Hi! First snake! Making it cheap?

[dr del]

Hi,

Ball pythons have no use for uv lighting at all as far as I have ever heard. Being nocturnal they don't have any specific lighting needs so your natural day/night cycle in the room would probably be fine. Also incandecent bulbs can really mess with humidity and, if you stick with a glass tank, that could be a big enough pain as it is.

For heating I would invest your money in good under tank heaters and a quality thermostat to control it as the main priority. It should be noted you need a good digital thermometer to make sure you are getting it right as well so look for one with humidity and a probe if you can.

Getting the temperatures controlled in a safe and reliable way is probably the single most important thing to focus on.

I think a lot of our Canadian members use beanfarm for supplies? Anyone want to share good links and specific item info here?

I'm sure the person in the shop will hate me for sayng this but a lot of the equipment needed can be found elsewhere at a fraction of the cost with a little imagination - upturned bowls with holes melted in them can be excellent hides and can be found for pennies in stores.

Do a couple of searches on the forums for hides and waterbowls and see what takes your fancy.

As for the price of the animal itself then I have no clue but would recomend checking out Markus Jayne as an excellent source of information and for some stunning pictures too. There don't seem to be any listed on his site at the moment but I would still recomend sending him an email to ask if he expects anything to become available in the near fututre as websites are not always updated as a priority.

If your budget is restricted ( p.s. we dont like the word "cheap" because of the negative connotations ) then you might want to think about using a tub (have a search for pictures and tips) instead of the glass tank. Tubs also make keeping the humidity right a lot easier .

You should also avoid the temptation to give it too much space without thinking of how the snake will feel secure in it - what size was the pastel you were looking at in the shop?

And, again, major kudos for planning all this ahead of time - getting the tank set up and running for a week before the anaimal is due to arrive should set you up in great stead for the future 30 years.

**edit**

LOL - I took so long writing the post Becky had it covered in a far better way.

If you move him to a tank you could always cover the back and sides (this can help keep the heat in anyway) with aquarium backing then add insulation.

**end edit**


dr del