Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I posted yesyerday about getting a 3 y/o male ball yesterday at the arlington expo. So I got my tank ready last night and put him in, and one of the heat lamps was touching the glass last night and cracked the glass along the sides. It is not a smooth break, so im afraid he nay cut himeself on te glass. Since I am having to get a new home for him what is the best enclosure? should I stick to the glass aquarium, what is the best size? this was a 55 gallon, should it be smaller? should I put him in a reptarium since im having to buy him something new to live in anyway id rather it be something he is most comfortable in. what is everyones opinions here.

I would put in something without clear sides. Mine is in a 421 boaphile enclosure. The design of these enclosures allows for good heat and humidity control. Balls don't really need vertical space since they are terrestrial.

Hi, Your son made a good choice. If I were in your spot. I would go with a 20 gallon aquarium. For a substrate? Newspaper or Aspen bedding are good.(NO PINE) A hide box will help him feel secure. A old shoebox with a hole in it works well. And PLEASE go a get a good thermometor with a probe. $12.00 at Walmart. Watch those temps, light bulbs get real hot. Good luck Claude

If you can afford an actual cage designed for snakes (vision, boaphiles, etc) as opposed to an aquarium I would recommend that as a better environment for your snake. Much easier to maintain proper temps and humidity as well as a better sense of security for you snake. Check out the caging classifieds!
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Tosha

If you plan on being on this site often....I would recommend getting a rack system. Trust me....you'll end up with another one within a couple of months. Save yourself money now...lol....
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Nick

I would get a nice Vision or similar cage. Depending on where the snake is, a bedroom, a living room, an all glass cage might make the Ball hide alot more and not feel as safe, if tons of people are always walking around. I also would say GET a cage with HIGHT! If you put in a branch, a nice sturdy one, the Ball will use it. If the branch is rough, it will aide in shedding too. Do not be fooled, Balls DO climb! I had a "retired" breeder Ball in a nice Vision, one of the tall ones, and it loved to climb.

If you want to stay with a glass aquarium, I would go with an All-Glass Critter Cage. The new versions are great and the price is not so bad. They are a glass enclosure with sliding screen top that has latches at one end and a hole to put a lock on at the other end. The screen is metal so you can place the lamp safely on top. Your tank should not crack and the snake cannot get burned.

I got my first ball python about two months ago and at the time was in the same situation as you. I chose an all glass 20 long terrarium and it has worked wonderfully for my ball. The higher end display cages are a bit expensive for me so I modified the all glass tank to make it a little more like what I would have rather bought. I bought some black foamboard (Walmart) and cut it exactly to size for three sides of the tank so the snake would feel more secure as it is in a busy part of my room. This works very well and if you cut it right the board will snap in and stay in place. Also for humididty regulation just go to your local hardware store and pick op a small sheet of plexiglass about two thirds the size of the tank topand you can even silicone it in place, works wonderfully. I think as someone else posted that you should not go with a tank as large as a 55gal as this could stress out the snake. The 20 long is plenty big enough for a couple of hides a branch or two and a nie sized water bowl. Good luck with the new guy!

-Byrce