new snake owner!!! need enclosure info!!

Taylor1992 · 09-26-12, 11:22 AM

okay so my bf and I just got a small ball python. He/she is about a foot and a half if that. Still too young to determine if it is a girl or boy. Well we have a pretty basic set up. 20 gal tank with aspen shavings as bedding, an infrared heat lamp (50 watt), a heavy duty screen top a hollowed out log inside in the middle, a climbing limb under the light, and a water bowl/container on the far side from the lamp. we do not have a humidity or temperature gauge in there yet and from reading i am assuming we may need one. The enclosure is sitting up on out dresser to keep it off of the floor. WE have a separate feeding container with a lid and a small opening for hanging the food in the container with tongs. any suggestions?

Lankyrob · 09-26-12, 05:06 PM

You definitely need guages for temps and humidity, aspen may not work for you in terms of keeping the humidity high enough, especially with a bulb and a screen top. The snake needs hides on both ends of the enclosure so that it can both hide and thermoregulate.

The temps need to be 91f at the hot end and 78-80f at the cool end.

Skumbo · 09-26-12, 05:46 PM

may I suggest this for regulating your heat source:

Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden

As for humidity:

http://www.ssnakess.com/forums/gener...y-way-off.html

Get two hides *of proper size!*, one for warm and one for cooler side. Make sure any water is on the cooler side so its not absorbing heat from any heat source.

Alessia has a great website about ball pythons:
Ball python morphs

ballpython1717 · 09-26-12, 05:48 PM

instead of aspen bedding which is better for corn snakes, you should use repti-bark. and you should also have seperate hides for the hot side and cool side

alessia55 · 09-26-12, 05:56 PM

This site gives you some good tips about setting up for a ball python: Click here!

Skumbo · 09-26-12, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alessia55

This site gives you some good tips about setting up for a ball python: Click here!

Beat you to linking your own website.

mykee · 09-26-12, 06:58 PM

Good advice, just to clear another fallacy up; ball pythons are NEVER too young to sex. I sex all of mine the day they come out of the egg.

Falconeer999 · 09-26-12, 07:03 PM

Skumbo - I use that same thermostat on both tanks I have set up (separate thermostats of course). Good product with one -minor- annoyance: when it switches on and off, it makes a fairly noticeable "click". Laying in bed at night I can hear both of them clicking on and off on the other side of my apartment. On the other hand, it also gives me a little peace of mind that they are working!

Skumbo · 09-26-12, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Falconeer999

Skumbo - I use that same thermostat on both tanks I have set up (separate thermostats of course). Good product with one -minor- annoyance: when it switches on and off, it makes a fairly noticeable "click". Laying in bed at night I can hear both of them clicking on and off on the other side of my apartment. On the other hand, it also gives me a little peace of mind that they are working!

I never noticed this, must be the tinnitus working its magic.

Wanka2012 · 09-28-12, 10:02 PM

Question: The original poster noted that the enclosure was off the floor. Is this something I should be aware of? My enclosure if currently on a carpet floor. There isn't a heating pad under it so that's not an issue, and there are no predators in the house that can harm my python. Is there any other reason that I need to keep it's enclosure off the floor? (I'm eventually going to get a stand, but for now I figured it's location was fine)

Skumbo · 09-28-12, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanka2012

Question: The original poster noted that the enclosure was off the floor. Is this something I should be aware of? My enclosure if currently on a carpet floor. There isn't a heating pad under it so that's not an issue, and there are no predators in the house that can harm my python. Is there any other reason that I need to keep it's enclosure off the floor? (I'm eventually going to get a stand, but for now I figured it's location was fine)

Not really, unless you walk around with bricks tied to your feet. Im assuming its a combination of things, but first that came to my mind was vibrations from walking around annoying the snake.

rmfsnakes32 · 09-28-12, 10:23 PM

I keep mine up for a few reasons 1st heat rises and its going to be warmer on a table than a drafty floor 2nd is its easier to see an area that needs spot cleaned 3rd I enjoy watching my snakes cruise around being active. This is just opinions I am no expert by any means!

Terranaut · 09-29-12, 04:25 AM

I hate the typical pet store setup. They sell you all the wrong stuff. Was your setup in a kit?
Anyway I would ditch everything but the hide and water bowl.
Even a rubbermade tub is better than a screen lid fish tank. Unless you have a healthy budget. Better to have a healthy snake you can't see than a dried out ,hard shedding unhealthy snake you see all the time. You need to control a balls humidity as well as temp.
This is a good cheap setup I found by Googling

Heat is under one of the hides. I would put the thermostat outside so the snake didn't adjust it.
1 cheap tub with some air holes in the side (not the lid=lets humidity out)
2 hides so the snake feels safe warming or cooling
1 heat source like a mat or heat tape
1 water dish .Moving the water dish onto or off the heat source will raise or lower humidity as will adding a second bowl.
1 thermostat *** this is a must and not an upgrade***
No thermostat will make your temps wrong a lot of the time and could lead to illness and if the heat skyrockets due to a short in the pad and there is nothing to turn it off you will broil your snake and possibly start a fire.
If you have more cash now get a snake enclosure and not another fishtank.
I have my Royal in a pvc enclosure.

The bottom one is for my ball. I also use the hydofarm thermostats on a few of my enclosures and they work great. Never noticed a clicking but mine are in a dedicated reptile room.
I would bet 99% of the issues I read about people having with their snakes (rti,won't eat,bad shed ect) are husbandry related from using the wrong viv and/or no thermostat.
Do it right and you will enjoy your snake more than the people who cheap out and spend all their time treating issues.

Wanka2012 · 09-29-12, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skumbo

Not really, unless you walk around with bricks tied to your feet. Im assuming its a combination of things, but first that came to my mind was vibrations from walking around annoying the snake.

LOL, no bricks tied to my feet here. It's carpet too, so hardly any vibrations.

Taylor1992 · 10-04-12, 08:58 AM

We do not have a thermostat but we have the thermometer and hydrometer. The temp is mostly 90 at least and always stays between 88 and 93 on the hot side and no lower than 77 on the cool side. he has a heating pad and a lamp on the same half of the tank. his water is on the opposite side. he has 2 hides one on the cool side and one on the warm side. he is eating fine and shedding fine. always stays between 37 and 45.