New here - am I ready?

[vikingr]

My 8-year old daughter loves snakes/reptiles (awesome), we’re hoping to get her a BP (and our 1^st family pet) very soon…

I’ve been running the following setup (after trial/error) for a couple weeks now so we know steady state conditions can be achieved (no surprises):
- exo-terra med low terrarium (24x18x12) – getting a male and going in her room with little space for anything larger
- zoo-med UTH with rheostat (herpstat 1 redline on shopping list) = 90F (hot side 88-92F, cool side 77-82F)
- exo-terra light fixture with 2-25 watt daytime heatbulbs + 1-25 watt nighttime bulb (low light level but brings ambient temps to target)
- I also cut exact pieces of 1/8" opaque plaskolite/acrylic and pressure fitted them into the exo-terra screen cover (3 of 4 sections) to better maintain RH%
- humidity is around 50% without misting or adding sphagnum moss – easily gets to 70% with daily misting
- cypress mulch, zoo-med medium hide (hot side), waterdish & grape-wood jungle gym covered w/plants for cool-side hide
- exo-terra combo-meter, 2 acurite combo meters, and an IR gun for monitoring

Cage aesthetics were important for us = no tubs; created a natural-type environment and cool display regardless of a BP hiding all day.

SO anything missing or suggestions? pull the trigger? We really hope to feed F/T in this cage, and temporarily use a plastic placemat or piece of cardboard to cover a lot of the substrate during feeding, hope that works...

[rock]

Sounds pretty awesome. My daughter received her first BP, and our family's first snake, 6 months ago on her 8th birthday. It has been a great experience. Someone with more knowledge might have some other suggestions for you but I like the description of your set up.

My only thought is to give some serious consideration to what type of BP you want as there are so many wonderful examples. Morph Market was a great place for me to find different genes and prices but in the end we kept it simple as she picked what fancied her most from a local pet store. Good luck!

[Dillonfail]

My 8-year old daughter loves snakes/reptiles (awesome), we’re hoping to get her a BP (and our 1^st family pet) very soon…

I’ve been running the following setup (after trial/error) for a couple weeks now so we know steady state conditions can be achieved (no surprises):
- exo-terra med low terrarium (24x18x12) – getting a male and going in her room with little space for anything larger
- zoo-med UTH with rheostat (herpstat 1 redline on shopping list) = 90F (hot side 88-92F, cool side 77-82F)
- exo-terra light fixture with 2-25 watt daytime heatbulbs + 1-25 watt nighttime bulb (low light level but brings ambient temps to target)
- I also cut exact pieces of 1/8" opaque plaskolite/acrylic and pressure fitted them into the exo-terra screen cover (3 of 4 sections) to better maintain RH%
- humidity is around 50% without misting or adding sphagnum moss – easily gets to 70% with daily misting
- cypress mulch, zoo-med medium hide (hot side), waterdish & grape-wood jungle gym covered w/plants for cool-side hide
- exo-terra combo-meter, 2 acurite combo meters, and an IR gun for monitoring

Cage aesthetics were important for us = no tubs; created a natural-type environment and cool display regardless of a BP hiding all day.

SO anything missing or suggestions? pull the trigger? We really hope to feed F/T in this cage, and temporarily use a plastic placemat or piece of cardboard to cover a lot of the substrate during feeding, hope that works...

It sounds good I would use a 10 gallon if its a baby. Their are better hides to use than half logs. They have https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Rep.../dp/B001F3YJ9O which I would get 2 for each side and they look cool. But if you do use the big one then just make sure you have plenty of hides, Are you getting a baby?

[JodanOrNoDan]

Wait for the thermostat.
Try to control humidity without the need to mist. You will forget or will go out of town for a few days.

"Natural environment" for a ball python is a hole in the ground in a grassland habitat.

[tttaylorrr]

welcome!!! first off it's awesome that you're testing the enclosure before bringing your new scale bby home; this will save you many headaches! here's some of my recommendations from what you've provided:

- zoo-med UTH with rheostat (herpstat 1 redline on shopping list) = 90F (hot side 88-92F, cool side 77-82F)

herpstats are fantastic products, definitely get one when you can. for one snake i'd suggest the Herpstat Intro+: all the same safety features of the more expensive models with a smaller price tag.

- exo-terra light fixture with 2-25 watt daytime heatbulbs + 1-25 watt nighttime bulb (low light level but brings ambient temps to target)

ditch the bulbs if you can and get a ceramic heat emitter (CHE): beeps don't like light and the CHE should be sufficient enough to bring ambient temps to target.

- I also cut exact pieces of 1/8" opaque plaskolite/acrylic and pressure fitted them into the exo-terra screen cover (3 of 4 sections) to better maintain RH%

great idea.

- humidity is around 50% without misting or adding sphagnum moss – easily gets to 70% with daily misting

just stay on top of misting and you shouldn't have much of a problem.

- cypress mulch, zoo-med medium hide (hot side), waterdish & grape-wood jungle gym covered w/plants for cool-side hide

get two identical hides: sometimes beeps will favor one over the other for one reason or another, so to cut down on the potential of them sacrificing their need to thermoregulate over their security, you get two identical hides to avoid any stress for them.
YES get an IR temp gun; they're an amazing tool.

Cage aesthetics were important for us = no tubs; created a natural-type environment and cool display regardless of a BP hiding all day.

depending on the snake and/or where you get it from and its age, it may not thrive right away in a big enclosure. sometimes babies need THEIR needs met before your own. if your beep is not eating/losing weight, you might need to switch to a 6qt tub so it gets established. i'm not saying it's going to happen, but it is something you need to consider as it CAN happen.

SO anything missing or suggestions? pull the trigger? We really hope to feed F/T in this cage, and temporarily use a plastic placemat or piece of cardboard to cover a lot of the substrate during feeding, hope that works...

you're ALMOST there!

[vikingr]

Sounds pretty awesome. My daughter received her first BP, and our family's first snake, 6 months ago on her 8th birthday. It has been a great experience. Someone with more knowledge might have some other suggestions for you but I like the description of your set up.

My only thought is to give some serious consideration to what type of BP you want as there are so many wonderful examples. Morph Market was a great place for me to find different genes and prices but in the end we kept it simple as she picked what fancied her most from a local pet store. Good luck!

Good to hear it's been a positive experience for your 8-year old. I do the grunt work, the selection process will need prior approval from my daughter and wife (& 11-year old son probably)... I actually prefer the normals and darker morphs, black/dark browns with contrasting orange/yellows... black pastel, yellow belly, orange dream.. but anything goes, whatever they want as long as it's healthy and feeding on F/T

[vikingr]

It sounds good I would use a 10 gallon if its a baby. Their are better hides to use than half logs. They have https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Rep.../dp/B001F3YJ9O which I would get 2 for each side and they look cool. But if you do use the big one then just make sure you have plenty of hides, Are you getting a baby?

Thanks for your input, I packed the med-low exo-terra cage in with stuff so it's not too daunting for a small 100-150g BP; and I do have an exo-terra hide on the warm side (the one with a single hole on top). I made a more natural type hide on the cooler side but no big deal if I need to go another route - I'll figure out how to post some pics here

[Craiga 01453]

^^^I would basically ditto what tttaylorrr said^^^ She always gives good advice!

I personally don't have identical hides in any of my snakes enclosures, and have never had an issue there, but maybe I've been lucky. A lot of keepers suggest that though, so maybe it would be good to at least start out that way.

[Zincubus]

We'll have a good read of all the posts above and you're good to go ..

As mentioned , those log hides are really no use as hides as they just won't feel secure at all ... a thermostat is an absolute MUST before the snake gives in ... I'd suggest orchid bark / ReptiBark as a substrate as it looks great , makes the snake look amazing and helps to keep the humidity up .

You've also got time to buy a digital temp gun for about 13 dollars off eBay or Amazon or whatever ..


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[vikingr]

Wait for the thermostat.
Try to control humidity without the need to mist. You will forget or will go out of town for a few days.

"Natural environment" for a ball python is a hole in the ground in a grassland habitat.

I'm in NJ, it's dry now, approaching months should help humidity, until then I'll use a little moss, maybe a room humidifier (or mist).
Clarification: I opted for a "natural looking" terrestrial environment, not a reproduction of a BP's indigenous/native habitat.