I plan on getting my young ball python a 4’x2’x2’ in the upcoming months and would like to know if I may need to change anything with the new enclosure that I don’t have in my current care.
I have a dual lamp(day+DHP for night) one being on a heating mat temp node(I plan on getting a second dimmer with this new enclosure so I can stop using the node) and the other being on a dimmer. I also have 3 hydrometers, a topsoil x coco fiber x moss substrate and his 3 hides(warm+cool+humid). I plan on also getting him an arcadia bulb for that extra “sunlight” and vitamins.
May I need to get more hydrometers or longer lamps for even heating/humidity?
I will of course be doing this research on my own as well! I would just like to hear from those who may have/had this enclosure or something similar and their tips for the change ^^
And onto everyone’s favorite part, the pictures of my BP Chowder
What is required to heat an enclosure is gonna be somewhat subjective, some are fine with a single bulb for day and one for night, some might need two. It’s gonna depend on your relative temperature, how far away the heat bulb is, and how well isolated the tank is. You can start out with one wide-beamed incandescent and the DHP and go from there. There’s a group on facebook called Reptile Lighting which is amazing when it comes to questions like these if you’re interested, you should be able to find a ton of examples of how to set it up in there. Looking at the pics i would add a ton more clutter to the tank, cork rounds, branches, long cork pieces so he has more things to climb on, they like climbing
I’ve tried adding a lot more clutter, actually! When I did, he started glass surfing. But he does have many more textured items like cork bark as well as climbing areas now, those images are just a few months old ^^
Thank you for your concern and recommendation!
There is nothing you need to change or add. In fact, you have gone overboard. Not to put it down, just that for ball python, all of this isn’t needed. It won’t hurt, just more cost, Upkeep and more areas for problems to occur. The biggest thing is hot side around 86, humidity around 55%, you have a cool side about 10°cooler then the hot side and at least one hide. As you already found out, to much clutter can be a bad thing. It is looking good.
Looks great, and I love the name Chowder! I would add some branches for climbing opportunities especially since Chowder seems to like climbing on your monitor. You are definitely making sure your BP will thrive, I love to see it!
By arcadia bulb do you mean a UVB bulb? If so Reptisun is a lot cheaper (from what I have seen) when it comes to T5’s which give the required percentage of UVB for a ball python.
At least for me, it seems like it is a decent bit more expensive then Arcadia. Plus I feel that when it comes to lighting Arcadia has by far the highest quality products that I trust more than the other brands.
So I am a substrate nerd and from what I have experienced personally, that isn’t a good mix. That mix will stay damp near constantly unless you don’t add water to it. Sure, it will keep humidity but it isn’t good for them to sit on damp soil constantly. For a simple, easy mixture I would change it to a 50% topsoil, 25% reltibark or cypress mulch, 25% play sand. If you want to go semi-bioactive (such as isopods and springtails but no live plants) then a 50% topsoil, 15% cypress mulch, 10% sphagnum moss, 20% play sand, and 5% charcoal then add about 25% worth of the total substrate in leaves into the mix. Both of the substrates holds humidity well but also allows for the top layer to dry out faster while the deeper layers will hold onto the water.
Another thing you can do is add some leaves on top of the substrate for added enrichment. All my guys seem to enjoy moving through the leaves and became more active after I added them.
With a little bit of tweaking it can work for most species actually. that specific mixture though would work well for most (sub)species carpet pythons, viper boas, solomon island ground boas, fire skinks, some of the indo blue tongue species, toads, and a lot of other similar animals. The reason I like it so much is it can work for a wide variety of habitats depending on how often it gets sprayed. for example by tweaking the %s, you can get it to work for something like a leopard gecko by changing it to something like a 40% topsoil, 25% playsand, 20% cypress, 10% moss, 5% charcoal plus 15% worth of the total substrate in leaves.
It is great to see someone care so much about their animal @wolfusauris! I was kinda waiting for the kitchen sink to pop up in the mix!
Seriously though I have to agree with @d_y_python Duane on this one! Sometimes less is more. The more “stuff” you add in the more cleaning/maintenance is going to be required. A heavily decorated enclosure looks great until you put the animal in and then feed that animal. It’s kinda like buying a sparkling new car. It’s great until the sparkling new car gets dirty and you still have to make the payments!
Also if you have plenty of money then the cost is not going to be an issue. However you may be spending more money than you really need to, especially with all the types of lighting you are talking about adding. Obviously the basics are heat, substrate, water bowl, and a couple of hides for a ball python. Evidently Chowder doesn’t like to be over crowded with cage furnishings. But that doesn’t mean he would mind having an interesting branch or two to climb on.
I’m going to go ahead and apologize for these opinions because I am sure I am in the minority on posts such as this one, as I am more of a minimalist at least on the subject of ball python enclosures. . However everyone has a right to his/her own opinion!!!
I will definitely have to pick up some play sand, then! And as for the leaves, I’ve just been waiting for the snow and ice to thaw so I can go grab some. Where I live, you can’t even break the ice by walking on it
Thank you for your input!
He has tons of things to climb on now! Various sticks, barks, etc. He even tries to climb a camera I have inside!
Also, I do mean UVB! I will look into the pros and cons of reptisun vs Arcadia, just to see which I like better!
(And for anyone concerned, the camera doesn’t emit heat as it only records/is active if someone is watching it on live view. I was concerned about the heat coming from it when I got it as well.)
Absolutely! I panic over everything little he does lol
Like how he changed behaviors before his most recent shed. I was panicking because he’d never acted like that before. And of course, he was just uncomfy with his pj’s
