Ball python shopping list?

Question

Ok so I need to know what I exactly need for a baby ball python cage setup.

Answer 1

1 tank (40 gallon breeder tank)

1 heat lamp dome

1 basking bulb (zoo med)

forest floor substrate  (zoo med)

2 hides

1 water bowl

1 piece of driftwood (from the pet store so it doesn't have bugs)

1 digital thermometer to monitor the hot side of vivarium

1 spray bottle

1 plastic tub for feeding and for soaking if snake is having a bad shed

to set up the vivarium for your snake use a basking spot lamp (it's by zoo med). put that on one side which keeps the vivarium around 85 - 90 F during the day and dont put any kind of heating on the cool side of the tank...room temp is fine for that.  leave the heat lamp on for 10 – 12 hours a day.  also at night just turn off the day lamp and the temp should drop around 70 - 75 at night. you will probably have to play around with the basking bulb wattage to get the one that keeps the vivarium the right temp.  start out with a 100 watt and go up or down from there.  put hides on both sides and leave their water on the cool side. use a substrate that can hold humidity like cypress mulch (forest floor) then just mist it several times a day (3) with a squirt bottle to keep the humidity up. the humidity should be around 60% when you mist it.  i put the driftwood somewhere in the center of the tank so that my ball pythons have something to climb over...they seem to like climbing up on it and stuff.

after your snakes new enclosure is set up then leave the snake alone for at least a week before handling it or feeding it...this will keep your snake from stressing out.

when you feed your snake take it out of its enclosure and put it in a "feeding tub"...any appropiately sized palstic box will do (a plastic box like from wal mart or target). If the snake is an adult you will need a decent sized plastic box...get one that is short...not too tall (the size that could fit under your bed). drill holes along the sides at the top for airflow put the snake in and then the food in. after the snake has eaten give it about 15 minutes to get its food down before putting it back in its cage. dont handle the snake for about 24 hours after it eats. its just better all around to feed a snake this way.

Answer 2

a bowl large enough for them to soak in and drink water from but yet not too deep where it cannot get out

calcisand for the litter. you can scoop it clean and its ok for them to ingest some of it while eating...gives them calcium

a book about ball pythons

a hiding spot just look in the reptile section at the pet store

heating source. preferably a under tank heater for ONE side of the cage so it has a cool and warm side

a source of lighting

NO HEAT ROCKS and NO WOOD CHIPS or CAGE CARPET FOR BEDDING....they are not safe

oh yea and obviously the cage lol...needs to be suitable for a full grown snake....as it will grow. that way you dont end up buying 2 cages.

Answer 3

You need 2 tight identical hides. So they it will feel secure..One for the cool side and one for the warm, since ball pythons do not bask.



A 10 gallon tank is fine for a baby, nothing bigger since they get stressed out easy.

A digital thermometer. Keep the warm side 90-94 and the cool side 80-84. And the humidity 50-60% while shedding raise it to 70%.

An undertank heater with a light dimmer or thermostat, to keep the tank temps right.. Thats nessacery, since an undertank heater left uncontroled can burn your snake!

A waterdish, It dosent have to be big enough for the snake to soak, since a healthy, mite free, ball python will rarley soak.

  

You can use papertowles for bedding, aspen bedding, newspaper, or reptile carpet. You can also add fake plants, or anything to make it decrative.

Answer 4

A 20 gallon long tank, aspen bedding, a water dish, two hides (I use the half logs), an under tank heater, a mister bottle, and food (Fuzzy/hopper mice or pinkie rats). I hope this helps.

Answer 5

To set up your ball python cage you will need these:

Tank

Substrate

A Hide

Water dish

Thermometer

Heat source

Climbing stick

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Tank:

You will need a tank with a lock top. This will prevent your snake from escaping it's enclosure. Make sure your snake has a large enough tank to roam around in. Even though your snake may seem mellow, it will be more active at night and wanting to explore. Getting a smaller tank will make the snake unhappy.

Substrate:

Substrate is the bedding you will use for your snake's enclosure. I recommend using aspen bedding. It works well and easy to clean up the defecated areas in the tank. Also remember to clean the snakes tank every 1-3 months so the snake wont have a dirty enclosure.

Hide:

A hide would be the item you have for your snake to hide in. The hide could be a half log, which most people usually buy. Rinse your hide with warm water because it is dirty and you never know what may be on it. Place the hide on the side of the tank where the heat source is.

Water dish:

The water dish will be used for soaking and drinking. Clean this with warm water when you buy it. Make sure everyday or every other day you clean out the water bowl so just in case the snake may have defecated in it or made it dirty. When you notice your snake defecated in it clean it out right away so your snake doesn't get sick if he/she drinks it. Also make sure the water bowl is big enough for the snake to fit it's entire body into it. It will soak if the temperature in the tank is too hot or when it is shedding it's skin.

Thermometer:

Having one of these, digital or non digital, will help you tell the correct temperature inside of your snake's enclosure. This will be a very handy tool to have so you know what temperature suites your snake.

Heat source:

You will definitly need a heating source for your snake to stay warm. Snakes cannot create their own body heat because they are cold blooded animals. Make sure you have the correct heating source for your snake incase the tank will be too hot or colder than it should be. Snakes also like to bask so  the heating should be just right.

Climbing stick:

Your snake my love to climb around so getting a climbing stick would make your snake happy. You don't always have to have a climbing stick but it would make the snake happy. Don't ever get anything from outside. The stick or rock may have external parasites and can get your snake sick or even kill your snake. Don't get any rocks because your heating source can make it very hot and can give your snake painful burn marks.

Hope this helped and good luck with your snake's enclosure!