New python enclosure [help]

[CyberGhost]

I am getting 1.2 baby ball pythons next week but cannot decide on what enclosure to get them and what kinda of accesories to put in I would like some thing cheap, light, and easy to clean so I'm leaning toward rubbermaids but thats about as far as I've gotten so If anyone would please give me soem tips on what I should get and anything else related.Plzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[killaclown]

i get the best for my snakes but not too much. Get a 10 gallon and in about six months move it to a 30 for the rest of its life if you like but you can go to a 40. Never buy vissions unles there on sale for a good price because there to exspensive for me. Rubbers are to ghetto for me i would used them for breeding. Get a big water dish out of a old butter container or a rubber maid and use a old shoe box for a hide.

[CyberGhost]

its 1 male 2 females if you didt know that and I'm using rubbers because I plan on breeding and rubbers are good for balls becuase their hard to see through and all. The snake does't get so scared when people or whatever are around the thing.

[stretch]

I think visions are great. Thats what I'm using to house my bci. I would go with vision boaphile or BARRS cages.

[marisa]

rubbermaids are not "ghetto"

your statement is based on ZERO facts and not based on the animals true nature.

You can keep your ball python in a tank. You will need to modify the lid to hold more humidity but also allow for ventilation. Rubbermaids are good for BPS because NATURALLY they aren't a travelling snake, they enjoy close quarters, and they need a nice stable humidity which can be hard to get in a tank. My rubbermaid holds humidity at 70% with no misting. Here is a photo:

<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/enclosure.jpg">
<img src="http://members.rogers.com/mattl/enclosure2.jpg">

Tanks ARE good for viewing. And you most certianly can keep them in a tank. But like I mentioned they hold crappy humidity and crappy ventilation. Rubbermaids come in fairly clear if you choose that route. But remember, only listen to people who can back up what they say. Don't reject rubbermaids because one person believes they are "ghetto" A lot of well known HUGE long time breeders and herpers swear by rubbermaid because it closely fits the snakes natural desire to hide, be in a small area, and have stable humidity, ventilation and temps.

BTW Visions are an excellent cage from what I have heard.

Marisa

[CyberGhost]

Okay thank you, could you tell me how to get the humidity up I'm not really sure how. Would it just come from the water dish or do you have to spray it like once at the beginning?Nice setup to. Also is it safe to keep the three of them together in one enclosure for awhile and if so how long?

[marisa]

Hi!

Well if you are using a tank for the ball python you would need a large water dish and you would have to modify the lid. You can use a damp towel although this is really short term as it only keeps humid for a short time. Then you have the humidity jumping all over the place. You can make a plexi-glass lid for it, but even then you'll have to mist because the humidity will never stay up. Get a humidity gauge and watch your humidity to determine how often to mist. You don't want the cage being all moldy, stanky and wet though. So sometimes the tank itself poses a non-fixable problem.

If you are using a rubbermaid, you will probably never have to mist if you have one or two large water dishes. I only mist during my BP's shed, the rubbermaid keeps the humiditiy at a steady 70% usually all on its own.

Personally, I dont feel keeping snakes together is a good choice. For one, you can pass disease quite easily. If one is sick then you automatically have two vet trips, not one, because your snakes live together. Also, if you see suspicious poop, or a regurg, it will be impossible to tell who did it. This can be very important with hatchling BP's.

Also snakes are solitary creatures and can live their whole lives without seeing another snake happily. BP's are shy snakes and sometimes (more sothan other species) the presence of another snake can stress them out causing feeding problems. BP's already have the reputation of being picky feeders, and housing three together *maY* do nothing than make the problem worse.

Some snakes ARE fine together. But as you can see above there are reasons to not keep them together, but I have never heard of a good reason TO keep them together. Also, when you house seperatly all the above problems are non-exsistant instead of a possibility when you house together.

If I was you, I would house seperatly. I wouldn't want to risk anything happening to my new babies! :D

[CyberGhost]

Thanx I will, tahnx for all your help marissa your really good helper youve really got me going and I've decided to go with three rubermaids and try to model them after yours could anyone help me with anything else reguarding to baby BPs.

[marisa]

You are welcome. :D

Marisa

[killaclown]

Marisa i love your tank , every time i see it on a thread i complimet it but i like the best for my snakes so i go with glass i like vissions but they just cost too much.

P.S. address me when your talking about the things i say dont just right them

[Jeff_Favelle]

but i like the best for my snakes so i go with glass i like vissions but they just cost too much.


Huh? You like the best for your snakes or the best for you? There is a major difference there, and many many novice keepers can't make that distinction.

A snake can't tell if its glass or plastic so please don't suggest things to newbees when you clearly don't know what you're talking about. If you like aquariums, fine; use them. But don't suggest that glass boxes are the "best" for snakes bla bla bla.

Because they are not. Not by a long shot.

[marisa]

Just pretend this post contains the exact same thing Jeff Favelle wrote.

Marisa

[killaclown]

Ok whats wrong with having a ball in a 30 gallon glass cage, oh yea a vission but hey i cant get those due to finacel reasons so if you can get one. Lets not start a beef on this mans thread we need to stick to the subject.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Lets not start a beef on this mans thread we need to stick to the subject

1. This is the subject. Ball Python enclosures. I'm not sure what you think we're talking about, but its Ball Pythons cages, trust me.

Ok whats wrong with having a ball in a 30 gallon glass cage

2. No one said that they had a beef with 30 gallon aquariums at all. Don't make things up.

Here's what ACTUALLY happened:

You claimed glass boxes to be the "best" for snakes. Marisa and I both thought it very very very bad for you to be telling new-bees very very very bad information, LOL! Why the heck is your cage the "best"? What makes you the determiner of the "best' caging for BP's? Until you've got the data to back it up, or until you've bred something and have a tiny amount of experience, do't be suggesting such things. I wouldn't care if you told me something like that, because I am experienced enough to know better. But CyberGhost probably isn't (because of the questions asked) and if he/she is serious about snake keeping, then he/she should be taught things that are true.

Nes pas?

[Jeff_Favelle]

And no one is suggesting that aquariums don't work. Because they do. I used to use them 15 years ago and I kept everything just fine.

But don't call them the best for your snakes, ha ha.

[CyberGhost]

Thank you all and I really dont listen to the newds post in less they sound smart I would rather trust somone who knows what they are talking about. No offense to Killaclown I would just saying that I would trust someone who knows more over somone who doest like say you were going diving with man eating sharks would you take advice from some bumm who got a wild hair up his butt and decided to go dive with sharks, and it was his first day or a person who has been doing it for 50 years and went to some sort of college for marine biology. So no offense, and I have no problem with tanks I just heard rubbermaids were better for Bps.

[killaclown]

Ok i wunderstand all of that i didnt say that all snake users use "glass boxes", i said that i use them and they work fine it was my fault because i know vissions are the best cages because there mad specily for herps unless you build your own. And the "beef" thing,to" beef" somebody that means starting a fued or a rivalry and i dont want that to happen. You can stick to your rubbers and i will stick to my "glass box " but instead im saying im wrong, just saythat i have a different prefrince. I didnt say there were proven the best i said i want the best but not too much so i wont be poor im only 14 in cali. I dont have a job and i live off my mother at the same time studying snakes.

P.S. pic up rap on fonics to learn street slang"beef" lol j\k

[killaclown]

P.S. the only reason why i go with glass boxes are because of the looks boths rubbers and boxes have there flaws true or not. im about to use rubers beacause me and my friend are breedin bcis.

[Jeff_Favelle]

I don't even use Rubbermaids so I wouldn't say that they are the best either. I would never say that any one cage is the best. But if I were to, it would certainly NOT be an aquarium.

Best of luck breeding boas in aquariums. Because you're gonna need it.

Old pic of an old setup. No Rubbermaids. (except for babies).

http://members.shaw.ca/jefffavelle/cagesa.jpg

[killaclown]

you have a verry nice set up in there. My mom would never let me do something to my room

[CyberGhost]

How do you knwo that is his room its probly in a shed or building somehwere that he uses to breed the animals. But I'm pretty sure that is not his room. I know you may not have meant it was his room but you did imply it so read your post and make sure it does't sound like your saying something stupid.[I know I know I'm a hypocrit] but just the same.

[killaclown]

dang dude i didnt say it was but if i ever had a chance to do it would be in my room so there for i said my room. I complimented him!!!!!!!

[Jeff_Favelle]

Ha ha, you DON'T want that to be your room man, trust me!!! I've had reptiles in my room before and man, it sucks! I will always have a separate room(s) for my snakes. Unless I had like one display tank or something, but that's different.

But the room is always at an ambient of 83F and I HATE the heat! So there's no way I could live in this room. No way at all!! Plus, that photo is old and that's only 1/2 of the room as it is now.

Thanks for the compliment though. Its a setup that seems to be working, so I'm keeping the changes to a minimal.

Cheers. :D