First-Time Snake Owner, Considering A Ball Python

[Dagger311]

I just bought:

The used 20gal long tank I mentioned.
A bag of cypress mulch (I can always get Aspen instead and use the mulch for gardening if I go for the kingsnake).
A 10-20 gal UTH (the 20-30 looked too big to me).
150 watt lamp for heat bulbs or CHEs.
75 watt incandescent bulb.
A half log hide.
A big water bowl (big enough for either snake to soak in, and it'd help raise humidity for a BP).

I still need:
A thermostat for the UTH.
A dimmer for the light if I use it.
Various supplies for cleaning the cage.

Anything I'm missing (besides the snake )?

[Craiga 01453]

I just bought:

The used 20gal long tank I mentioned.
A bag of cypress mulch (I can always get Aspen instead and use the mulch for gardening if I go for the kingsnake).
A 10-20 gal UTH (the 20-30 looked too big to me).
150 watt lamp for heat bulbs or CHEs.
75 watt incandescent bulb.
A half log hide.
A big water bowl (big enough for either snake to soak in, and it'd help raise humidity for a BP).

I still need:
A thermostat for the UTH.
A dimmer for the light if I use it.
Various supplies for cleaning the cage.

Anything I'm missing (besides the snake )?

If you still can, I would return the half log hide and choose one with only one opening. Snakes prefer as much privacy as possible and the half logs are way too wide open. Some of the rock or cave looking ones work best if you want something natural looking, or the reptile basics are extremely popular with members on this forum. Also, grab two of them, one for the warm side and one for the cool side.

[Zincubus]

I just bought:

The used 20gal long tank I mentioned.
A bag of cypress mulch (I can always get Aspen instead and use the mulch for gardening if I go for the kingsnake).
A 10-20 gal UTH (the 20-30 looked too big to me).
150 watt lamp for heat bulbs or CHEs.
75 watt incandescent bulb.
A half log hide.
A big water bowl (big enough for either snake to soak in, and it'd help raise humidity for a BP).

I still need:
A thermostat for the UTH.
A dimmer for the light if I use it.
Various supplies for cleaning the cage.

Anything I'm missing (besides the snake )?

A couple of thermometers with wired probes ( not a useless stick-on thermometer ) plus a Digital Temp gun ( eBay / Amazon for 10 dollars ) .


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[Zincubus]

A couple of thermometers with wired probes ( not a useless stick-on thermometer ) plus a Digital Temp gun ( eBay / Amazon for 10 dollars ) .


Oh and some branches from the nearby woods/ forest ...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Dagger311]

If you still can, I would return the half log hide and choose one with only one opening. Snakes prefer as much privacy as possible and the half logs are way too wide open. Some of the rock or cave looking ones work best if you want something natural looking, or the reptile basics are extremely popular with members on this forum. Also, grab two of them, one for the warm side and one for the cool side.

I was gonna back it into the corner so that one end of it is against the glass that's going to be by the wall (Hard to describe, but it wouldn't be open on both ends).

I actually meant to buy a second hide, probably like a small cave. Put the log on the cool side and the cave on the hot side, maybe with some moss in there for humidity?

A couple of thermometers with wired probes ( not a useless stick-on thermometer ) plus a Digital Temp gun ( eBay / Amazon for 10 dollars ) .

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I have one of the probe thermometers already. I need two? And what's the gun for?

Also, the heat pad is only 7 watts, which seems really low compared to the bulb. Is that normal?

[ferrislongdog]

I just bought:

The used 20gal long tank I mentioned.
A bag of cypress mulch (I can always get Aspen instead and use the mulch for gardening if I go for the kingsnake).
A 10-20 gal UTH (the 20-30 looked too big to me).
150 watt lamp for heat bulbs or CHEs.
75 watt incandescent bulb.
A half log hide.
A big water bowl (big enough for either snake to soak in, and it'd help raise humidity for a BP).

I still need:
A thermostat for the UTH.
A dimmer for the light if I use it.
Various supplies for cleaning the cage.

Anything I'm missing (besides the snake )?

I second the suggestion of another hide. You can make the half log secure by covering the back with a plant and part of the opening, I've had two logs the whole time I've had my nope rope. I just make it so you can't see inside unless you REALLY look and even then only see a little tiny part of his body. However, I only stuck with the logs because I know BPs like a small secure hide, and the alternative natural-looking ones were MASSIVE when I first got him at 100g.

Maybe also buy some plants? If you do go with the BP especially, they like to feel hidden when they move from hide to hide, which is huge when it comes to them getting accustomed upon arrival and ready to take food. BP's are picky as heck and won't eat unless they feel safe enough to. I'd keep in mind their picky nature. Plants you could get from a pet store in the fish decor area for cheaper with way more color options (at least where I shop lol). Or try fake plants from a hobby store (watch for wires), maybe get a bushy vine online? Make it pretty! Decorating my tank is my absolute favorite thing to do!

I also second branches. My BP perches on his almost every feeding day even though he struck at his rat last time and fell off into his water dish. Still ate his meal at least! If you use ones from outside, look up ways to sanitize them first!

Depending on which snake, the 75 watt miiiight be too much? In my insulated 40 gal it makes ambient a little too high depending on the season, I only use my 75watt for winter nighttime. Go ahead and pick up an infrared thermometer, it makes life so easy, is cheap, and will help you get your temps spot-on! It may take a couple tries to get the temps stable, it took me some trial and error before I got my nope rope. Glass tanks can be a pain to retain temps and humidity, but there are easy fixes to do it. Foam backing from Exo-terra, corkboard, cover the screen with foil or plexiglass, etc.

CHE's you normally shouldn't use with a normal hooded lamp fixture? I could be wrong, but I think the heat it emits builds up way too much and will be a little unsafe. There are wire cages for them available. Again, I could be wrong.

[Lizardlicks]

Yeah, heat pad will draw much less energy to heat up. also agree to get a more fully enclosed hide. The half logs are better used as tunnels for the snake to move around the enclosure in.

Oh and some branches from the nearby woods/ forest ...

You will need to cure anything you bring in from outside to make sure you're not introducing pests, parasites or diseases if you're going to put it in your snake's enclosure.

[Dagger311]

I second the suggestion of another hide. You can make the half log secure by covering the back with a plant and part of the opening, I've had two logs the whole time I've had my nope rope. I just make it so you can't see inside unless you REALLY look and even then only see a little tiny part of his body. However, I only stuck with the logs because I know BPs like a small secure hide, and the alternative natural-looking ones were MASSIVE when I first got him at 100g.

Maybe also buy some plants? If you do go with the BP especially, they like to feel hidden when they move from hide to hide, which is huge when it comes to them getting accustomed upon arrival and ready to take food. BP's are picky as heck and won't eat unless they feel safe enough to. I'd keep in mind their picky nature. Plants you could get from a pet store in the fish decor area for cheaper with way more color options (at least where I shop lol). Or try fake plants from a hobby store (watch for wires), maybe get a bushy vine online? Make it pretty! Decorating my tank is my absolute favorite thing to do!

I also second branches. My BP perches on his almost every feeding day even though he struck at his rat last time and fell off into his water dish. Still ate his meal at least! If you use ones from outside, look up ways to sanitize them first!

Depending on which snake, the 75 watt miiiight be too much? In my insulated 40 gal it makes ambient a little too high depending on the season, I only use my 75watt for winter nighttime. Go ahead and pick up an infrared thermometer, it makes life so easy, is cheap, and will help you get your temps spot-on! It may take a couple tries to get the temps stable, it took me some trial and error before I got my nope rope. Glass tanks can be a pain to retain temps and humidity, but there are easy fixes to do it. Foam backing from Exo-terra, corkboard, cover the screen with foil or plexiglass, etc.

CHE's you normally shouldn't use with a normal hooded lamp fixture? I could be wrong, but I think the heat it emits builds up way too much and will be a little unsafe. There are wire cages for them available. Again, I could be wrong.

Decorations, good idea.

I can always get a less powerful bulb, or just run the UTH. I turn the light off at night, right? Will the UTH be enough at night?

[Dagger311]

Yeah, heat pad will draw much less energy to heat up. also agree to get a more fully enclosed hide. The half logs are better used as tunnels for the snake to move around the enclosure in.



You will need to cure anything you bring in from outside to make sure you're not introducing pests, parasites or diseases if you're going to put it in your snake's enclosure.

I'll pick up a cave to go on the hot end, and put the water bowl kind of in front of the log to make it more secure, and use that as the cold hide. How's that?

[Lizardlicks]

The only stumbling block there is that if the hides are different, the snake may choose to occupy which ever one it feels more secure in over anything else, and it will fail to thermoregulate properly. It's preferable to have both hides the same type and size so they don't develop that kind of preference.