Budget friendly Ball Python cage ($60 set-up)

[Sunnieskys]

Sorry I stopped at one hide...but I'll explain why you don't need two in a second.

I love brian...he is amazing. He also keeps his rooms at 80 degrees so he doesn't need lamps. He also uses racks with heat tape.

We also have experienced breeders here who have been doing this just as long as Brian. Please listen to what they are saying. I see a lot off with your enclosure that could easily be fixed.

[MissterDog]

Are you proposing putting duct tape inside the enclosure with the snake? No matter how strong the tape is, the snake WILL find a way to get under it. This is a very, very dangerous idea that could result in injury or worse...

Expanding on this. OP you claim "It's not dangerous" and it's as simple as a courtesy. I'm not sure where you heard that from, but as Starscream and others pointed out, it's more dangerous and lethal than you're giving credit.

Here are reasons why.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ight=Duct+tape

https://exoticpetvetblog.wordpress.com/tag/ball-python/

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...dying-my-fault

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...ake-is-injured

[MD_Pythons]

Whether or not the clips that hold the tub lid in place are strong enough depend on the brand and the type of clips used. I would definitely get a set of luggage straps to secure most lids, they're cheap.

Tape should never ever be used inside of an enclosure. If you have rough edges on a hide because you cut plastic with a pair of scissors, use an emery board to file them smooth, it will only take a few minutes of time and emery boards are cheap.

Yeah I'm using a Sterilite and those clips seem rather flimsy so I'm just going to get some straps just to be safe.

[Casper1999]

Thanks for your reply! I would agree with your placement of the probe ordinarily, but it really needs to be taking the temperature based on what the ball python can feel. Having it directly on the heat pad is misleading. I put the probe in the cage UNDER the hiding area. The snake moves around under the substrate, yes. But he won't go under the hiding area.

[tttaylorrr]

Thanks for your reply! I would agree with your placement of the probe ordinarily, but it really needs to be taking the temperature based on what the ball python can feel. Having it directly on the heat pad is misleading. I put the probe in the cage UNDER the hiding area. The snake moves around under the substrate, yes. But he won't go under the hiding area.

this is not correct information. what happens when the snake pushes the probe out, or pees/poops on it? what if it gets wet from a tipped water bowl? that could lead to a misreading of the temperature and cause a heat spike or drop, and that can harm your snake.

this is why the probe does not go inside the enclosure: there's far too many variables that can cause a misreading, and the consequences of that are too great for the risk.

you should be taking the temperature based on what the snake can feel, yes, so that's why you use an IR temp gun or a probed thermoMETER so you know what the temperature is. with the knowledge of the temperature the snake can feel, you adjust your thermostat accordingly.

[SDA]

Thanks for your reply! I would agree with your placement of the probe ordinarily, but it really needs to be taking the temperature based on what the ball python can feel. Having it directly on the heat pad is misleading. I put the probe in the cage UNDER the hiding area. The snake moves around under the substrate, yes. But he won't go under the hiding area.

No it needs to regulate the temperature of the heat pad, not the temperature in the enclosure. Placing a thermostat probe in the enclosure would mean you would need to heat the pad hotter than the probe reads to get it to regulate to the set temperature. Placing it on the pad means you set the thermostat to a desired temp and that probe regulates the pad based on the actual temperature not what is inside the enclosure.

You use thermometers, thermometers with probes, or best an infrared temperature gun to gauge the inside heat and you do so from the material in the enclosure, not the top of the substrate.

Thermostat = equipment to control a heating device
Thermometer = device to measure heat from a heating device.

These are important words to get right

Also this is not something debatable.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Thanks for your reply! I would agree with your placement of the probe ordinarily, but it really needs to be taking the temperature based on what the ball python can feel. Having it directly on the heat pad is misleading. I put the probe in the cage UNDER the hiding area. The snake moves around under the substrate, yes. But he won't go under the hiding area.

Again bad and dangerous advice, you are 18 and just acquired a BP, the proper way to set a tub or a tank is to have the THERMOSTAT probe directly on the heat source and adjust your setting based on the temps inside the tub.

Trying to give advice is a great thing but you might want to take a step back first and learn a little more before doing so or attempting to do a write up on proper setup.

Your write up from tape to probe placement could lead to severe issues and endanger a snake's life.

[Casper1999]

Thank you all for your responses! I appreciate the honesty. I am a new snake owner so I'm always open to criticism and ideas. I was awake most of the first night I bought my ball python, just hoping it wasn't going to die and that I had done things correctly. I'll try to address all your concerns in this reply.

First off, I do know the difference between a thermometer and a thermostat. My apologies for getting the words mixed up. It was a brain fart. Is there a way to edit my post to fix this? I'm new to this forum and don't know how.

As for probe placement, I would ordinarily agree that it shouldn't go in the cage. However, having it directly on the heat mat can be misleading. I've noticed a good difference of temperatures between the actual heat pad and the interior of the cage. Because I want the reading to be based on what Casper is actually getting on his underbelly, I placed it inside the cage. To prevent it getting knocked around, I put it under the newspaper substrate under the hiding area. The snake does burrow under the substrate, but it does not go under the hiding area under the substrate. But I'll keep watch in case he does.

Concerning the tape, I may have misled some of you. I don't have tape on the base of the enclosure. The tape that I have on the heat mat is OUTSIDE of the enclosure. The only tape inside is to patch up holes on the hiding area. I don't know why the ball python would feel the need to burrow between the tape and the hiding area. It is in very long strands pulled tight so that IF the snake wants to get under it, it'd have to bite its way through. If someone thinks this will happen, please let me know.

Some of you were concerned about lid security. I have the type of lid that has latches. I've attached a picture of an example of the type of lid I have.

The main new idea that I wanted to bring up in this post was the matter of temperature and that you may not need as much gear as you think to maintain proper temperature. I did not mean to plagiarize from other posts. I'm very new to this forum and haven't read all the posts.

Let me know if there's anything else in this post that you would consider bad advice.

Thanks,
John

- - - Updated - - -

Just saw the most recent reply on probe placement. Will fix.

[Casper1999]

https://www.google.com/search?q=rubb...7SU8T_UHm4H_M:

[SDA]

Concerning the tape, I may have misled some of you. I don't have tape on the base of the enclosure. The tape that I have on the heat mat is OUTSIDE of the enclosure. The only tape inside is to patch up holes on the hiding area. I don't know why the ball python would feel the need to burrow between the tape and the hiding area. It is in very long strands pulled tight so that IF the snake wants to get under it, it'd have to bite its way through. If someone thinks this will happen, please let me know.

Cages get wet, they get humid... humidity + tape = comes loose. Loose tape can and will find it's way onto a snake. Tape on a snake (not going to bother debating surgical tape so for this, tape is tape is tape), will lead to damage. Just google to find images and videos of snakes with skin ripped open and needing emergency surgery.

NEVER PUT TAPE INSIDE AN ENCLOSURE EVER