How Can I Tell wat type of Ball Python I Have?

[DJ Whut It Dew]

ok so i need to close the top to keep in more heat and humidity?

[wax32]

Yes, at the very least, you need to cover that screen. When I kept by first ball in a critter keeper I used foil and duct-tape to cover it. Still didn't work real well.

Read this: http://www.ball-pythons.net/modules/...warticle&id=59

<-- click on my images button over there to see how I keep my balls.

[DJ Whut It Dew]

yea ima have to figure out a way to keep that heat in when i get home tonight. i dont want my baby to be stressed or nothing.

[hawaiianice99]

you will be fine with a screen top, i have them on all mine and i know lots of people who use them. You just need to take some tin foil and cover have the screen. it will cost you about .01 cents and work just fine. you can also use a bath towel, thats what i use.

Also i dont see a water dish? if you dont have one you need to get one.

and last, all that wood stuff may look good and be exactly what the pet store dude told you but if i was you i would toss it asap. reasons...
>the half hides arent sufficient for the security that bp's need to feel secure. you need two hides, one on the hot side and one the cool side that are enclosed all around with one hole to go in and out.
>that bark substrate has additives in it that if ingested are toxic for your snake and you could be on your way to the vets.
>having all the matching wood may look cool but unless you plan on keep a constant eye on it and cleaning it at least once a month then you are gonna get mites. mites are no good and a pain to get rid of, especially if you are planing on keeping more than one snake in the room.

[hawaiianice99]

You also dont need to get a thermostat if you can maintain your temps. I use a small space heater with built in thermostat, that i picked up from target for $30 and it works perfect and saved me a bundle in buying a thermostat and heat tape.


***And as for your original post, it appears that you have a normal.

[Lateralus_Love]

you will be fine with a screen top, i have them on all mine and i know lots of people who use them. You just need to take some tin foil and cover have the screen. it will cost you about .01 cents and work just fine. you can also use a bath towel, thats what i use.

Also i dont see a water dish? if you dont have one you need to get one.

and last, all that wood stuff may look good and be exactly what the pet store dude told you but if i was you i would toss it asap. reasons...
>the half hides arent sufficient for the security that bp's need to feel secure. you need two hides, one on the hot side and one the cool side that are enclosed all around with one hole to go in and out.
>that bark substrate has additives in it that if ingested are toxic for your snake and you could be on your way to the vets.
>having all the matching wood may look cool but unless you plan on keep a constant eye on it and cleaning it at least once a month then you are gonna get mites. mites are no good and a pain to get rid of, especially if you are planing on keeping more than one snake in the room.

You also dont need to get a thermostat if you can maintain your temps. I use a small space heater with built in thermostat, that i picked up from target for $30 and it works perfect and saved me a bundle in buying a thermostat and heat tape.


***And as for your original post, it appears that you have a normal.

Not to be rude and discount everything you're saying, but...
If you're going to cover your screens because you're losing humidity and heat, don't use bath towels. Use foil or plastic wrap to cover 3/4 of the screen, tape down the edges. Bath towels can harbor bacteria and cause problems, and potentially absorb the moisture in the air, causing more humidity problems.

I agree with the half hides. Those are a) hard to keep clean and b) not sufficiently secure. For your BP to feel secure it needs to be snuggled up on all sides with a single opening for it to enter and exit. Get two similar shaped/sized hides and put them on opposite ends of the enclosure.

The big wood pieces you have in there are fine. However, I suggest laying them down flat on the ground as Ball Pythons are terrestrial animals; ground dwellers. If those bark pieces aren't secure, it could hurt your snake if he/she's on top and the wood falls and lands on it. The wood is good because it gives your snake surfaces to rub up against to aid in shedding. I suggest cleaning these every two weeks. What I do is soak them in 10% bleach to water solution, and then bake them at 350 degrees for an hour. Some people do it differently, this is what I do.

However, the substrate you're using, the bark, needs to go. It is a great harbor for mites. Most people who have mite problems, also have reptibark. Go and look for aspen snake bedding, it's perfect. It's light color makes it easier to see any poopies, it gets darker when peed on, and it won't harbor mites . You should still, however, clean your entire tank once a month. Take everything out, bake the wood pieces, clean the plastic pieces, and spray down the entire tank. Replace all the substrate, and you're done. It takes me less than an hour to clean everyones tanks and I have seven snakes. Obviously it takes longer for the wood, but that's not essential when putting them back. What is essential is that a) the tank has been disinfected, b) the water bowls and hides have been taken care of, and c) all new substrate. I use concentrated Simple Green to clean my tanks, because it's absolutely non-toxic and very strong. I spray it down, let sit for five minutes, scrub, then rinse off in the shower.

Also, it is still very highly suggested for you to get a thermostat! Even a rheostat. As long as you can control/dim the temperatures of your heat sources. They can have spikes and jolt the temp way too high. Also, I see you have some kind of temperature gauges Next time you get $15, head to wal-mart and buy an Acurite Indoor/Outdoor thermometer. They're only $12, plus tax. They have a probe to measure the hot hide of your snake, and then you set the actual thermometer on the cool side of the tank, and it'll measure that temp as well, plus it measures humidity. Perfect, cheap, gives exactly what we need

What you may want to do, but you don't exactly have to, is go out to a pet store and buy some Provent-A-Mite. I don't remember how much it costs, or where I got mine, because I've had mine for a couple years. If you do decide to get it, get it before or at the same time you get the Aspen so that you can spray down the enclosure, in case your snake already has mites either from the store it came from, or from the bark it's currently on.

Aaand, To tell what type of BP you have, you need to have either a keen eye for something that's not so easy to discern, or someone look at it (like post pictures!) but in all honesty, if you bought the snake from a pet store for like, 69.99 it's most likely a normal.

BTW, Welcome to the forums, and welcome to your new addiction

[kellysballs]

The set up looks decent. If I am correct your hide is made of a resin matterial and it can be placed in the dishwasher to disinfect it. I think you will do fine with the 1/2 log I know people who use them with no problem. I would add another one on the cool side. I also think you are okay with the substrate I have used reptibark for my BRB's for 2 years now with no prob. I would ditch the lamp it will help kill your humidity and replace it with a heat pad. If you are afraid of mites bake all your wood items in your oven at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours this will kill any bug that might be living on them and then disenfect it when you do the hide and water bowl. You can also treat your bag of reptibark when you get it with prevent-a-mite if you want.

I kept my 1st BRB in a 20L for the first year with a screen lid and I found that a thin piece of plexi placed over 3/4 of the lid worked really well to help the humidiy.

Personally I feel that racks are the best way to go but I also understand that most people have 1 or 2 snakes and they want to be able to display them.

Good Luck with your baby!

[DJ Whut It Dew]

ok im going to get to work.

[DJ Whut It Dew]

I actually have another hide i just have to move some stuff around to get it in there... and theres a water dish but its underground some what. im goin to get something bigger and place in there.

[Lateralus_Love]

As long as the waterdish is big enough for her to fit herself in if she wishes, then it's fine. Pretty much, it's just got to be as big as the hides you're using.

I normally move all the substrate off of the spot I put my waterbowls, then pack substrate around them so the water's kind of recessed into the 'ground.'