Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My name is Theresa and I'm new here. I have a housing ?. I have 1 BP she is almost 5 ft long. I have her in a 30 gallon tank. She has 1 hide box and a bowel for water. Now I think my tank is big enough for her, but my hubby insits that she needs something bigger. We were given a Tank that measure 20 inches wide by 5'2 long and 5'2 tall. Hubby thinks we should bring that in and put here in it. He keeps telling me that she needs something that size so she has plenty of room to move around and so she can climb.

So what do you all think. I think its way to big and a waste of space. Please comment?

Theresa

Well.....what she is in now is fine, I think a 20long is the smallest I'd put a full grown ball in, but for looks I have a setup in the livingroom with two baby balls in a 55 gallon. What ever floats your boat as long as it's at least a 20 long.
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the huge tank would be useless for your ball python. Ball pythons are not arboreal for one thing so climbing is not their thing. They can climb a little but they are terrestrial ambush snakes. They also like tight dark hides.

Being 5 years old your ball python is pretty much at her maximum growth so isn't going to need anything bigger than what you have now. However I do recommend two hides, one on each end (one on the hot spot, the other in the cool end).

Other problems with a huge tank will be heating and humidity and providing the security your ball python needs to eat. If your husband wants a huge cage, he should look into getting something more appropriate in a cage that size.
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PHLdyPayne

Sorry misread your original post..realize now you said the ball python is nearly 5' long, not 5 years old. But 5' long is pretty much as big as your female will get...haven't heard of too many female ball pythons being over five feet.

That other cage though...only 20" wide? Seems very narrow for a cage that is 5' tall and 5' long. Though if lain on its side, so its only 20" tall and 5'wide and 5' long...would make a great cage for a tegu or some acky monitors...
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PHLdyPayne

I have to disagree my ball is in a 175 gallon cage with a pvc climbing gym that he uses every night they might be ground pythons but some do like to have room and climb around let them have their own fun get the bigger tank

The problem is some balls feel insecure in a large cage and may stop eating. My first snake was a ch male I bought as a hatchling 16 years ago. When he got to be 3ft long I thought I'd put him in an empty 55 gallon. He immediately stopped eating. He was previously eating f/t small rats. I tried live, thumped, mice, gerbils, hampsters, all live and prekilled he would not eat. I tried every trick in the book to get him to eat. I even put him back in his old cage, a 20 gallon.. He didn't eat until I gave him to a friend and he put him in a 15 gallon. This was 13 months later. I now keep my ball pythons in rack and even my large females are in Boaphile ballroom racks that are a little under 3ft. I never have problems with my snakes going on hunger strikes.
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