Getting my first BP. Habitat questions.

[Joci]

All of this being said, ball pythons won't drop dead if your husbandry is off by a small margin for a short time. Yes, you should do your research before even considering buying one, but they aren't very delicate snakes.

Handling should be kept to a minimum while the snake is adjusting to it's new home, but I have friends who take their adult bp out for a couple hours on some days. I personally only have two days a week to handle my baby bp, (I have to wait two day after feeding, then I handle him, then I have to wait the day before feeding again) so I handle him then. I of course put him back when he begins giving me the "Ma! Put me back!" signals lol.


I would definitely not buy any starter kits. Period. You will end up spending more money replacing the low quality equipment, and some of the things commonly seen in kits are dangerous to snakes. Side note: They lie when they say, "snakes are inexpensive to care for" If you want a bp, then you will end up spending more money than you think!

The kit you linked excluded some things, and had a couple things that aren't the best for ball pythons. For starters, the thermometer is analog and stick-on. If you don't know already,never put anything sticky in with a snake! There are several horror stories on this forum involving snakes and tape. This is why you should find a digital thermometer, it will actually be accurate and it won't be a danger to your noodle.

The second thing is that the bedding that is included is apsen. Aspen is notorious for not keeping humidity, which your bp will need, 50-70% to be exact. Most people on this forum use Reptichip, coconut substrate, or orchid bark. Speaking of humidity, the kit you linkeddoesn't have a hydrometer. This means you won't be able to monitor the humidity, which is something you will definitely need to do!!

Another thing I notice is that the kit doesn't seem to include an under tank heater. This in combination with some sort of ambient heating (ex. a ceramic heat emitter) is crucial. When they eat, snakes need belly heat to digest their food. Without this belly heat, the snake might not be able to digest it's meal, resulting in a damaging regurg.

This brings me to my last point. The kit doesn't include a thermostat. Thermostats are one of the most important pieces of equipment you can own. MissterDog mentioned the JumpStart thermostat, which is what I use.

If after all this you still want a bp, then I would say you should do as much research as you can, study this forum, and have fun preparing for your new beep!