got me a new snake

[Dragon-Ozzy]

thanks alot missi the place where its at now(my cousins) is temporary -therefore not near perfect- when i move my things(and ozzy) back to my house this weekend i'll will definately make sure to fix the aquarium he's in to make it better i have a heat lamp 150 watts(thats not too much is it) some sand on the side with the heat lamp and bark(storebought) on the other side with man made hides(sprite frigdepack case) on each side and a glass bowl with water in it thats it for now like i said i'll make it better when i goes home

P.S. my room is a lot warmer then when the aquarium stands now

[ohyeahnow]

I would not recomend sand for a BP. With 150 watt lamp you really need to watch the temperature and get a thermostat ASAP. There is a lot of info here that will help you get everything set. The sticky forum and the husbandry forum will provide you a lot of good information.

[Dragon-Ozzy]

i dont have a termostat or a thermometer at all for that matter now and i wont be able to get one for a bit i have just been watching the lamp and the behavior of teh bp real closley to see when or when it isnt comfy with the temp ill try and get one soon tho why no sand?

[ohyeahnow]

Ball pythons are not from a sandy environment and have not adapted to such an environment. The sand could irritate the snake if it gets under their scales and cause skin problems, or could cause respiratory problems. Keeping the proper humidity for your BP would be difficult with sand as well. You would either have it to dry, or if you wet the sand, you would be exsposing your snake to a damp substrate and that could cause skin problems as well. Some snakes such as the Kenyan sand boa would be ok in sand. The reason being that they have adapted to such an environment, and their scales are different than a BP.

[Dragon-Ozzy]

ok makes sense do you kno how to tell aprt the genders

[ohyeahnow]

Their are two ways, but both should be done by someone who is experienced. One is done by popping, the other probing. An experienced vet or herpetologist could help you out with this. Here is good info at this site http://www.vpi.com/publications/dete..._sex_of_snakes
You should NOT try this yourself. Find someone who is experienced so your snake will not be injured.

[Dragon-Ozzy]

ok so like i said i have no heating pads or things like that just the lamp but the bottom of teh tank is cold and ozzy dont seem to like if i warm up a towel and put it down will it work

[missi182]

The first thing you need to do is head to a hardware store or walmart and pick up a thermometer/hygrometer device. That means a device that can measure temperature AND humidity. Price is about $10. This is a MUST. You need to know how hot that lamp is. If the enclosure is at least 80 degrees he will be O.K TEMPORARILY.

After you purchase that your next investment will be a UTH (under tank heater) These are about $20 to $30 at a pet store or you can get them online. You can get a lamp dimmer for $9 at Home Depot or Lowes, or Walmart to help control it. In the long run you will want a thermostat but a lamp dimmer will do.

Your lamp is likely too high of a wattage. 100 should be the max you need and until you get a thermometer you won't be able to tell how hot it is. The other option with the lamp is to buy 2 dimmers, one for the lamp, one for the UTH.

So the BARE essentials are going to cost you about $40 - $50.

If you can't muster up that much you better get working to find the funds.

[missi182]

Also, I just want you to know that by asking questions and learning what you need to do you are already ahead of many new bp owners.

It is very common for people to drop by a pet store, pick up a bp on a whim, and NEVER research how to care for them. When their snake dies they think of it like a goldfish and figure it simply has a short lifespan. Hopefully you know this is not the case and bps can live for more than 10 years.

Keep asking questions, you are in the right place to learn about these amazing reptiles!

[waltah!]

Missi is right. You can't guess the temps and humidity. Your best bet is to get a therm/hygrometer combo that also has a probe. The probe will be put in place at the warmest spot at the bottom and the main unit will monitor the ambient temps. Walmart has them for about $13 and it's a necessity. A 150 watt bulb is probably too much, I would go with a 100 watt bulb. Lamp dimmer (home depot $10) would work in a pinch, but you would want a good thermostat when you can get it. Uth's are a much better way to heat the tank generally for belly heat. You can still use a lamp to raise ambient temps if your room temp is not very warm.