New to pet snakes, any veteran advice?

[Sunnieskys]

I agree. Reading this thread more research is in order. These are very common issues that have very common answers. While I applaud you asking there are also stickies as well. I would wait a while. Just my opinion of course.

[bcr229]

Buy cheap and you'll get cheap. If you think a tstat is expensive you don't want to see the bill from a title get to treat a burn from a cheap tstat.

I think he meant "exotic vet". I took in a burned snake (rescue) a few months back, vet bill was $300. A decent thermostat is $50-60.

[MixMiner66]

i'm going to check them out, but right now most of the evidence is pointing towards the Californian king snake

[MixMiner66]

You may need a lamp depending on your living conditions. You have much reading to do. All the info is here for you.

Start here.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ius)-Caresheet

Basically, I have done enough research on everything other than thermostats and that was only because I have never even heard a website mention one before. The problem is that most of the stuff i'm reading is contradicting other research.

[MixMiner66]

I agree. Reading this thread more research is in order. These are very common issues that have very common answers. While I applaud you asking there are also stickies as well. I would wait a while. Just my opinion of course.

Thanks, but as I said before, I have researched everything except thermostats, and that was because on all of the numerous websites I had been looking at, not one ever mentioned one. The other main reason for this thread is because ALL of the information I have read has contradicted something else, but the same is true here. I really just need to know if I can keep a corn snake or a ball python in a twenty gallon tank, because so far it's about 50/50 on who says yes and no.

P.S: A couple posts ago somebody said that the second hide wasn't just for show and I know that, but only a small portion of the websites I have looked at actually agree that it is necessary and especially since I am on a budget, I will have to skip it.

[artgecko]

For a 20gl long (make sure it is the "long" version that is longer and not taller), I'd suggest looking at a female Kenyan sand boa. They get about 3' (males are much smaller), are good eaters, don't have picky humidity requirements, etc. They don't even really need hides (they bury themselves in the substrate). It is still great to provide them with options...rocks, climbing branches, etc. but they stay buried most of the time. If you want a snake to watch, then a male king snake will be more visible and active during the day. KSB are easy to handle though and a solid beginner option. If you go with the king, a hide on both the warm and cool end will be needed.

I agree with the poster about about the Accurite thermometer... It is a good choice. A deacent thermostat that doesn't cost a ton, which I have used in the past, is the hydrofarm. It is an "on/off" type thermostat, but seems to work pretty well. I LOVE my herpstats though and think they are the best / safest on the market...They cost a good bit of $$, but are worth it in the long run.

If you are using a glass aquarium, make sure you get a heavy duty mesh top and very good locks / spring locks to keep it on the tank. Many snakes have managed to escape via loose screen tops and a king snake will be an avid climber and probably a good escape artist. Luggage straps may also be a good option to help secure the top of the tank.

Holding proper heat may be difficult and you will need to cover 3 of the sides of the aquarium..it may help to use some form of insulation board for this. If your room temps drop too low (check the care sheet for whatever species you go with), then a heat lamp (I prefer ceramic heat emitters to leave on 24/7) may be in order.

[MixMiner66]

I think he meant "exotic vet". I took in a burned snake (rescue) a few months back, vet bill was $300. A decent thermostat is $50-60.

Ok, so you agree with him that I should go for a pretty expensive thermostat? There's an intro level one on that website for $99, do you think that that would work?

[MixMiner66]

For a 20gl long (make sure it is the "long" version that is longer and not taller), I'd suggest looking at a female Kenyan sand boa. They get about 3' (males are much smaller), are good eaters, don't have picky humidity requirements, etc. They don't even really need hides (they bury themselves in the substrate). It is still great to provide them with options...rocks, climbing branches, etc. but they stay buried most of the time. If you want a snake to watch, then a male king snake will be more visible and active during the day. KSB are easy to handle though and a solid beginner option. If you go with the king, a hide on both the warm and cool end will be needed.

I agree with the poster about about the Accurite thermometer... It is a good choice. A deacent thermostat that doesn't cost a ton, which I have used in the past, is the hydrofarm. It is an "on/off" type thermostat, but seems to work pretty well. I LOVE my herpstats though and think they are the best / safest on the market...They cost a good bit of $$, but are worth it in the long run.

If you are using a glass aquarium, make sure you get a heavy duty mesh top and very good locks / spring locks to keep it on the tank. Many snakes have managed to escape via loose screen tops and a king snake will be an avid climber and probably a good escape artist. Luggage straps may also be a good option to help secure the top of the tank.

Holding proper heat may be difficult and you will need to cover 3 of the sides of the aquarium..it may help to use some form of insulation board for this. If your room temps drop too low (check the care sheet for whatever species you go with), then a heat lamp (I prefer ceramic heat emitters to leave on 24/7) may be in order.

Wow. Thanks, that's almost everything that I needed in a single post. Thank you, I'll keep it in mind. Also, I live in Alabama so the under tank heater should probably be enough, right?

[bcr229]

Ok, so you agree with him that I should go for a pretty expensive thermostat? There's an intro level one on that website for $99, do you think that that would work?

Dang, they've gone up. If you're talking about the Herpstat Intro then yes that will be fine.

If you're in Alabama then a UTH that is regulated by a decent thermostat will suffice for a king snake, unless you crank your home A/C down below 70*F.

Definitely make sure the screen top is well-secured, those little clips aren't enough and eventually will fail and go flying across the room when your snake puts enough pressure on the lid. King snakes are escape artists.

[ladywhipple02]

Another less expensive option for a thermostat is this: https://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-Contro...ile+thermostat

You always get what you pay for, of course, but this is an option until you can get a better model. Just make sure you pay attention to your temps and get that accurite thermometer. But I know quite a few people that have used this option for a single snake setup.