tank size

[bigj539]

hey everyone. so i just picked up my new baby ball! shes a beautiful snake, and my first. the only thing is, i have her in a 40g tank. i know that is probably way to big, but it's all i have. will this have bad lasting effects, or is it just not necessarily recommended to have a baby in a larger tank. thanks for the help.

[starmom]

So, fill that tank up with a tons of hides and tons of plants and tons of wadded up newspapers. Fill it to the brim!!!!!
OR- get something much smaller for the time being.....
Can you share what else you have for the tank (UTH? T'stat? Temp/Humidity gauge? etc.....)

[missi182]

You can fill it FULL of stuff to hide in/around or you can pick up a 10 gallon tank for about $30 new. OR - you can get a tub from walmart for $8!

[bigj539]

i have it with a UTH on the hot side, and a lamp on the cool side. my temps are 90/80. i also have 2 hides, one for each side, a log, and some plants along the walls of the tank. also a water dish right in the middle.

[missi182]

i have it with a UTH on the hot side, and a lamp on the cool side. my temps are 90/80. i also have 2 hides, one for each side, a log, and some plants along the walls of the tank. also a water dish right in the middle.

Sounds good - if your bp was full grown. You need that wee one to feel secure if he/she is going to eat and behave normally, so FILL it, with plastic plants or crumpled newspaper. If you go to the dollar store you can pick up artificial vines which you can bend every which way you would like, and for a 40 gallon I would say put AT LEAST 10 vines in there. Or just crumple tonnes of newspaper balls and toss them in.

Important Side Note - UTH's uncontrolled reach over 110 dgrees, and therefor require a control such as a rheostat (a lamp dimmer basically) or a thermostat as well as a digital surface temperature guage. A digital thermometer/hygrometer combo can be purchased at wal-mart for $10 and thses include a surface probe.

[patattack]

Hey all,

I'm having a similar issue. I'm looking into getting a ball python, but I've never owned one before. I haven't bought one yet because I want to have my enclosure more-or-less perfect first. Y'know, avoid making trouble for the snake while it's adjusting to a new environment, all that good stuff.

I was planning to use a 55 gallon tank (somewhere around 48"x12"x19"), simply because I got it for free from a friend who was looking to get rid of it and I knew it would be big enough for a full-grown python. However, I think I'm going to end up getting a baby python rather than an adult, since that's what's available to me right now. Is that big tank gonna be a problem?

Is it better/worse that most of the volume of this tank is in the height rather than the area of the base? Should I get a temporary tank and upgrade to this one later, once the snake has grown a bit? Is it feasible to...I dunno, block off part of this tank and expand it as I need more area? In a ball python caresheet on this site, it says "For adults an enclosure 36x18x12”..." should be sufficient. 48x12 is actually less floor area than 36x18 - does that mean I'd be okay, or is the height problematic? Would I still need to stuff it full of things to make it feel more enclosed?

Also on the subject of too-large tanks: is this under-tank heater an acceptable size for the tank? I also have a 100-watt infrared clamp light that I was planning to use for the other side, but I was expecting the under-tank thing to cover more area.


Thanks,
Patrick

[starmom]

Missi's gonna have to weigh in on this; or Argentra or Cass. They have all done so much tinkering to get their glass tanks to be perfect for their snakes.
Me? I must be lazy or something because I just get racks and reptile cages and then I don't need to worry about heat, humidity, etc. Here's where I got mine: http://www.reptilebasics.com/2x3-Cag...h-p-16286.html

[missi182]

Hey all,

I'm having a similar issue. I'm looking into getting a ball python, but I've never owned one before. I haven't bought one yet because I want to have my enclosure more-or-less perfect first. Y'know, avoid making trouble for the snake while it's adjusting to a new environment, all that good stuff.

I was planning to use a 55 gallon tank (somewhere around 48"x12"x19"), simply because I got it for free from a friend who was looking to get rid of it and I knew it would be big enough for a full-grown python. However, I think I'm going to end up getting a baby python rather than an adult, since that's what's available to me right now. Is that big tank gonna be a problem?

Is it better/worse that most of the volume of this tank is in the height rather than the area of the base? Should I get a temporary tank and upgrade to this one later, once the snake has grown a bit? Is it feasible to...I dunno, block off part of this tank and expand it as I need more area? In a ball python caresheet on this site, it says "For adults an enclosure 36x18x12”..." should be sufficient. 48x12 is actually less floor area than 36x18 - does that mean I'd be okay, or is the height problematic? Would I still need to stuff it full of things to make it feel more enclosed?

Also on the subject of too-large tanks: is this under-tank heater an acceptable size for the tank? I also have a 100-watt infrared clamp light that I was planning to use for the other side, but I was expecting the under-tank thing to cover more area.

Thanks,
Patrick

I would say if you can - get a smaller tank until your bp is larger. You CAN block off part of the tank to make it shorter, but the height is a danger to young bp's. Check kijiji.com for any used tanks in your area, you may be able to find one for under $20 or you can go to some pet shops and you may find a 10 or 15 gallon for $30. My 15 gallon was $40 and built the lid myself.

Patrick - that UTH is fine for size, just be sure you purchase a control BEFORE you bring your bp home. You can pick up a piggy back lamp dimmer for $9 at lowes if you are strapped for cash, but dimmers are not reliable and do fluctuate. A thermostat is your best bet with any UTH (price range for a stat = $50-$300) I personally use a ranco because I find it has a decent reputation and costs about $50. A better thermostat would be a helix or herpstat. Check out this web site for more info -

http://reptilebasics.com/Thermostats-p-1-c-250.html

And then as I mentioned - there is the tub option. Tubs are great for holding humidity and heat in, and are a VERY affordable alternative to a tank. If you go for a tub, you can increase the size every 6 months until your bp is big enough for the tank.

[rabernet]

The "problem" that most new keepers encounter with larger tanks with babies is that they will find that the babies feel very insecure in such large enclosures and often will go off feed. That was my experience with my first ball python - I had temps "perfect", but was a slave to the humidity and he fasted for eight months. The moment I moved him into a smaller, more appropriately sized enclosure for his size (in my case I switched to a tub) he began to eat again for me.

Another problem can be that new owners don't invest the necessary money to get a large enclosure set up properly to maintain accurate temps and humidity - it can be a huge investment to get a 55 gallon or 40 gallon enclosure heated properly, 24 hours a day.

It can be done - but it may be more economical for you to go smaller and save the larger tank for when he's an adult or use it for some other herp critter!

[BMorrison]

I spent about 2 weeks tinkering with my tank before I brought Furio home. It's a 40 gallon breeder which is significantly larger than a 40 gallon even.

I have 2 identical hides one on the warm side one on the cool side. (I also have 3 heat gradients, His hot spot (Absolute 93 controlled by a rheostat. mid tank is warm 85 degrees w/ a 75w. infrared running all day and the cool side stays around 78 and has his water dish and that aforementioned hide. I also use moss and mist it down pretty good once a day which helps with the humidity. If you want to keep your baby ball in a big tank be prepared for the work you're going to have to put into it.