, I figured I would too. It turns out that my house humidity is consistently 60~80% throughout the year, even with good ventilation, so having an exo-terra with a screen top is completely doable for me.

+ if your room's ambient temperature is in the 80's, you won't even need a heat lamp, just a UTH.

The addition of heat lamps is only if your ambient temperature is too low, and you need additional heat.

2) Ball pythons don't need any lighting, since they're nocturnal animals. They prefer shadow. It would only be aesthetic for you, if you want.

3) There's a few ways to handle humidity, but it depends on the setup you choose. As long as the substrate/ground your ball python rests on is not damp/wet, and there is good ventilation in the enclosure, it's fine. Some people who need a humid hide just stick in some damp sphagnum moss against the sides of the hide.

4) Again, depends on your setup and the substrate you choose. For aspen or eco-earth and some others, you can spot-clean (just scoop up poop and urates) a couple times, and clean out once a month or more even, depending how often your snake defecates. They don't poo/pee very often! For paper towels, you'll see you have to clean it all right away, any time the snake defecates/pees...

5) Depends on your climate where you live. Paper towels is easy and clean, but you need to clean out the tub/tank every time they defecate. I use aspen, so I can spot clean, and lower humidity (humidity where I live is high). Some people need substrate that HOLDS humidity, if they live somewhere dry.

6) Read through this! http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ius)-Caresheet

7) Generally heat pad is on one side, 1/3 area of the enclosure. Check out these threads: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...e-Basics-*DUW*

8) Again depends on your climate/temperature of your home. Not necessary if you use a tub enclosure. If you have a glass tank and your house is too cold, you would need a heat lamp or an RHP, generally in addition to the heat mat.

You can browse the sticky threads for "how to setups" here: http://ball-pythons.net/forums/forum...2-BP-Husbandry

Those will also clear up some things for you, especially with pictures!