Hello all-

You were all so helpful when we got our first ball python yearling last year. We'd set up the glass tank following the sticky instructions at the top of the forum, with 11" flexwatt and a ranco Tstat on the warm side, and a zoomed UTH and rheostat on the cool side.

Well, Bambi has been eating and shedding very well, and has grown from 2.5 feet to 4.5 feet and can't even fit in her hides any more! They end up perched on top of her like a turtle's shell- pretty funny, but I guess she doesn't think so. I made some bigger hides but there will no room for anything else in the tank if I put them in now.

I've been building a new wood cage for her following The Herper's Toolbox instructions and Blue Apple Paste's also. It's 36" x 18" x 14" high. It will have vents at the top of each end that can be covered if humidity is too low.

My questions are....
1. How much flexwatt would be okay? The room she is kept in is usually around 72 degrees. Will my old flexwatt (12" x 11") and zoomed UTH setup be sufficient for this new cage? (They will be inside the cage, on the floor, with a full sheet of vinyl flooring over). Or will I need more flexwatt? I was hoping that the wood cage would be easier to keep heated than the glass tank.

2. I don't want to go out and buy a new Tstat just to regulate temps until we get the snake moved to her new digs. Could we use a heat pack and just keep her in a small tub for a day until everything is stabilized?

Thanks in advance!