Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I'm going to be buying my Ball Python Saturday, and all the supplies Friday so everything can be set up for when he comes home. What should I all buy? I plan on getting a 40G Breeder Terrarium(yes, I'm going to spoil my Ball Python! Also, I'll never have to move him to a different tank either). I'll get various hides of course. Should I buy a basking lamp or a UTH? Also, what bedding should I get? How big of a water bowl? He's roughly 17 inches, and I'm not sure how big it should be...

I use to use a 40 gal breeder for a few of my display balls.

They are a nice tank, but you may need to modify it a bit.

Humidity was a problem.

I had to go to home depot and get a piece of Plexiglas to cover about 23 of the top. Then it held great humidity using paper substrate.

I prefer UTH (with a thermostat), but depending on the temp in your room you may have to supplement with a bulb (I used a zoo med 75 watt heat bulb).
You may have to try different wattage to get the correct thermal gradient.
It's good you are setting up the tank early so you can get the temps straight before you bring the snake home.

Substrate: that’s a personal preference topic.

I like newspaper, it works well for my situation.
You may prefer aspen, try different things and see what you prefer.

Water bowl: I use a large, non-tip able, dog food/water bowl.
Pick something easy to disinfect, and large enough for them to soak in.
I never had a problem going with a big bowl to start with, when using a big tank like yours.

Hope that helps some
TomChambers

Alright, I'll make sure to check the humidity, and I'll modify it accordingly.

I think I'll try Aspen first, a good supply of it for cheap at my petstore. I think I'll also get a nonslip ceramic water dish.

Thanks for answering my questions. But one more, where do I get a thermostat? How much do they usually cost? And what's the difference between those and a rheostat?

Thanks in advance.

A rheostat acts like a dimmer switch it restricts the line voltage.

I have never used a store bought rheostat, but I have bought dimmer switches at home depot and wired them inline as a rheostat.

They work well as long as you don’t have too great of a temperature variation in the room the tank is in. This is not a concern in winter, more like spring and fall when the heat is off.

A thermostat is a unit that acts just like your home heat.
You set the temp and it maintains it based on an external sensor probe. It will stay accurate independent of external temperature variations. You would more than likely have to purchase one online if you wanted one.

Thermostats work in two different ways. They act like a light switch and shut off the heater when the desired temp is reached, and then turn back on when there is a sufficient temp drop.
These units are less expensive; I get them for $45 from a supply house and do the final wiring myself.
Usually they range from $50-$100

The other design is a proportional thermostat; it works like an electric dimmer switch, limiting the power to the heater as the desired temp is reached.
These usually start at $100 and go up from there.

If you just have the one tank, then a rheostat will work fine.

Also get a reliable thermometer. The stick-on ones are not too useful.
I use a digital unit with an external probe so you can measure the substrate temperature that the snake is in contact with. You can get one for $10-$20. UTH can get up to 120deg so a snake could get burnt if you don’t restrict them somehow.

TomChambers