going to buy cage

[exoticz]

Im goin to buy my cage tommrow and i would really apperciate the check list of everything that i need to buy. I kno some of the stuff and i did the research and its not like im just going to buy a bp and didnt do my homework. I just need some advice.
I also wanted to kno if i use bark right away if it will work.

I also am planning on buying a 30gal tank.

[sg1trogdor]

well if you use doug fir then it should be ok but i like shredded aspen its the best and easiest to clean also make sure you buy atleast 2 nice hides for a tank that large. and depending on where you live a 50watt bulb should be more that enough i only have a 50 and a 75 for my 75 gal tank they work fine. make sure you have a water dish and a soaking bowl (just large enough for the snake to coil up in and thats about it they are a really easy pet to take care of once you have your set up. at first your goin to be struggling with temps and humidity (atleast i did) and buy a zoomed thermostat its the best investment for your snake. other than that just make sure you dont go to petco for you snake in my personal experience they dont take care and i know for a fact that many of there snake die in the store due to neglegence. poor snakes.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

First you need to know that BP do better in smaller enclosure and that your enclosure should grow with your BP a 30 gallons will be fine for an adult however it will likely stress a younger BP.

For glass enclosure use the rule of thumb the enclosure should be 2/3 of the length of your Ball Python.

For plastic tubs
Baby – 15 Quarts (17"L x 11 1/8"W x 6 3/8"H)
Sub Adult – 32 Quarts (23 1/2"L x 16 1/4"W x 6 3/8"H)
Adult – 41 Quarts (34 3/4"L x 16 1/2"W x 6"H)

1 good thermostat to provide proper temps and avoid over-heating
1 UTH Under tank heater to provide belly heat
1 water dish, does not have to be big enough for soaking as a healthy BP rarely soak
2 tight identical hides, with all the sides touching your BP's body (avoid log hides)
1 Thermometer/hydrometer such as this can be found at walmart for 12$/13$ and it will give you a reading for the temps on both sides as well as the humidity level. (Stick and dial sold in pet store are not accurate)

[tigerlily]

I’d really like to recommend you get your setup running BEFORE you purchase the actual snake. It can take quite a while to get temperatures and humidity in the right range and stable. Here’s a basic checklist…

-Two small identical hides (not a half log, but something dark and cave like)
-Water dish
-Bedding (options vary here from newspaper to aspen – I have never used the reptibark)
-Under tank heater
-Thermostat (to control temps)
-Digital thermometer (to measure them) and please do not buy those dials or strips. You can go Walmart/Target/Lowes etc. and get a indoor/outdoor thermometer that will work great.
-Tub or Tank. The smaller the better for babies, and upgrade the caging as the snake grows.


Here's a link to our caresheet as well... http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules....warticle&id=59

[exoticz]

Oh yes i wont buy the snake untill i have the tempeture and humdity levels right.

I went and bought all my stuff what i purchased was
- 29 gal tank long
- two hide boxes
- water dish
- aspen
- two thermometers
- one hygrometer
- heating pad

and i have another question i want to feed my BP in a rubermaid container but what size do i get?
also could i start with aspen then switch if i dont like it or will it cause to much stress

[tigerlily]

Please tell me the thermometers and hygrometer are digital.

Is there any specific reason you are choosing to feed in a separate container? I started out feeding in a separate container, but found that my bp did not eat well. Now I feed all 6 in their enclosures with great success. (not that you can't have success with the feeding box, but it's just not as common)

Yes, you can switch from aspen to another substrate, but you may have to contend with some stress. I switched to aspen to newspaper with no problems, but all snakes are individuals and can react differently.

[exoticz]

One more question can i set the cage by a window?

this is what my thermometer and hygrometer look like this



its the fluckers kind it just sticks on the side and its not digital!

I also got the heating pad and it is teh rainforest medium exo terra

One more question, what do you recomend aspen or repti bark. Sorry 2 questions, is moss save for the hide box

[Stewart_Reptiles]

its the fluckers kind it just sticks on the side and its not digital!

Those will not give you an accurate reading, and you need to know what your temps ared and it need to be accurate same for humidity , I would recommend you to get the one I listed above, only need 1 and it will measure both temps and humidity level

One more question can i set the cage by a window?

In the winter if the window is not well insulated your tank will get cooler and during the summer with the sun it will likely get too hot

what do you recomend aspen or repti bark

In a glass tank Repti-Bark because it will hold humidity better then aspen

[exoticz]

where did you purchase that one pictured above?

[Flagg]

Walmart sells the best digital thermometer with probe, the one with the humidity gauge included. and 2 temps all shown on screen at once.

It's usually 11.88 in the hardware dept.

Stick the probe on the hot side just on top of or under the substrate and the unit itself on the cool side at substrate level, That way it measures both hot and cold sides as well as humidity.