Preferred enclosers

[pitviper10]

What type of encloser is more preferred to house a ball python in, a rubbermaid, or an aquarium? :dumb:

[Reticsrule]

IMO rubbermaids are a lot easier. aquariums are a lot heavier and a lot more expensive. rubbermaids are cheap and effective. they also hold humidity well(not that a ball needs that much humidity)

[Bartman]

Everyone here is going to say rubbermaid. I personally use rubbermaids and find they feed much better then ones that are not. It holds humidity very well, meaning sheding is easy for them, and since they like the darkness, thats another plus

[End Times]

I agree. Rubbermaids are better. I started my ball off in a 35 gallon aquarium (only because it came with the snake) and in less then a week changed it over to a rubbermaid. They're easier to clean, hold humidity and heat better, and I think most ball keepers would agree that balls just feel more secure in them and all around do better.

[pitviper10]

If i do decide to go with a rubbermaid how would i set it up (drilling holes, secruing lid ect)?

[Bartman]

Drill 10 holes on the long sides, around 6 on the ends of the rubbermaid. You can use the 17 width, 6 high, and 23 inch long size. That'll last them their entire lives.

You can use paper towl (my prefernce), newspaper, mulch, etc. as substrate. Throw in a hide, one should be enough really, and a water dish. Thats about it. Pretty simple...

[pitviper10]

how wide should the holes be?

[Bartman]

Smaller than 1/4 inch? Something around that.

[Reticsrule]

i used a 1/8 inch drillbit to drill the holes in the rubbermaid i am using for my female boa. i think newspaper is the easiest substrate but paper towels arent bad either. i am heating mine with a human heating pad because i didnt really know how else to heat it. the human heating pad works great though(the only hard part is finding one that doesnt have an auto shutoff). i am using two 8 pound weights to secure the lid because my dad is afraid the boa will be able to escape lol(shes only 23" and the lid is pretty strong). if you can find a lid that is fairly secure to begin with you may not have to put anything on it to secure it more.

[Dolly]

what's a rubber maid?

[Reticsrule]

a brand of plastic storage container :p . they are also very easy to house snakes in.

[pitviper10]

Rubbermaids are containers, and thanks for the info i'll defenetly look into useing rubbermaids to house my python (when i get it!)

[Badger-X]

Personally, I have my 5' male in a very large aquarium. It allows me to control the heat/humidity and make a really cool looking home for him. People who see it really enjoy the look of the environment but it certainly adds to the workload of caring for him. (Even the people who don't preticularily like snakes like his setup.) But, he seems very happy in his environment. Happiness is worth the extra work in my opinion. It comes down to weither you use LAB conditions or are making a terrarium. I personally love the satisfaction the terrarium build gives me. LAB works great though!

[Bartman]

Lab?

I dont know any other way to ask this, but has your ball python told you it is happy? Does it smile?

If a snake eats better, from what I have seen and what other big breeders have told me, then it clearly means the snake isn't stressed. If it was stressed it wouldnt eat. It would be more busy trying to find a way out. Don't get me wrong, your ball may eat in its enclosure and it could be thriving, but you can't say that because your set up is more elaborate that it makes your snake more 'happy'.

I love my animals and would give them everything, but to be blunt, your snake cannot be happy or sad. If you want to use an aquarium, go ahead it would be great if it ate consistantly and thrived, but most have seen that keeping them in a darker more secure atmosphere tends to make them better feeders. Just my, and some others, observations.

[Badger-X]

There are two ways to keep snakes, Lab conditions (enclosure, dish, hide and newsprint) or Vivariums (Trying to establish the specific breed's ecosystem). - Check out "The Art of Keeping Snakes" by Phillipe de Vosjoli if interested. A pretty good read.

I think you can tell if it is happy. Maybe the difference is that he is my pet and not just a specimin. I just want him to feel the most at home I can. I supply him with secure hides, places to climb and explore and various water areas to soak and drink. I know he's a reptile and is not capable of advanced signs of affection but in the same regard, I wouldn't keep a dog outside in a doghouse with a dish of water either. It is just a diferent approach than tupperware. I also REALLY want people to appreciate my animals. I'm an older professional male (a teacher) who's Collegues barely understand why anyone would want to touch a snake not to mention own one. But the tank not only serves as a very elaborate and enriched home for my big boy, it becomes a stunning peice of display furniture. So, maybe my reasons are much different than yours. I may very well migrate to tupperware but as of right now, I like to look at him and see him interacting (usually at 3AM) with his environment. He loves to eat. I feed him OUTSIDE of his tank too....

Tom

[cristine]

I have my girl in an aquarium which is in a quiet room with locked doors. I have cats, and humidity and temp gagues, and the room is darkened with shades. The last black mouse I dropped in her cage did not even make it to the ground.

[peterm15]

well im kinda in the middle with wanting something to look nice but still be the best needs i could allow the snake to have... i use a custom built enclosure with sliding glass doors.. by only having 1 glass side it allows the snake more security.. it will look nice.. ( still in quartine so its the basic paper towel show box hides) and keeps the heat and humidity really well... if you like the look of an aquarium ( naturalistic) but want your snake to feel more secure imo its the way to go..

but eventually when i get more into the breeding ( about 5 years ) only my orginal het male and normal female will be kept in these type of enclosures... its just to expensive and takes up to much room to be housing 10-15 balls in... unless i can build a nice display enclosure to hold 6 or 7 snakes ( sepratly)

[Bartman]

Well I guess I see your point a little better for the fact that you want a 'furniture' piece and are using his tank as an added decoration to your house.

I just want him to feel the most at home I can.

The only way you could make him feel at home, if you were trying to replicate his true habitat, would be to build a 10 foot high termite mound. They usually hide in abandoned termite mounds in the wild. So you can't say you're trying to create a home similar to the one in the wild, because this is a captive animal and it is just not practical.

[pitviper10]

well i found this online today http://www.exoticlizards.com/ball-python-starter-kit.html
im most likely going to get that. All i need are hide boxes and a thermometer.

[Bartman]

Thats a good kit. The only thing I dont like is the jungle substrate. That stuff really sucks.

[deborahbroadus]

I found a clay pot in Homedepot!! :mednormal It works great as a hide. It's a clay pot that they use to burn candles and is big enough to house a BP it has two holes in it (one at the top and one on the side that he can use to wiggle in and out of! It cost less than 15.00 :jawdrop: It's heavy, so it's unlikely that it can be tipped over and is a great size for some of the medium sized tanks.

[pitviper10]

Thats a good kit. The only thing I dont like is the jungle substrate. That stuff really sucks.
i wasnt planing on useing that substrate. I will most likely use newpaper, except if theres something better than newspaper.

[Bartman]

paper towl or in a tank like that I would use melalucha mulch. Holds humidity really well

[peterm15]

honestly if you bought the stuff you need sepratly it would cost much less..

15 gal tank- $15 at big als aquarium service

lid- $15 same place

grape vine- $5

water dish- clay one at wal mart 86c ( looks better imo)

heat pad $15


just over 50 bucks.. ok and the book.. 55

[Bartman]

the books ten bucks, but ya you're right. Id just go buy the stuff seperatly from cheeper places.

[pitviper10]

i cant find a glass aquarium for a price like that anywere. 15 bucks!?! dose that place have a website???

[TomL]

I didnt read all the posts but i think the natural display tanks look much nicer. Live plants, branches, etc. Looks great in a room.

Tom