Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello all! Im going to be getting a ball in a few months and am currently doing as much research as i can. My question is what kind of enclosure should i purchase or should a build my own out of plexiglass. I was thinking of just getting like a glass 3 to 4 foot long terrarium or possibly building my own out of plexi glass. Any comments or advice would be great!

Thanks,
Mike

first of all, is it a male or female. this should determine how big of a cage you need. what i am in the process of doing right now is building a 3 tier cage. It is 6'Hx3'Wx2'D. I am serpating it into 3 levels and I will house either adolescent balls or boas. I am using 3/4 plywood for the shelves and 2x2s for the frame of the entire thing. I am using plastic sheeting(which you can get at a local sign shop for about $30 a sheet)for the floors. Then you cut a hole in the floor of the plywood before you lay the plastic down and then you attach the flexwatt heat tape to the underside of the plastic.

The reason i wouldnt go with a plexiglass cage is because your snake will need to feel secure and if it has clear walls, it could stress your snake out. IMO

If you use wood, be sure to seal it with a good polyurathane and use silicone to seal the edges where the wood meets.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

One more thing, if you decide to use wood, and you dont have any tools, home depot can cut the wood for you....

Hope this helps...
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0.4 normal ball pythons
0.1 normal Redtail boa
1.0 Hypo Redtail boa
1.0 true Redtail boa
1.1 100% Het Albino Redtail boa
1 baby sulcata tortoise
0.0.1 Baby Bearded Dragon
0.0.1 Baby Red Uromastyx
0.1 GF Eryn (WC)

That sounds like a good plan. I was thinking more of a aquirium like plan. i have read all about the glass and how if its open it can stress them out so I was going to get a cool background so he wouldnt feel so open. I am not sure of the sex as i am waiting for the breeder's next group to be hatched. I am planning on mid to late summer from what i was told. I figured that 3 to 4 feet would be adequete tho. Like i said im not a pro yet but have read a lot and am trying to learn as much as possible before he/she arrives.

Do yourself a favor and get a Boaphile 221D...its not just cheap, but its so worth it.

do those boa enclosures have air vents in them and were do you put your heat pad or do you use a coil. Is the back hollow so that you can set it up against the floor? I have looked on the site numerous times but could never find much in the likes of specs on them.

Thanks for the posts guys!

Mike

there is an air gap around the door that provides enough fresh air. you just stick an uth or flexwatt to the bottom. i dont know what you mean by is it hollow.

It seems to me like theres a good couple inches between the bottom of the interior and the actual base of the box. i was curious as to how the heat transfers up to the inside. Hopefully that explained my thoughts a lil better.

Hey man thanks for the advice. I have looked at those some more and i think thats the route im going to go! I wasnt real sure of them before but after looking at them some more i think those would be a great idea!! Thanks for all the help once again!

Many thanks,
Mike

btw boaphile cages are 1/4" thick so heating is not a problem. they are sturdy, yet lightweight. with an aquarium, you will have problems keeping humidity, but not with a boaphile. give me an hour or so, and ill post a picture.

to give you an idea of size...my female in her hide box is 500g and 30 inches.

how did you get your light in the cage? Do they comewith them or is it something you can add later? Is it a heat lamp. Just a few more questions and ill stop bugging you but thanks for the help. Is it easy to maintain a cool and hot side? Do you have thermostats like digital ones in there? Is there any way that if you had to run something in there from behind like a wire or something is there access holes or anything like that or is the only opening thru the front door? I think if you could answer those for me I'd be good!! lol I just want to make sure everything is right before i go out and bring him home is all!

>>>>how did you get your light in the cage?
i drilled a 1/4" hole in the side, then i cut the lamp cord in half, passed it thru the hole, then crimped it back together.

>>>>Do they come with them or is it something you can add later?
I order mine plain, and added the lamp later.

>>>>Is it a heat lamp.
no, its a 13" fluorescent from lowes...cost $12.99

>>>>Is it easy to maintain a cool and hot side?
as long as you only heat one side

>>>>Do you have thermostats like digital ones in there?
I have a ranco digital thermostat controlling the uth

>>Is there any way that if you had to run something in there from behind like a wire or something is there access holes or anything like that or is the only opening thru the front door?
I drilled a hole in the back panel for the probe, passed it thru, and taped it to the floor.
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Peace

galveston22,

I'm looking at the Boaphiles for a ball python, too. I picked he/she up from a friend who was getting out of snakes and into iguanas. I currently have two emory rat snakes, so I was planning on buying the 421Coupe for them (48x24x12 with a divider) and then stacking something on top for the ball.

With modularity in mind, do you think that the 421D (48x24x12) would be too big for a ball? On the flip side, is 24x24 too small (i.e., could I get a second 421Coupe to make room for another snake later)?

It's 4 feet long right now and may be full grown.

Thanks!
Scott
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0.2.0 Emory's Rat Snake (het for amel)
0.0.1 Ball Python (normal)

Mike,

what are you looking for out of the habitat??

some want display tanks, while others just want a breeding setup.

there are many ways to set up a functional tank.

a 40 gal. breeder can be set to be a be an aesthetic and functional habitat for the life of a BP. In my experience it will need a bit of modification though.

I would buy a glass tank or build one out of wood, before building a plex-glas one.

whatever you decide, set it up before you bring the snake home, so you can get the temp/humidity correct before the snake is introduced.

JMO

ps: post in the caging forum there are some very knowledgeable and helpful people there.

TomChambers

Thanks for the reply Tom.
Basically i dont plan on breeding. Im hopeing to get one and stop there. lol I can myself getting carried away with it all tho. That outcome is unknown yet, but ya Im just looking for soomething that will be good for the BP to live in. I dont want anything crazy as far as hundreds of items to clean or anything like that but enough to make my ball feel at home. I am starting to like the boaphile cages btu am a little worried that i will not be able to do much tweeking in concerns to cage temps and lights. I will repost in the cage forums as you advised and see what i get there.

Thanks,
Mike

I dont want to step on toes here.

The boaphile tanks are very nice, I use some for my boas, as well as some I've made.

And love them for that application.

But for balls I find they are a bit harder to keep humidity in.

Again
JMO

I commend you for researching before your purchase it’s refreshing.

please feel free to post any concern before it's a problem.

TomChambers

Thats a good tip. I read on the site that they kept humidity better and it seemed like they would. Again tho this is why im on the forum to find out from real people. I appreciate the praise in doing my homework first. I think that everyone should do the same and always recpmend it. I have been doing some here and there for the past few years but this is the first time im heads first into now because the time has come. Thanks again and i posted another forum in the housing side of the forum.

Thanks again,
Mike