First Snake, need Help

[john'y_cabs]

Yo to all,
I want a ball python, after handling my mates i just cant get enough, i've been reading all i can, trying to piece together things, watched snakebytes TV all sorts, now my Mum wont let me have a snake but bugger her she wont see it so its right. Anyway, of all i've read an researched i thought either way try a forum post a thread and get straight answers rather than just going with what i got. so here goes....

I'll probably end up buying off the Net, i'm in UK and theres not many good places around where i live but found a few on the Net. Not sure what age to get but i wouldnt mind having a hatchling just for the experience of looking after babies IF i decide to breed at any point.

I will have use Plastic Housing, like on the DIY caresheets n threads, seen as i am on a very tight budget (dole) so i'll prob buy things in stages, like get the tub, do the holes, get the thermostat and the mat, also want to no if a light is essential, or whether Balls dont really require a light, even to bask or what ever? some sites have said yeah they do, some dont mention them at all.

www.crystalpalacereptiles.com is probably the site that i'll use and i'll have a captive bred ball for sure, also know of another site i could buy mice and rats from. frozen of course.

Really the help i want is like the size of the Housing itself? (if i get a baby i do have a small tub i could use and it is SMALL wel bout 6inches square maybe bit bigger, maybe bout 15cm deep) but really a decent size for the snake as its going to grow roughly, also check out the site see if you all think is ok, or maybe might be some people on here used it before i dont know. and of course the light, if its required what would i need ect. on that site there is thermostats and heat mats for sale so i'll probably buy them form there. but any advice really....i am thinkin of housing it in part of a wardrobe (partially to hide it from my mother) but i dont wanna keep it in the dark all the time, and also at night, especially with the weather were having here now, my room can get relatively cold, now i will shut the doors of the wardrobe at night aswel but just wondering if the heat mat n aslong as all the temps are right, if this should affect the temps or snake at all???

Any advice is welcome and very much appreciated, and if anything i have said isnt clear please say i'll try and explain again best i can

John'y Cabs

[da_gleadless]

Hi johny,

Where do you live? im Guessing London?
I've recently moved to Essex and a good friend of mine has bought three snakes from crystal palace and I've been several times. Its a really good place and the guys in there Know their stuff (and they have NERD snakes). If you can make it in it might be best to speak to them as they will sort eveything out for you and they have loads of stunning Morphs!
Im no expert but I started off with with a 2ft x1ft x1ft tank and a heat mat 1/2 this size at one end of the tank so as to have a cool and and warm end. I dont have a stat though i ensure the ambient temp is around 80F.
I wont go into full details as there is a sticky in this Forum -Glass Tank set up!
I'l try and sort a pic out if you like?

Hope this helps.. but the sticky will help more!

[blb]

Ok, what is going to happen when you mom finds out you went behind her back and got a snake? Where is the snake going to live then?

If you really love snakes and want them, I would get mom to say yes or wait until you have your own place.

Sorry hun, that is my opinion.

[nixer]

Really the help i want is like the size of the Housing itself? (if i get a baby i do have a small tub i could use and it is SMALL wel bout 6inches square maybe bit bigger, maybe bout 15cm deep) but really a decent size for the snake as its going to grow roughly,

(partially to hide it from my mother)

John'y Cabs

a 6 inch square tub is way to small!
you shouldnt get it unless your mother allows you to.

Ok, what is going to happen when you mom finds out you went behind her back and got a snake? Where is the snake going to live then?

If you really love snakes and want them, I would get mom to say yes or wait until you have your own place.

Sorry hun, that is my opinion.

yes also what happens when she finds out?

[iCandiBallPythons]

Ok, what is going to happen when you mom finds out you went behind her back and got a snake? Where is the snake going to live then?

If you really love snakes and want them, I would get mom to say yes or wait until you have your own place.

Sorry hun, that is my opinion.

That was my first thought as i read over the OP. I dont mean to come across as brash but seriously parents are alot smarter than you may think and sooner or later your mom will stumble across the snake. I dealt with this for years when I lived at home. I tried every scheme I could think of to convince my grand parents of a snake for many many years. I could have most any lizard but the snake was 100% not going to happen, I had to wait until I moved out on my own. Soemtimes you just have to deal with it ,honestly you have to think of the well being of the animal before you think of your wants. And being on that tight of a budget can you really afford vet bills if need be?? Read some of the threads on here about some of the rescue snakes some of the guys on this forum have obtained because that would probably be the future of your snake or even worse. In your situation its probably not the greatest idea. If you can not provide the proper husbandry , you really have no business buying it.

[john'y_cabs]

I have a friend who is worse off than me, and has 2 Ball Pythons and has had them over 2 years, they are in the flat of his Dads own shop, and his dad has never found them....And i appreciate all ur advice and guidance but u all dont know my mother more than me, and after a while she'll settle down, long as it never goes near her she wont be arsed....If i didnt think i could afford it, i wouldnt want to do it, and i'v had a few animals where i;ve had to put them down because of there well being, so if i didnt care about the wel being of animals i would of let them die a slow painful death, 1 of which was a dog i spent all my life with, so a very close companion really....if i hadnt seen this sort of thing done already (by a friend on a budget) i wouldnt even think about it, nor would i bother trying to get advice on a Forum knowing it can, and has never been done, but i know it has, i have a few friends with snakes and the friend with the budget has better lookin and calmer animals than those with money.

For those who understood me thank you. for those that didnt, thank you aswel...but it would be a while before i purchase the snake....Maybe, just maybe, i wanted more advice first.

[azpythons]

when you get one, i read most people use shoe box size boxes for baby babys, but id say if its a little bigger than that a sterilite tub as big as a 10 gallon container will work for a year or so, depending on how old it is when you get it.
As for a light, its not extrememely necessary as long as you have a heat source i.e the mat and with those as i tihnk you mentioned youll need something to control the temp as ive heard those can get up to 150

well thats basic answers to your questions...

other people here could probably help you a lot more than i
once they get over the "make sure your moms cool with it" (which is very sound advice, but you said yonna wait and want more advice, and like you said if you think...no if you KNOW your mom will accept it over time, and not make you give it away once she sees it....go for it and have fun!

[missi182]

Please do not purchase a pet without your parents consent, especially a snake. These animals are not toys, and are not always cheap to care for. With your parents support (including financial) you can do a little reading and have the basics down pat in no time. Your minimum funding available for a ball python should be (excluding the price of the snake) $100. Keep in mind that you should have back up funding should your snake ever require a vet visit.

You seem to know the basics of what is required, but I am going to post this in hopes of helping a little more.

This is a BRIEF list of what care is required for a ball python. Please refer to our care sheets (http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/f...splay.php?f=62) for more detailed information.


1) To measure your humidity and temperature accurately - Use DIGITAL gauges (stick on gauges are NOT reliable, and a waste of money unfortunately) The most cost friendly device you can purchase is an accurite digital thermometer/hygrometer from wal-mart for $12. The gauge does not have to be this brand, but something with an outdoor/indoor measurement will work because this means the device uses a probe.

2) You need a belly temperature (right on the glass under the hide on one side of the tank) measured by a probe (which comes with something like an accurite) of 90 - 93 degrees. This is where your bp will spend his time digesting and hanging out A LOT. A UTH (under tank heater) costs about $20 at a pet store but MUST have a control.

The safest and most reliable type of control is a thermostat ($70 - $300) but the minimum requirement for a control is something like a lamp dimmer (a rheostat, which is something that must be manually adjusted). Lowes sells piggyback lamp dimmers for about $10.

3) You need a hide on the cooler side of the tank with a belly temperature or ambient temperature in the low 80's. This can be achieved through a heat lamp with the correct wattage bulb, or simply a nice warm room. Keep in mind that the two hides you choose should be the same so your bp feels EQUALLY secure in BOTH hides. Your bp will choose where it feels safest, whether or not it is the correct temperature.

4) HUMIDITY = very important - just as important as temperature. 55-60% humidity is required for proper shedding. For tips on how to achieve this please see the care sheets.

5) A sturdy water dish with fresh water can be put anywhere in the tank, if placed over a UTH (under tank heater) it can help raise the humidity.

6) Substrate can be anything from newspaper or cage liners to aspen. Cedar is TOXIC. Do not use cedar. CYPRESS mulch is good - don't mix it up with cedar.

7) Security - ball pythons are shy. They hide more than 80% of the time so if your snake is hiding a lot, thats a good thing. Cover three sides of your tank with paper/aquarium background - what ever you would like to help your snake feel less exposed. Snug, identical hides are a MUST, one on the cool side one on the hot side.

8) Feeding - Live or FT (frozen/thawed) prey can be used approx once a week. Feeding size should be approx the width of the thickest part of your snake and approx 10-15% of the body weight (these are guidelines only)

[missi182]

As for enclosure size, a tub between 15 and 20 quarts is a good starter size, for a very young bp 12 quarts would also work. If you are looking at tanks, 10 gallons will work while they are small, 15 gallons will too.

[john'y_cabs]

wel a $100 is sod all in Sterling, and i have more than that, and as i said , i'd makesure i buy everything the snake needs before i buy the snake itself. so even if i have everything i need and ready and no i can control temps and humidity, i might not get my snake til my birthday in July, or eve Christmas, as i fo yet i dont know. it would be my sole responsibility and if an agreement was made with my parents that would be the main one, but thats the way i like it anyway, if it ever did need looking after (i went on holiday or wot eva) i no a friend that would happily take of it for me, so i dont have to push on anybody else in the family....as of yet i wudnt want to get help from my Mum n Dad financially, cos i owe them enough as it is, but once they see i'm serious they wud probably offer to help if it came to vet visits....Trust me people i have thought this out, maybe i do need to speak to my mum and dad, and i never said i wouldnt but really i wudnt want me mum seeing it cos she just dont like snakes thats all, my dad wouldnt be that bad. infact i think after a while me dad might even become interested, there talkin about wanting another dog but hell wot does a dog cost compared to the overall owning of a Dog.....And who the hell doesnt have dogs (unless allergy prevents)