Please help me, is this a good start?

[PatrickT]

I plan to get my first snake. So far i think about getting 3 python regius (mojave). (one male and two female)

The terrarium i plan is 120 cm long, 60 cm wide and 60cm high.

I plan to add a 100W Spotlight
a thermo and hygrometer
a heat radiator with 100 watt as well

You think thats a good start?


My otehr option would be one python achietae. I´m still not so sure what exactly i should take. :/ Please help me and i´m happy for any advice.

[ManSlaughter33]

You're not planning on having them all in the same enclosure are you?

also snakes do best with under the tank heat mats

[Minkness]

Just a suggestion since you are a first time snake owner...start with just one.

[ManSlaughter33]

Just a suggestion since you are a first time snake owner...start with just one.

I'm with Minky on this.. Make sure you can handle 1....
the temps, the cost of feeders, each snake needs a separate tank.


I don't think cohabilitation is a good idea,

[PatrickT]

So you would suggest that i take the anchietae? Because the other 3 come in one pack

[ManSlaughter33]

just get 1, and start with something simple and easy to care for.. not sure what the care is like for a anchietae

[SnoopySnake]

I personally would go for the Angolan. But if you do decide to get the 3 ball pythons they all need to have their own enclosures. I would use a heat mat or a radiant heat panel, both of which need to be on a thermostat.

[Minkness]

If you want a ball python, I'm sure you can find one that's not part of a group.

[PatrickT]

I think i will take the angolan one. she looks simply awesome.

[ManSlaughter33]

I think i will take the angolan one. she looks simply awesome.
have you researched the care? what she eats? are you set up and ready? you need an under tank heater

[Minkness]

Your heating is better for a bearded dragon than a snake. You do not need a spot light and should have an under tank heater not just a heat emitter.

[sunkissedpython]

If your not going to get an under tank heater you'll need a ceramic heat emitter; doesn't emit light but keeps it warm. Don't start with 3 snakes...it would be stressful not on only you but the three if kept in one enclosure. Keep researching, watch videos on YouTube, look at several different care sheets, you can never do enough research for reptiles!

[PatrickT]

have you researched the care? what she eats? are you set up and ready? you need an under tank heater

Its interesting. In most german forums people say under tank heaters are not so good because its unnatural heat from below and dries out the soil and lowers humidity, so i was going for ceramic heat emitter.

Yes i did read into anchietae care. They are pretty similar to ball pythons but demand lower humidity levels. They eat mostly gerbils, mice and in adult stage young rats.

[Minkness]

As far as unnatural goes, most snakes will find a flat place that has been heated by the sun and rest on those because they provide belly heat. So under tank heaters arr actually very natural and benefitial to the sake. The only thing unnatural about it, is that it would be provided 24/7 instead of just a few hours a day. Belly heat is what aids in proper digestion as well, so it's healtheir for the snake than an ambient or over head heater. Also, over head heaters dry out the atmosphere waaay more than an under tank heater, and actually can aid in higher air humidity if you place a waterbowl over the heater.

[PatrickT]

Ok i will chose a mat then.

[Aaron_S]

Its interesting. In most german forums people say under tank heaters are not so good because its unnatural heat from below and dries out the soil and lowers humidity, so i was going for ceramic heat emitter.

Yes i did read into anchietae care. They are pretty similar to ball pythons but demand lower humidity levels. They eat mostly gerbils, mice and in adult stage young rats.

Angolans tend to be a bit more semi arboreal than ball pythons as well but you're pretty good with their care.

Should be easy enough. Good choice!

[PatrickT]

Angolans tend to be a bit more semi arboreal than ball pythons as well but you're pretty good with their care.

Should be easy enough. Good choice!

Thank you. I´m pretty excited about it. But still few weeks to go. :D

[Roman]

Hi Patrick, greetings from a fellow German…

As you already noticed, there are several ways you can set up your terrarium, it depends on several factors which way works best.

Please note, I have no personal experience with keeping Python regius or Python anchietae, so everything which follows is based on general knowledge of keeping snakes since about 30 years, but no specific knowledge about these two species.

If you go for Python anchietae your terrarium is too small for an adult female. According to the “Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien” (--> http://www.bmel.de/cae/servlet/contentblob/383050/publicationFile/22241/HaltungReptilien.pdf ) (an official guideline for terrarium sizes and general environmental settings here in Germany) for Pythons the size for your enclosure should be 1,0 x 0,5 x 0,75 of the total body length, so if your female grows to 160 cm your terrarium needs to be 160 x 80 x 120 cm. As it is a CITES animal (Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommen WA2) you have to register it with your local authorities and they might come to you to have a look at your setup. The enclosure is OK for a juvenile or semi-adult female, but you most probably have to move it as an adult.

You have to understand that a lot of herpers in the US use a very basic setup with aspen shavings as substrate. In a setup like this a under tank heater (UTH) works really good. If you want to use a different substrate like for instance “Repti Bark” and if you want to have a layer of 5 to 8 cm (2 or 3 inch) an UTH is pretty much useless, because it can’t heat the substrate enough. That’s the main reason why UTHs are seldom used here in Germany – in fact I don’t know any experienced keeper here who uses them.

I would get a T5 or T8 light for the basic lighting of your enclosure and a spotlight like “Lucky Reptile Bright Sun Jungle” or “Solar Raptor”. For an enclosure of your size I would use something between 35 or 50 W. Place it above one corner of your terrarium (outside!!!) to create a hot spot where your snake can warm up. This setup creates a temperature gradient over the length of your enclosure from very hot (between 30 – 45° C) on one side to room temperature at the opposite side, so your snake can choose where it wants to stay and it can choose to warm up or cool down. During the night the temperature can drop to room temperature, but this is OK, in its natural environment your snake lives in a semiarid mountainous biotope with hot days and mild to cold nights, so in my understanding there is no need for heating during the night.

For the same reason the humidity should be no issue, the normal humidity of your room should be OK.

Set up your enclosure before you get your snake. Watch the temperature under the spot, at the middle of you enclosure and at the opposite end. If it is something like 30-45° C under the spot, 25-28° C at the center and room temperature at the other side you should be OK, otherwise you might need to user a higher/lower wattage to create this gradient.

When you get your snake, watch it where it prefers to lie. If it stays right under the heating spot for hours you might want to add some additional heating, if it stays always at the cool side reduce the amount of time your spot is on, for instance 2 hours in the morning and 3-4 hours in the afternoon.

Have a lot of fun with your new snake

Roman

[Ballchris]

Ok i will chose a mat then.

make sure you purchase thermostat for all of your heating elements.

[PatrickT]

thanks for all the advice!