Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi folks, I'm in the process of getting a baby ball python, and I want to do this properly from the word go. To that end, I need your folks advice as to cages/enclosures. Although I am getting a baby, I see no reson not to get the largest cage I can from the outset, as opposed to getting cages as I go. What do you folks recommend? Is a 30 gallon aqaurium suitable? I fully understand that balls are vary adept at escape, what are the tips adn tricks for preventing this?
I am not interested in breeding, this snake will be alone. I live in NE Ohio, so, if there is a supplier/manufacturer locally, that would also be apreciated.
Like many here, I was quite the amatuer herp nut in my teens. That was many, many moons ago. I have not so much as owned anything for the last 20 years, but I do realize and fully underswtand what I am entering into.
Anyhoo, thanks for all your time!

Hi, I have a baby Royal/ball python and I had similar questions when I was setting up. The one thing that come up time and time again was that is you house this type of snake in a big viv/aquarium when they are babies they can get stressed out. I have opted for a Platic Box with two side retainers 16" long x 6" deep and 10" across. This is bigger than the box that was recommended to me. My snake has 2 hides one on the hotside and one on the coolside, a waterbowl and a climbing rock and branch. To give you an idea what these snakes are like mine is now 22" long and 132grms, her hides are the mini ceral boxes that you get for kids and she only fills half of one, it still amazes me to see this long and very solid snake go into this tiny box and dissappear. I am waiting until she is about 8 Months old and will then be moved with her box into a full size viv. i hope that this helps and good luck with your snake.

This is my girl

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0.1 Royal python
0.2 Dogs
2.0 guineapigs
1.1 kids
0.1 wife

first, thanks for the reply. So, I may be not doing the reptile any favors by giving it a big enclosure? I will definately keep this in mind. I do appreciate the advice, and will definately rethink my strategy on this one, while my decision to go straight to a large enclosure was based solely upon money, I do not want to put any durress upon the snake as well. Thanks again!

A ten gallon tank with a screened lid, a undertank mat heater. works great.I also use these locks that are 1.99 that are made for all size tanks.they clamp the lid tight ..

2 bucks is very encouraging. Please tell me more about the undertank matt heater. Do I need to use it at all times? Do I need to hook it into a rheostat? Thany ou also for your time!

Get a thermometer and stick it about an inch or two above the bottom of the tank at both sides, so you know the hot and cool ends that it'll be living at. Then you know when you need to have the pad on or off.

Don't forget a big enough waterbowl for the snake to dunk itself in, rough climbing stuff for exercise/shedding, and a hidey. My big snakes like shoeboxes, for my baby I'm using whatever kinds of boxes that're small enough around the house.

~jenny
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1.1 normal ball pythons (Cindy and Darwin)
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
2.1 betta fishes (Vicious, Killer, and Butters)
3.1 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
2.0 horses (Buddy and Sam)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
2.25 chickens (Jacques the rooster and his harem)

but what I really want is more ball pythons!

>>A ten gallon tank with a screened lid, a undertank mat heater. works great.I also use these locks that are 1.99 that are made for all size tanks.they clamp the lid tight ..

The only thing with the ten gallon is you have to be careful with the undertank heater, because if it gets too cold the snake will just sit on the heater and burn itself. This happened to my first snake when I first got her years ago.
If you can find a 20L, go with that. It'll work for a couple years, at least, until the snake hits a few feet, and then you can bump up to, say, a 55 gallon. This way you also have the 20L as a backup tank, just in case, because you never know what can happen.
If you can, also set up the tank with a heat lamp. I like red bulbs because if I need to I can leave them on at night, and since the snakes are in my bedroom it's not keeping me up either.
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1.1 normal ball pythons (Cindy and Darwin)
1.0 rex rat (Scurvy)
0.1 bunny (Spazz)
2.1 betta fishes (Vicious, Killer, and Butters)
3.1 great danes (Shasta, Odysseus, Merlot, and Watson)
1.0 fat fuzzy mutt (Smokey)
1.1 cats (Thidwick and Turtle)
2.0 horses (Buddy and Sam)
1.0 goat (Billy Jack)
2.25 chickens (Jacques the rooster and his harem)

but what I really want is more ball pythons!

I can get a 20l, I am concerned about these heat pads. I am worried about putting that sort of heat on a glass pane for proloned periods. Being that they are designed for this purpose, my fears are prolly unfounded. Are there instances of them cracking the glass, or shorting out? Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill? I tried to speak with the *kids* at the pet store, and frankly, I got the impression they did not know the answers to the questions I was asking.

I use zoo med pads. I use aspen bedding about 3 1/2 inches thick. I have never had any of my snakes get burned. I had more problems with lights, humidty was never right. with the mats i have no problems.I got my locks from Petco.

Look ! it sounds like you really need to talk to some one ,it is so much easier to have a dialog in person or on the Phone so if you will E-Mail me I will give you my Ph # or You can send me yours ,If you have Cingular cell phone service it will be a free call at best or using my cell phone I won't pay long distance. so E-mail me @ dsreptiel@hotmail.com thanks David.

I was told that some balls are captive born, and some are captive bred. Is there a difference? Is one better than the other?

1/ A heat pad should never get hot enough to crack the glass on an aquarium, however running the cabling into the tank might cause trouble for you.

Captive bred - the snakes have been bred from captive snakes and should be clean from parasites

Captive born - the eggs arer collected from wild snakes and hatched in an incubator. Hence a higher risk of parasites

I have gone for captive bred, you have probably heard about getting a snake that is feeding but if not :-

MAKE SURE THE SNAKE IS EATING ! If possible see the snake eating. I did not do this with my first snake and she died, not a fun thing to deal with.

If you can get a captive bred animal, the dealer should have records for what the snake is eating, when it last fed - shed etc.

Hope it helps

Colin
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0.1 Royal python
0.2 Dogs
2.0 guineapigs
1.1 kids
0.1 wife

captive born or hatched just means that they were born in captivity and dose not mean that their parents are wild or wild cout it just means born in captivity .This is some thing you need to clarify with the person you perches from as thay may not always post clearly..

What you need is a 12 qt. Steralite tub ,you can get it at Wal-Mart for about 3 dollars and put a 1/4 drilled hole or use a soldering iron to poke and melt a hole about every 1 1/2 in. around the tube about 2in.from the top this is a cheep and very good way to houses your baby ball and as it grows you just bi a bigger one and when it is a adult then you send as much as you wont for a cage. plus this tube will make it easier to keep the humidity up and use a under tank heater and a thermostat and put the timp probe on the bottom ,that is were the snake will be most of the time and the same with a thermometer put it as close to the bottom as possible and a 32 oz.gatorade bottle full of water works good for a lid lock ,plus the lids snap on.
good luck!!!!!!!!

this peson wants it as a pet a tank would be better. put a backround on it some hides. Then you can enjoy your snake.

First you do what is best for the snake and then what is to please your eye !! and a screen top is the hardest lid to keep humidity up with .

YOu are right about that it is harder to maintain humidty. I use cardboard under the lids and i cut a 12 inch square out and the rest is all covered and it lays right on the lip of the tank and the screen still goes on no problem. During the summer i remove the cardboard though.

Plus glass dose not heat evenly it will get hot right over the heat source and be cool right beside it , you can best demonstrate this with heat cable. Be leave me I know how your thinking I use to think the same way. I've been doing this for
37 years now ,I come from the old school were you used aquariums
or built your own cages out of wood and glass or screen and we put wood on the bottom ! It was very very hard for me to be leave that a 3 -6 dollar plastic tube was better for my reptiles than a lot of what I was using and all of my reptiles are pets and you can still enjoy them in a tube besides they are most active at night anyway as Ball Pythons are nocturnal. I'm not trying to be or meaning to sound like a smart ass just trying to explain to the best of my typing ability . A smart ass ?no smart ???? Ass my wife said yes HaHa!!!! thanks for reading. David of DS Reptile Rescue, Removal and Rehabilitation

I just want to take a quick moment to thank all who have responded, you have filled in MANY gaps that the books I bought at the Cleveland reptile show did not answer to my satisfaction. I now have some very good starting points, and I have learned that there is a very vocal, and helpful bunch of folks here. (and more than a little bit creative as well!!!) Thanks again to all who have answered. I am sure I will have many many more questions down the road, and I see I have a bit of reading to do here, as this forum contains a boatload of information as well.