starting fresh!

[otniel01]

well, ive had my snake for almost 3 months now and all ive used is my infrared bulb to heat and one hide, but im buying tons of new stuff this weekend for my snake

could someone make a list of EVERYTHING i will need to properly care for my snake and how much it will cost

thanks in advance!!

[giaach]

Another Hide for the cooler side - 10$
Under Tank Heater (UTH) for the size tank you have - 20-30$
Thermostat try the ReptiTemp 500R - 17$ at Petco
Digital Thermometer w/ probe - 10$

Those are the basic essentials. You should also get a hydrometer to measure the humidity. Costs about 4$

Total: Around 65$ give or take
There are a lot of forums in here that also have lists and prices.

[Bright202]

spend a little bit more and buy a herpstat. Those things are AMAZING!

[giaach]

spend a little bit more and buy a herpstat. Those things are AMAZING!

More like a lot more. I was thinking of getting one because there so good, but they start at 100$ and go up from there. I decided to hold off on that till I get a bigger tank. The only thing that sucks about the Repti one is that you gotta tweek it until its just right...

[otniel01]

how do u hook the thermostat up to the heating pad?

[giaach]

The thermostat has 2 plugs that you plug in the light and heat pad in. And then the thermostat has a plug that you run to an outlet. Just make sure you put the probe from the thermometer next to the probe for the thermostat that way you get an accurate reading/setting.

[otniel01]

well, my local petco carries electric thermometers but ive never seen thermostats there, they also do have heat pads...and now that ill have a heat pad, do i need any type of heat lamp?

[NickP]

Get the thermometers from wallmart or kmart. I have one with probe which was about 10 bucks maybe less.

I also got a digital temp/humidity gauge which reads the other side's temp.

2 thermostats which make sure temps don't get too hot. 1 for warmer, the other for cooler. OR what you can do is instead of spending 50-70 on 2 thermostats, get 1 $60-80 good one and get another dimmer. Then you plug your warmer side's UTH into the thermostat and set it to 93, and plug the other side's UTH and dim it down to 83. That way one thermostat takes care of both sides accurately.

[juddb]

The thermostat has 2 plugs that you plug in the light and heat pad in. And then the thermostat has a plug that you run to an outlet. Just make sure you put the probe from the thermometer next to the probe for the thermostat that way you get an accurate reading/setting.

Two completely different heat sources on one tstat is a bad idea. Now if was two racks with the same flexwatt than thats cool but a lamp and heat pad is not a good idea to plug into the same tstat. Just letting you know. Good luck.

[littleindiangirl]

Before you go out and end up buying a bunch of crap, make sure you read up on all the caresheets pertaining to ball pythons. The husbandry set up is the MOST IMPORTANT part for keeping any reptile. Read over this caresheet from BP.net, then check out NERD's website, and also VPI. All of them are basically the same, but each one has different styles to them. It's important to do the footwork yourself before you jump into putting tons of money into this tank.

I myself went and spent close to 200$ the first time I set up my first BP's tank. We now have everyone (14) in a tub, and it's great.

Once you have an idea of the BASIC's for the husbandry, go out and buy what the bp needs to be as stress free as possible. I always recommend buying a quality thermostat. I believe Helix's start around 120$, but you can just "set it an forget it" (not really, you should always monitor the temps daily) It will be the last thermostat you need. Dont waste your money on a cheapo thermostat, they fluctuate and can die, which will make our uth go haywire and you could lose an animal. Quality thermostats are a must.
You should have the tank set up a week in advance to make sure you have everything hammered out.

2 identical hides, one on each end, water dish, a substrate that keeps the humidity to par, and good uth or flexwatt, a thermometer/hygrometer (Accurite at walmart for 12$) with probe, and a quality thermostat. Those are the basics.