I musta screwed up

beaglegod · 01-21-04, 10:51 PM

Ive been reading like a maniac and asking questions to the point of anoying myself simply cause I wanna do things right. Now that Im just about all set up my enclosure might be too big for a young BP. Is there any way I can get around this? Or do I have to buy an older snake? My dimensions are 30"x13"x12".

mykee · 01-21-04, 10:59 PM

First of all, never think you're being annoying for asking questions. That's how you learn. If you already have the snake, and the enclosure, wouldn't it be more cost effective to buy a smaller emclosure until the snake is big enough to be put in the enclosure you have now? Just pick up a small rubbermaid (11.4L), drill a few holes around the top, get a heat pad, a water dish and a hide, and you're rockin'. Maybe $40? When the snake outgrows the smaller enclosure, Voila! You've got the big one ready to go.

beaglegod · 01-21-04, 11:28 PM

havent bought a snake yet mykee, in fact I just got setup this morning (gotta buy a rheostat though) and so Im begining to mess with teps and humidity before I start shopping for my first snake.

mykee · 01-21-04, 11:51 PM

Well then your in the clear, pick up a yearling or an adult, forget this whole problem ever happened. P.S. BIG pat on the back for doing your research and setting up your environment BEFORE buying the snake. It's not that common for a 'newbie' to take that sort of initiative. Commendable, and I'm sure many will agree.

emroul · 01-22-04, 12:10 AM

Agreed. :thumbsup:

Jennifer

sapphire_moon · 01-22-04, 07:33 AM

or.....if you still want a baby (which sometimes are cheaper than a yearling or adult) you can put twice the amount of hides in there. Which can be very inexpensive.......if you don't want to go out and buy another rubbermaid, with a smaller heating pad, and all. But everyone will have their own opinon.

jfmoore · 01-22-04, 09:10 AM

Beaglegod – You haven’t screwed up. Your 30"x13"x12" container will work great as long as you pay attention to the details. Think like a ball python. As far as people know, they spend the majority of their time in places like rodent burrows and termite mounds. So make sure you provide tight, low places to hide. For a hatchling, something no more than 2 inches tall would be best – think flower pot saucer, either clay or plastic, with an entrance hole cut in it. Or spend a couple bucks and get that plastic shoe box a lot of people recommend, but fill it half full of substrate, cut a hole in the lid, and put THAT inside your large container as one of the hides. Your snake will be able to come out and cruise around at night and still have places to hide and feel secure the rest of the time. Just make sure you get the temperature gradient worked out, preferably with some sort of heat pad underneath. I’d recommend 79 degrees at one end, 90 at the other. The smaller the container, the narrower the range of temperatures you can provide. And then get a healthy, captive bred animal from someone trustworthy and you’ll be all set.

-Joan

Vengeance · 01-22-04, 09:13 AM

Yea Saphire I was going to suggest the same thing. I put my not even a yearling in a 50 gallon with tons of hides. Just make sure that he can basiclly make it from one end of the cage to the other without being seen. I did this by useing PVC tubeing. This way he can exit whatever hide he is in, either use the tube as another hide as a form of cover to get to the other hide. Just my 2 cents.

sapphire_moon · 01-22-04, 09:20 AM

90-95degree hot side and about 70-85 degree cool side.
I've heard every where from 70-85 for cool sides for ball pythons, so if I'm wrong I'm sure someone (mykee, lol) will correct me.......

tHeGiNo · 01-22-04, 12:12 PM

Sapphire, I would recommend not letting the cool side get any lower then 75. Aim for that range, with an ambient of 85.

mykee · 01-22-04, 12:48 PM

Sapphire, you're on your own. Though I would say instead of 70-85, I would go 71-86. LOL.

beaglegod · 01-22-04, 01:49 PM

Thanks so much guys,( now I can sleep at night

) Ive made 2 hides outa cardboard both are 2-3 inches high about 5 inches wide and 8-9 inches long, nice and dark with a hole cut out for entrance ( makes me wanna crawl inside). Ive als placed an upside down flower pot in the center with the drain hole opened up, Ill try and get a piece of PVC pipe also to run along the back, hopefuly thatll make him feel safe and happy when I get him.

Vengeance · 01-22-04, 01:54 PM

Correct me if I'm wrong guys but is cardboard a good thing to use as a hide? My only logic behing it is that if the cardboard gets wet I could see it getting moldy and starting to break down. Might have to replace it frequently because you can't clean it either. Wouldn't plastic be a better idea?

mykee · 01-22-04, 02:40 PM

I wouldn't recommend cardboard for a hide, unless it's changed out often. There's a lot of suitable material out there, and in my opinion, cardboard is not one of them.

Auskan · 01-22-04, 02:44 PM

I use toilet rolls and paper towel rolls cut in half lengthwise for my baby corns. They are convenient & cheap hides, small enough so that the snake feels secure, and easily discarded and replaced by new ones if they get wet. However I don't have any cardboard for my BP.