Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi i am new the he forum and new to ball pythons but not to snakes.
ii dont have a snake anymore so its time for one agian. i am wondering if i should just go with a ball or possibly a hybrid what size tank should i get for now i have a 10g plan on a thirty on thursday what should i use for substrate should i feed f/t or live mice and any other information would be great i work at a pet store so everything is withen reach to obtain

huge thanks to all that reply

Here's a link to a care guide.
Kingsnake.com Care guide

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"What is man without the beasts?
If all the beasts were gone,
men would die from great loneliness of spirit.
For what happens to the beasts,
soon happens to men.
All things are connected."

-Chief Seattle (Duwamish Tribe)

As for what kind of snake to get, that is personal preference, but a 10 gallon should hold a baby ball for a while. As for feeding live vs frozen ect.. that would depend on what the snake is already eating. If you baby is well started on live, i wouldnt change it right away. Thats also a preference as well. what is easiest and most comfortable for you. my pastel was already feeding on live, but I prefer feeding p/k. I always offer him live first, if he doesnt eat I p/k and leave in overnight. Eventually i hope to get him eating p/k, but thats my preference (not his aparently)

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This is courage.. to bear unflinching what heaven sends. -unknown

1.0 Basset Hound (Capone)
1.1 cats (San Quinton and Gracie)

Well, like the one person said, “What kind of snake you want is personal preference.” Something besides personal preference is to consider how much room you have to dedicate to your animal. A 10 gallon tank will hold that baby ball python for awhile, but a 50 gallon woulde house him/her its whole life and not take up that much space. Now on the other hand if you went with a boa or big python species such as a burmese python get ready to dedicate some space.
As far as frozen or live? I do either prekill or f/t (frozen/thawed). More humane for the mouse or other animal and no threat to your snake. Something dead can't pierce your snakes head or gnaw its face off with its little razor teeth. If you have problems with prekill or f/t try this method. First you start off with something smaller than its usual sized prey that is alive, stick that prey item in the cage and let your snake have at it, once it gets that one down take your prekill and let your snake go for that next, do that technique four feedings in a row and on the fifth feeding the snake should go for the prekill or f/t with no hesitation. Also if feeding f/t make sure it is completely thawed. Your snake has inferred heat pits along the snout and won't eat cold food. Another thing is you will want to use tongs to feed with. Get some 16 inch tongs and just grab the prey item behind the head and offer it to the snake snout first.
As far as temperatures go. You want to keep your snake between 75ºF - 80ºF at night and 85ºF - 95ºF during the day. I would recommend getting a digital reptile thermometer/hygrometer to keep track of the temp and humidity. May want to buy a temp gun from www.proexotics.com just to make sure. Depending on your cage size you will want to buy a heathng source such as a light with proper wattage along with a dome to heat the cage properly, but not cook the snake.
Then the substrate. That one is completely up to you. There are several to choose from such as: wood chips, aspen shavings, stuff that comes in compacted bricks that you add water to, newspaper or paper towels (both of which are easy clean up, but not aesthetically pleasing). My favorite is the brick stuff you add water to followed by newspaper and paper towels.