2 Ball Pythons and Tank Size

[okieupnorth]

Hi there! I'm an educator at a non-profit school that has a few animals in their care. I have inherited the position of animal care coordinator, so now I have the power and can dictate the conditions are animals are living in.

Currently we have two ball pythons that have been living together for 10+ years. Their tank is 36x17x19 (not sure the gallon size). They have a felt square of fabric that is on the bottom of their tank, two heating pads, one heat lamp (all temp requirements are met, I have made sure), one hide house, a small climbing tree, and a water dish.

As it stands, the tank is pretty crammed. Little to no room for our friends to stretch out and climb. They spend a lot of time curled up together in the house (no surprise there).

They are brought out on a regular basis and handled by visiting schools. They're extremely docile-- wonderful snakes.

I have gotten a lot of comments from fellow staff members saying "I wish their tank was a bit bigger" or "I wonder if they get bored in there with so little to do."

So I've made it my mission to completely pimp out their living quarters.

I wanted everyone's thoughts on a few things:

1. What tank size should I be aiming for with two snakes that are roughly 11-12 years old (we don't know for sure since they were surrendered to us 10 years ago)?
2. Should I ditch the felt pad? If so, what substrate do you suggest?
3. What kind of setup should I be aiming for? One climbing branch? Two? They really perked up when my predecessor added a climbing tree, and have seemed a lot more active and alert.

Thanks everyone. I just really want to give more care and thought into how animals in my care are living, and I'm working with a handicap (no animal husbandry background).

(And don't even get me started on the red tailed hawk I also inherited... phew!)