A list of things needed to care for more expensive pythons, like piebald pythons

[snakebox]

Hey all! I'm working on a list of everything I need to care for a piebald python, and I'd love your feedback on what I've got so far.

1. 30+ gallon enclosure
2. Substrate (wood chips [not cedar], coconut fibers, paper towels, etc.)
3. Large, hard to tip water bowl
4. Hiding places (logs, etc.)
5. Heat lamp, to be placed on one side of the tank, if you guys could tell me the temperature that would be awesome.
6. Reptile tank thermometer with a humidity detector.
7. Spray/mister bottle for humidity
8. Frozen mice, to be warmed up in hot water.
9. Thermostat to control heat (thank you jeest)

I'd love some tips as I get started. Thank you so much! Also, what have you had a hard time finding?

[jesst]

A ball python is a ball python regardless of the morph and all require the same care. I would get a thermostat to regulate the heat. Everything else looks ok. Although I would start out with a smaller tank. The smaller the better

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[Oxylepy]

A 6/12 qt, 28qt, or 40qt tub, heat tape, thermostat, water bowl, a couple hides that snuggly fit the snake, some packing paper (unprinted newspaper), a drill/heated screwdriver, some heat tape and wiring, some aluminum tape, and your choice of ways to hold the lid down.

Anyway, make sure your hides are tight. Flower pot bases are good. For very young snakes in oversided enclosures with substrate I've also used dinner plates, they'll push substrate to size the hide to themselves and it has minimal vertical height, so they feel snug in a hide many times their size.

[snakebox]

Oxylepy, that's some great advice, thank you! I am a little confused on how to use a dinner plate as a hiding spot-- how can the snake get in and out? With the drill?

The tip about oversized hides--thank you so much!

This community is awesome

[Oxylepy]

Okay here're how it works: The plate is upside down on substrate. They burrow around the edge of the plate (I usually poke a starting hole with my finger). Then because the plate is huge compared to them, they will end up pushing substrate around to compensate. This leads to a cavity for a hide that is perfectly sized for them, with substrate and plate making the walls and ceiling.

The only reason the oversized hide works here is that it's not very tall, allowing security. A vertical oversized hide will diminish security.

In general, a hide that the snake can fill in fully is perfect, to the point that it's form fitting.

The drill is for holes in the plastic tub. The first paragraph is just an absolute basic setup without a rack, and not far off from a single tub rack. The initially listed tubs are determined by the the size of the snake (6 or 12 for a baby, 28 for a juvenile/small adult male, 40 for a very large male/adult female) and often when is used for a rack setup.

The second paragraph is actually in regards to your situation. Most people will tell you a large enclosure is a problem, honestly I've never had an issue with it, you just need very secure and tight hides for the snake to feel comfortable. But some people say, even with good hides, an oversized enclosure is a problem.

Anyway, I like the dinner plates and flower pot bases because they are heavy enough to generate a sense of security and don't have much height to them, making for a fairly snug hide on wood shavings. On newspaper you wouldn't be able to use an oversized hide with the same degree of success

[idomskt]

Big enclosure is a problem? How? In what way? In the nature they are free without any cage...

[danielwilu2525]

Big enclosure is a problem? How? In what way? In the nature they are free without any cage...

In the wild, snakes don't really move GREAT distances. When they aren't hungry or thirsty, they spend they're time hiding somewhere. Once they are hungry or thirsty, they go and find it and go straight back to the hiding place. What I'm trying to say is that a baby snake in a large enclosure could feel really stressed out. The small cage serves as that "hiding spot". However, the food and water is already provided. This is the best I could explain it. Any experts can correct me if I'm wrong

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[Craiga 01453]

My advice would be to make sure you have everything in place and up and running PRIOR to bringing your snake home. Make sure your temps are dialed in (hot side/cool side/ambient/surface temps in hides, etc...) and your humidity is in range.

I would add a temp gun to your shopping list and make sure BOTH of your heating elements are regulated on a Stat.
Also, don't waste your money on a cheap stick-on dial thermometer/hygrometer. They are useless and could be off 10 degrees in either direction. Buy yourself a decent thermometer/hygrmoter combo with probes at Walmart. Cheaper in the long run (still prob less than $20)

...and a 30+ gallon is too big for a juvenile.

I have a question: Why would the price of the snake in any way affect the care of the snake?

[Neal]

Hey all! I'm working on a list of everything I need to care for a piebald python, and I'd love your feedback on what I've got so far.

1. 30+ gallon enclosure
2. Substrate (wood chips [not cedar], coconut fibers, paper towels, etc.)
3. Large, hard to tip water bowl
4. Hiding places (logs, etc.)
5. Heat lamp, to be placed on one side of the tank, if you guys could tell me the temperature that would be awesome.
6. Reptile tank thermometer with a humidity detector.
7. Spray/mister bottle for humidity
8. Frozen mice, to be warmed up in hot water.
9. Thermostat to control heat (thank you jeest)

I'd love some tips as I get started. Thank you so much! Also, what have you had a hard time finding?

Most of the info can be found in a sticky thread, but I just wanted to give you advice for the spray/mister. If you go to walmart, you can get one of those pump sprayers for literally like $5. I use that to mist everything as it makes the job much easier and does a way better job.

[dboeren]

I don't think you explicitly stated the size of your snake? Either that or I somehow missed it.

Most things have already been covered, but one small thing I'd add. Make sure something in the tank has at least mildly rough texture. It can be a hide log, the bedding, whatever. It's helpful when they shed to have something to rub against rather than a 100% smooth tank composed of all glass, rounded plastic/ceramic, and newspaper.