Thinking about buying a ball python

[fireflii]

Ayee, I'm in Austin, too!

6qt are often used for hatchlings by breeders, although you could keep a small one in a 6qt you'd have to move up soon. I personally started with, and recommend, something like 16qt. Depending on the size of your snake, it could be a little big, but it will be fine if you can fill it up with things (hides, leafy decor, etc.) so your snake feels hidden and secure. This way, you're also spending less money and time switching from 6qt, 12qt, 24qt, 32qt, 41qt, etc. A 16qt can go to 500g+, although at 400g, I switched my snake to a 41qt (which many will say is very big, but like I said, if you fill it up, it works out). The money is no issue for me personally, especially since tubs are so cheap, but it's much less work (and less stress on the snake) to only have to move to new enclosures 2-3 times than 5-6.

As for the temperature gradient, you won't get a huge one in a smaller tub. But it helps if you put more air holes on one side over the other (instead of evenly spread) so one side will be cooler than the other.

I would also recommend a tub with latches, especially if it's bigger. A small snake is okay in a tub without latches because they can't push out. But once your snake is full grown, two latches on the short ends of a 41qt will result in the long sides being easy to push through (I tested it at walmart). The 16qt I started out with looks like this (got from walmart at anderson). The one we have now looks like this (which is nice because no single side is weak since all sides have latches), which I bought at the container store (off of research).

But honestly, any of those could work. It really depends how big your snake is. Snakes do like small spaces to feel safe, but I like to give mine room for the temperature gradient (as you mentioned, it IS harder to have one in a small tub), enrichment, and just overall room for more hides.

And hmm... what else, what else... Depending on your apartment's temperature, you might need some kind of extra heating element during the winter. I keep my house at about 71F, and the cool ambient is about 77-81F during the summer, but it will drop below 75F during the winter. The humidity will probably be around 55% naturally, which is fine typically, but you'll want to mist during the shed cycles. Also keep in mind that ball pythons live 20+ years and not all apartments allow reptiles, so that's something to consider. Hmm... for food, I just go to Zookeeper (off of research/burnet, where that olive garden is) and buy 4-5 feeders which lasts a month. They don't take up a lot of space. I just put them in a brown paper bag inside a grocery plastic bag. It takes up as much space as like a tub of butter. However, if you can, buying bulk at an expo is much cheaper.

Not sure what else to address. Here's a picture of what my tub looks like if you're curious.