How do I set up my ball pythons cage?

Question

I have a 1 year old ball python and im putting her in a 20 gallon tank, i made hide box out of a plastic flowering pot with rocks glued on all around it by a glue gun. the glue is dry, there are no pieces of glue that she can swallow (even though i don't think she would), and there is no smell. However i want to be completely sure that it is safe for her, id like some opinions from experienced snake keepers on weather or not the hide box will be good for her. Also im wondering which cage furnishings CANNOT be under the heat lamp, and which ones SHOULD be, (such as water bowl, branches, hide box, etc.)

Answer 1

you actually want 2 hide boxes, one on each side but its no big deal, dont sweat it. if you have one heat lamp, you should put the hide underneath it. the water goes on the complete opposite side and a branch or something in the middle. there needs to be a cold side and a hot side. cold side between 75-80 degrees F and hot side between 80-90 degrees F never exceeding 90F. lightly mist your cage down everyday to provide humidity. since you dont have another heat lamp for a red bulb (keep it on in evening hours while other one is off), you must mist it down. i have red bulbs that go right above the water and the red gives off little heat but it evaporates the water a little and makes it humid.

it sounds like your hide is fine. as long as there is no exposed glue. make sure the hide isnt too big. both of her sides should be touching the sides of the hide. but no, it sounds fine :)

you are gonna have to upgrade her to a 55 gallon tank as she grows out of the 20. just an FYI in case you didnt know. as for bedding, i use aspen for all ages of my ball pythons. dont listen to people who say aspen is bad because its not. cedar is bad, avoid that at all costs.

good luck and enjoy your new snake!

Answer 2

You'll have to upgrade her to a bigger tank very, very soon. Females get big and they require a larger tank, ideally a 40-60gal breeder (long) tank.

For a BP set up, you need:

2 hides, water dish big enough for your snake to curl inside, a digital thermometer with a probe and a humidity gauge.

As for the flower pot, make sure the rocks you glued to it can't come loose even if you tug on them and they're smooth with no sharp edges. By the way, did you bake/boil the rocks to sterilize them?

I would rather use plain flowerpots, but if the rocks can't come loose, are sterilized and you can clean it if she poops on them, then sure go ahead.

If you have humidity problems, the dish should go under the lamp. I wouldn't put hides, branches or rocks directly under the lamp as they can get heated unnecesarily.

I can't really see the setup, so I can't direct you exactly as to what you'll need to fix, do get a look at this forum : http://www.rcreptiles.com/forum and check the topics, they pretty much give a lot of help for any issues you may encounter

Answer 3

A  ball python should be in a much bigger tank,   You should use the fake tarp grass for the bottom, you can get it at any hardware store or walmart.  And your hide box should not be a flower pot all though i wouldnt say its bad but you should make one out of non grainy wood, and sand it down. And woods expensive you need to get treated wood. Also do you have a heat lamp? I have a 50watt inf and a 100 watt normal bulb i use that in the day and the red at night. If you have any more questions you can mail me :] ill help yah out.

Answer 4

Well to tell you the truth...you really don't need much for the ball python....

Basically you just need the bedding, water bowl, hide box, and maybe a heat mat that goes under the tank.

So if anything, you don't really need the hide box but it is recommended just to keep your ball python from being stress out with the people around and stuff. Just put the water bowl on one side of the cage and the heat mat under on the other side of the tank.

You shouldn't over crowd the tank either because it could stress her out. Just make it simple...water bowl on one side, maybe a hide box and a heat mat on the other. And don't forget the bedding...that is important.

Just do all your research before owning one. And another thing is that you would need a much bigger tank then that...somewhere around a 40 gallon or higher. Keeping her in a small tank could make it stressful. You can use a heat lamp but a heating mat would be better because snakes are nocturnal animals...they prefer the dark. Also don't forget to refill her water bowl often...being dehydrated isn't good for them either...especially when they are going through the process of shedding.

If you might still be confused...this might help you out a little bit

http://www.reptilerescueca.org/Ball.html

Hope this could help you. Just email me if you have any more questions.