New Cage Setup!!

[beer12]

my new cage setup all it use t b was a den water bowl and log now its pimp n shes always out around the alavera plant


http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cagexa9.jpg

[SatanicIntention]

That would be nice for a desert dwelling reptile, but Ball Pythons aren't from there. She will crush those plants and I can't see how the spikes on the Aloe Vera are safe for her. Live plants do not do well with heavy-bodied snakes.

She definitely needs another hide on the other side. Does that digital thermometer have a probe so you can measure the other side?

I would take out the plants and give her another hide and see how that goes.

[zx92027xz]

i cringed at that comment...

im not near as experienced as him, BUT!!!

i would agree with the words, not so much the delivery. haha

seemed a little harsh.




definatly might want to think about that aloe vera plant...

i dont know about that bedding though, i dont see why itd be a problem... is it the bed a beast stuff? i used that for my tarantula back in the day... not on snakes though.

correct me if im wrong but i think the only BIG problem would be the plant with the spikes.

a hide and a waterbowl may seem boring... but look at the rack systems most breeders keep... its nothing fancy, the key is good environment and good sanitation.

[jwarriner]

Ball Pythons need at least two hides (one on each side of the gradient), a water dish and a proper substrate. Anything else you ad is for you, not your snake.

[kc261]

Ball Pythons need at least two hides (one on each side of the gradient), a water dish and a proper substrate. Anything else you ad is for you, not your snake.

I don't think that's exactly true? I agree that the thorns are potentially dangerous to the BP, not to mention that the live plants are likely to get destroyed by a heavy bodied snake rather quickly. The OP definitely needs to get a second hide in there. Meet the basic needs first. But I think some of the "decorations" that get added to tanks can have benefits for the snake as well as looking nice, so they aren't only for the humans.

There are lots of threads to be found around here about how adding crumpled up newspaper can help a snake feel more secure. It definitely seems to have helped my baby girl! Doesn't look very attractive though.

An alternative that I want to try that I think will help with the snake feeling secure as well as looking pretty is to add one of those artificial plant garland vine like things they sell at craft stores. I plan to basically loop it around the open spaces on the floor of the cage and I think she'll be able to slither in-between and under some of the leaves. Right at the moment I'm going with the "don't fix what isn't broken" theory until I get a larger number of successful feedings in a row, so I'm sticking with the crumpled newspaper for the time being.

Plus I've seen quite a few postings about how their snake seems to like to climb a little bit. My girl has a piece of grapevine that she climbs on and under. There is one particular place on it that she likes to perch like a tree python. It seems like it provides exercise and perhaps some mental stimulation.

[SatanicIntention]

i cringed at that comment...

im not near as experienced as him, BUT!!!

i would agree with the words, not so much the delivery. haha

seemed a little harsh.

What are you talking about? That was a straight-forward, no-nonsense comment about his very inappropriate enclosure. I didn't say "GAWD That cage looks like crap, change it before your snake dies!" Did I? Nope.. I'm an RVT, I don't mess around, I don't sugar-coat things, and I come across in a matter-of-fact kind of way. It's the internet, you can't really have voice inflection on an internet forum like you can in person. I am always polite about things unless the person blatantly disregards my advice and does something stupid or dangerous.

Oh, and I'm female..

[Mindibun]

What does it matter that you're female? Anyway, regardless of whether or not you're no-nonsense, you should still take people's feelings into consideration, and since you obviously realize that voice inflection doesnt come across the intarwebs, you should be especially mindful.

I just hate when people are unnecessarily harsh. That said,

Plants, in my opinion are great. They provide, as someone said, mental stimulation and are "aesthetically pleasing" (that's such a corny phrase). But spikey plants ... eh, not so much. I dont think it matters if the plant gets crushed, but it should matter that it's a potential hazard. Switch it out for something like Devil's ivy. It grows like mad, so it'll look fancy and will continue to grow if the snake squishes it, plus it's got big heart-shaped leaves so it provides a sense of security, AND it's cheap and safe. I have a devil's ivy plant in my living room and my snakes constantly go for it. They love to tangle themselves up in the foliage.

Wow, I think I actually sound educated tonight. Must be this long-a** essay on postmodernism and totalization of history that I'm reading. *hangs self* -lol-

[Mindibun]

Edit: You said you were female because the second post called you male. My bad, holmes.

[SatanicIntention]

Wow.. I get jumped on wherever I go now.. How pleasant.. Makes me not want to participate much anymore.

Excuse me if I was taught by strict Veterinarians/Vet Techs. It's habit, and one I can't easily break(if I wanted to). How in the world can someone just insinuate that you are using a particular type of voice inflection in your post, when you're not?

I explained in my post that his setup was not ideal and I said why. I didn't gripe at him or give him bad rep or call his momma and say that he needs to find another home for his snake. He's not a young kid, I'm sure he can handle it.

All I did was state facts in a calm manner.. I don't see how that can be confused with yelling, screaming or causing a scene..

[MPenn]

Wow.. I get jumped on wherever I go now.. How pleasant.. Makes me not want to participate much anymore.

I am beginning to feel the same way.




The only thing that I would add to what everyone else is saying is that it is not necessary to have another hide in that enclosure. You have a visual barrier on the sides of the aquarium and that in itself will make your ball feel more secure.