Had my regular ball for 1.5 months ( NEED HELP )

[Igot_A_snake]

ok so me and my girlfriend purchased our first baby ball python.. she was born in captivity.. and was born in august, so she is almost 7 months old shes 19-21 inches.. we cant really get her to get straight ha any tips on figuring that out without hurting her?


anyways..
i need some ACURATE advice on the cage and equipment needed to make her environment PERFECT..
right now we have her in a 10gal tank with aspen bedding.. a small piece of drift wood that hangs over her waterbowl.. and a tree hide with 2 entry ways and 1 small entry way.

i know that the humidity in the enclosure isnt high enough.. what are some easy and effective ways to help with that situation.. as of right now untill i get her a larger tank i soaked a washcloth and laid it over the top of the tank on one half.. to get some moisture into the air... any other good ways..

i also spray the tank down lightly with a waterbottle for just a little mist in the cage..


im hoping to move her into a 50gal tank and just make the tank look like a huge jungle.. ha

[WaRocker]

Well I am not an expert but have a look see at my gallery pics of my set up. I do have a large underground heater abd the top is a ceramic heater and a side light. I have two hiding places and lots of stuff for him to climb. Oh it is a 40 gallon tank so it can last through adult I hope.

[starmom]

This is a great sticky that speaks to housing balls in tanks; lots of great information inside!! http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=56846

[wolfy-hound]

There are several good stickys/caresheets, including one on how to make a tank a good enclosure.
The basics are proper heat(safely), water, humidity, two hides(one on each end) and setting it up in a lower traffic area. Too large is bad, as is too small.
The sticky on tanks has how to cover the screen lid to keep in humidity. Tinfoil and tape, although that sounds MacGyver-ish, it works wonders.
For measuring, instead of stretching her, use a cloth measuring tape(from the fabric section of your store) and then you can run it along her body, even if she's crooked.
Hope this helped.

[littleindiangirl]

Welcome! I have to mention this...

Moving a young BP to a large tank right now may only stress her out and can lead to her going off feed.

It's a great idea to raise her in the 10 gallon for a while. BP's dont prefer large open spaces and love to hide snuggly during the day. BP's first instinctual need is to be secure.

Also, the challenge of climate control in a 50 gallon is much harder to achieve. I had a 20 gallon tank for my male (when I first got a snake) and it was pretty tough to keep the humidity and temperature in a good range. I quit messing with the tank and went to tubs.

Your already experiencing how difficult creating the perfect environment can be in a tank, so don't rush into a large 55 gallon one just yet. If you do decide to buy a large tank, remember that the larger the enclosure, the more stuff in it, is more work to maintain and clean on a regular basis.

My advice is to put off buying the large tank until you've had this snake for a few months and can read it. Get experience with a few sheds, some good meals and work your way up to a larger tank while making sure that all of the snakes needs are met before your desires.

For your humidity problem, have you tried any other substrate besides aspen? More specifically coconut fiber like bed-a-beast? I like it for a tank, it looks nice, you can tell when it's wet or dry, makes spot cleaning easy. Try putting (taping, duct tape) a few layers of foil on the screen, about 3/4's. This will raise both the ambient temps and humidity. Misting is a great way to keep humidity up, especially during the dry winter months. (Don't ever put tape inside a snake enclosure. It's a risk and can seriously harm your snake if he comes in contact)

[starmom]

You might also want to check out various reptile cages that are on the market. There are several vendors and I use this one: http://www.reptilebasics.com/2x3-Cag...h-p-16286.html. It's great for getting the display that you want and is made to hold temps and humidity really well.

[Igot_A_snake]

thanks.. i didnt even think about using the cloth ruler thing..

as far as the tank.. i think i will prlly go bigger.. but just to like maybe 35 gal and from there ill be able to meet her needs a little better.. the tank shes in now is quite small.. i can barely fit in her hide,waterbowl and drift wood.. so i have no room for another hide and waterbowl for on the colder side of the tank.. since she prlly doesnt want hot water ha..

as far as temp and humidity i didnt understand that foil thing very well...
but the cloth that i put into water then put ontop of the cage, within id say 25-45 mins.. when i lifted her cage and put my hand inside.. i could feel the difference.. pretty impressed..

[rabernet]

You're going to move a baby into a 35 gallon enclosure?

Did you read Connie's post? Large glass enclosures can be done with a lot of money invested in them and a lot of time and effort. But you're likely to have a stressed out baby that will refuse feed. How about a tub instead?

[Igot_A_snake]

but theres no way i can meet what she needs for her tank with just a 10gal tank..

[PythonWallace]

but theres no way i can meet what she needs for her tank with just a 10gal tank..

All it needs are a water bowl and 2 small hides. I have several much larger ball pythons in 12 qt tubs. They are quite a bit smaller than a 10 gallon tank, and their needs are met and they are all thriving.