Reptile & Amphibian Forums

This is my first post here at Kingsnake.com, I just purchased a new Ball Python over the weekend, I'm really happy with him, I've followed every advice I found on the forums but I still have a few questions , I'm hoping someone out there with enough experience can answer them for me.

1- Can I decorate my tank with branches and rocks found from outside, I would put them in boiling water for 10 minutes to kill any germs.

2- Second question is many people write that they use a lightbulb for heating, If the tank is warm enough without it, do I still need it ? Arent they nocturnal?

Thanx folks.

I personally don't use anything I find outside for decoration though many folks do. I would soak anything you plan on using you find yourself in a mild bleach solution overnight, rinse thouroughly and let it dry in bright sunlight for at least a day. Some even bake theirs in the oven for a while to speed up the drying process and to further kill anything that may not have been previously. You really don't need branches since BP's are not arboreal but one of my tanks does just because it looks cool and if you dont crowd the tank with branches it should be fine. DO NOT USE PINE or anything related to it. Make sure the branches have been scrubbed of all bark and that it is completely dry.

As far as heat goes, I prefer a uth (under tank heater) instead of a lamp. The lamp tends to heat up the entire tank and cant really be focused on one spot to give the snake a definite warm and cool spot. Plus they are horrible for keeping the humidity in check since they dry everything out.

Thanx alot for the quick reply, what is the recipe for a mild bleach solution, a friend of mine had mentioned just dipping it in boiling water, would that not suffice?

i use 3/4 of a cup of bleach for every gallon of water. This is what I use for dissinfecting hides, bowls, decorations and the tank itself. Just make sure everything is rinsed thouroughly and let air dry for a couple of hours. I have been using this same solution for 10 years and have had 0 problems.

Great Thanx!

I have used branches from outside. Like cenobyte said, NO PINE. I de-bark, soak in 1:10 bleach solution, then air dry for a day. After that, I bake in the oven at 400 for ten minutes to kill anything that may have stuck around. Boiling water does not sufficiently kill all the nasties that hide in a piece of wood. The nicest stuff is driftwood. It really looks nice.
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James.....
"I never fail. I don't believe in it. I just succeed at finding what doesn't work."