Had my regular ball for 1.5 months ( NEED HELP )

[Igot_A_snake]

wasnt trying to be cool.. just trying to give you an idea of what kinda tank i wanted to fit my room style..

[BMorrison]

I got my baby ball in a 40 breeder and he's tiny. Eats great! All and all everything is perfect and the 40 breeder will last him his whole life. If you're worried about humidity I take 2 small dish towels and place them on top of each other wet on each side of my heat lamp which is on the middle of the screen and temps and humidity are 100% PERFECT.

(I also use beaked moss and mist it once a day pretty good.)

[SatanicIntention]

The enclosure needs to fit the animal, not the other way around.

You wouldn't stick an Iguana in a 20 gallon tank, and expect it to thrive, would you? Just like you wouldn't stick a baby Ball Python in a 75 gallon tank that is improperly heated/humidified, without any places to hide, and expect it to thrive in that.

Baby Balls prefer small, dark, warm places and a HUGE, drafty, see-through tank doesn't provide that. They require security so they feel safe enough to thermoregulate themselves. If they don't, then they risk respiratory infections and other illnesses because of the undue stress put upon them. They need a stress-free environment(ie, small, dark, warm place) to grow and thrive.

You cannot place limitations on an animal that has strict husbandry needs. If you want a big, fancy, hard-to-take-care-of tank, then get some saltwater fish...

[SatanicIntention]

I got my baby ball in a 40 breeder and he's tiny. Eats great! All and all everything is perfect and the 40 breeder will last him his whole life. If you're worried about humidity I take 2 small dish towels and place them on top of each other wet on each side of my heat lamp which is on the middle of the screen and temps and humidity are 100% PERFECT.

(I also use beaked moss and mist it once a day pretty good.)

You know what those dish towels breed?? Lots and lots of bacteria that is being filtered down through the air and breathed in by your snake, possibly setting up a respiratory infection. Water plus heat sets up a great breeding ground for the bacteria, especially if you don't change out those towels every single day.

Get some plexiglas and cover about 3/4ths of the top, it's a much easier, permanent solution to the ongoing humidity problem when using a tank.

[Texas Dan]

wasnt trying to be cool.. just trying to give you an idea of what kinda tank i wanted to fit my room style..

I know, like I said, i'm sorry. Today has been one of these worst days at work, and I shouldn't have taken it out on someone I don't know.

I appologize.

[WaRocker]

So am I just lucky that my Ball has had no problems in his large tank? He eats fine the temp is perfect and so is the humi. Plus he chills in his hidding place untill dark then roams the tank and basks inder the ceramic heat on the "vines"??

Is it just me or am I lucky this way???

[littleindiangirl]

So am I just lucky that my Ball has had no problems in his large tank? He eats fine the temp is perfect and so is the humi. Plus he chills in his hidding place untill dark then roams the tank and basks inder the ceramic heat on the "vines"??

Is it just me or am I lucky this way???

I wouldnt say your lucky, I think you found your niche. If the husbandry is perfect, than more often then not the BP will do well.

Getting the husbandry perfect in a large tank is difficult, even for the best intentions.

It is readily known that baby BP's do extremely well in smaller enclosure compared to a large glass tank. For a youngster, security is the number one thing on their list.

We aren't making up this advice, many of us have started out in a tank and were met with shedding problems, non-feeding, and even more seriously, illness.

I hope that everyone that reads the recommendations here understand the point of view I'm trying to provide.

Why place a new keeper into a bad situation by giving them advice that is not only unpractical, but hardly met?

Stick with the tried and VERY true methods, and as they gain experience and feel comfortable with expanding their horizons, they can do that when it is still meeting the needs of the BP.

No one here is trying to put anyone down, rather help this guy get things going correctly and smoothly.

[BMorrison]

I totally agree help is the bottom line. I was just sharing what is working for me.

[West Coast Jungle]

i just went to petsmart this morning to go get some stuff for her enclosure... i got a gauges for temp and humidity... and i got 2 small waterbowls... and another hide for her... i switched it around in the cage a bit.. with a waterbowl and hide on each side of the tank.. with my lamp over the side with the smaller waterbowl, as i let the temp adjust for about 45mins.. i saw that the temp was around 90degrees... but the lamp is only on one side of tank the other side felt much colder from just feeling the glass... the humidity gauge said 65percent.. i got it to get like that because i wet a washcloth and folded it in half and just laid it on top of the screen on top of cage... so when she is done shedding i will just take off washcloth and let the humidity decrease...


so far so good... :]]]

anymore advice??

Looks like you are doing much better

I would go to walmart and get a digital thermometer with a probe. You put the probe on the hot side and the unit on the cool side. It will show the hot temps as outside and the cool as inside and you can keep temps in check. They also have unite with humidity gauge. This will insure your husbandry is accurate and you snake is well

[Texas Dan]

Looks like you are doing much better

I would go to walmart and get a digital thermometer with a probe. You put the probe on the hot side and the unit on the cool side. It will show the hot temps as outside and the cool as inside and you can keep temps in check. They also have unite with humidity gauge. This will insure your husbandry is accurate and you snake is well

I would like to add a little bit to this. I would get 2 thermometers from wal mart (accurites work well) and put one probe on the hottest part of the glass and the unit on the hot side. Take the other thermometer, put the probe in the middle of the tank and the unit on the cool side.

This will give you all the temperature readings you require. Also if you don't have a thermostat. Get one.