Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i dont mean to be a bother, but after reading kingsnake.com's ball python guide, i still feel like im in the dark! i've been reading on here for hours, and it just seems like there are so many options for tanks, to substrates, to heat sources. can anyone give me a sort of "beginner kit" that would cover the things i need and wouldn't destroy my bank account? i realize that owning a snake is going to be expensive to get started (at least for a college student) and any help or advice you snake gurus could give would be most excellent! :-D
thank you so much!!!

I use a bark substrait and moss in both ends of the cage for humidity control. I also have the moss in the hide box at one side. The humidity is very controlable this way. I have a 60 gal terrarium with a water dish and a heat pad under it so the water is always about 75%. My BP moves around at night and will always eat F/T rats. He sheds in one piece and is very active and heathy. This seems to work great for me. Good luck...

thanks! i will definitely try that out. any specific type of moss? i know not to use sphagum (sp) moss, but is there any specific type? would using wild spanish moss be a bad idea? i live in LA so its quite plentiful.

I used Zoo Med Repti Bark, and Exo Terra Forest Moss. He loves to just come out and lay in the moss. I use a spray bottle with hot water to wet the moss. It makes it warm and humid. Good luck...
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Lets try this again....
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try once more..

BP...