Reddit reviews Pangea Reptile Hide Box (C- Medium)

Never had my corn do that yet in any of his hides.

I actually just had to get him bigger hides, and got him these: https://www.amazon.com/Reptile-Hide-Box-C--Medium/dp/B00UCDIBJ2

The medium is a little small for him, but the size below would've been definitely too small. He fills up the hide about 65-70%, and still has some growing to do before he's a full adult. (Another foot, or so).

The only thing he absolutely goes CRAZY for, is moss. If I give him a mossy container, he refuses to leave it. I have to open it up and dump him out before he'll leave it. For this reason, I only offer it to him around shedding time, as I don't want him to get scale rot or something.

The rat seems like the right size. Some things you could try.


Replace the heat lamp light bulb with a ceramic heat emitting bulb. Amazon has them. BP's like it dark.



Cover 3 sides of the tank with paper. It will make the snake feel more secure.


Try different hides similar to these.


Probably the most important. Feed at night in the dark. These snakes are nocturnal.

Are you planning on getting a glass terrarium or using a tub? Personally, I purchased a gently used 20 gallon tank for my young ball python for like $25 off of facebook marketplace that came with a log hide and a few plants. Besides that, I have another hide that is just kind of a black box that I found on amazon (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UCDIBJ2?tag=goherping-20) and that’s about it for his hides. If you use a glass terrarium, I recommend blacking out 3 of the sides to make him feel a lot safer and enclosed. I just got a few pieces of black paper from a craft store and taped them onto the sides. The main thing, especially for ball pythons, is to provide plenty of places for them to hide, on both the cool side and the warm side. Plants and wooden sticks are great for that as they can hide underneath them and also climb over them. I guess overall, make sure you have at least 2 hides, 1 on the cool side and 1 on the warm side, a water dish, some fake plants or other things to hide under, and substrate that can hold humidity well. I hope this helps!

So getting started with a snake can be expensive but it doesn't have to break the bank. There are a number of ways that you can actually save money and still provide a more than adequate enclosure.

Let's assume you are getting a baby ball python.

Depending on morph the price ranges greatly. A normal will cost you around $40 from a reptile store or expo. Morphs can easily get in the hundreds. DO NOT buy from chain pet stores (i.e. Petsmart, Petco.) Their animals are often sick/unhealthy. Buy from a reputable breeder/reptile store.

When picking out a snake, look for signs of disease/injury/mites. Common things are Respiratory infections, mites, thermal burns, mouth rot and scale rot. Check the belly for discoloration/signs of injury. Check around the mouth for any bubbling and see if you can get the breeder/store worked to get it to open its mouth. A healthy mouth will be nice and pink. Check around the mouth/eyes and under the chin for mites. These will look like small black specs that are often lodged under/between scales.

Enclosure: Appropriate size to start out with would be a 20gal long. Brand new this can cost around $70 (price of All Living Things Reptile Terrarium) or more depending on brand. However, you can look on resale websites such as LetGo and buy one secondhand. If you don't mind not having a great view of your friend, you can also go with an appropriately sized storage bin. These will be cheaper than glass terrariums and can be just as good of a home if you properly outfit it. Will need to size up when your snake gets bigger.

You will need 2 hides. If you don't mind about asthetics, I suggest something like this https://www.amazon.com/Pangea-Reptile-Hide-Box-Medium/dp/B00UCDIBJ2/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=reptile+hide&qid=1566576464&s=gateway&sr=8-4. Not very expensive, easy to clean. $10-15 each. These will need to be sized up as your snake grows. A proper hide should be enclosed on all but one side and be a snug fit for your snake.

Water bowl: I suggest a ceramic water bowl or similarly heavy/deep water bowl. You can get these on Amazon for ~$10. Will need to get bigger when your snake does.

Heat source: Either a Under Tank Heater or a Ceramic heat emitter are popular/good choices. Lamp+heat emitter around ~$20 but can be transferred to bigger cage when adult. UTH will be around $15 for first enclosure, will need a new one when you size up.

Thermostat: You need a thermostat that will plug into heat source to regulate temperatures. Most on Amazon are in the $15-20 range

Thermometer/Humidity gauge: Need to actively see temperature and humidity in enclosure. Amazon has decent ones that are not too expensive. Stay away from analog ones that stick to side of enclosure as these are inaccurate and the adhesive can get stuck on snake. Go with digital ones.

Digital temperature gun: Monitor spot temperatures. ~$15 or so depending on which you get.

Scale for weighing: while this is recommended it is not necessary. Price varies around $15-20

Bedding: Either cypress mulch or coconut fiber are recommended bedding. Depending on size of bag this will cost around $10-20 on average. Bedding needs to be replaced about every 2 months so this will be recurring but a general bag will get you around 2 enclosures of bedding. Stay away from Aspen for Ball Pythons

Food: Depending on size but around $1-3 dollars per feeding as the snake grows. Snake will eat once a week as a baby/juvenile, once every 2-3 weeks as an adult. Frozen/thawed is best route to go since you can easily buy in bulk and store (helps keep cost down a bit) and it is a much safer way to feed since feeding live risks injury to your snake.

Accessories: A proper enclosure needs to have clutter (i.e. plants for cover, things to climb on). You want a stimulating environment for your snake that also makes it feel safe. The more clutter the better. Silk plants work best as they can be easily cleaned, last forever. I highly recommend going to craft stores like Michael's. They have a bunch of stuff that goes great in set ups and are pretty damn cheap, especially if they have a clearance section. Decorating a cage well can be an inexpensive process. Things like appropriately sized PVC pipes work great. Amazon also has good choices. I decorated my California Kingsnakes enclosure for around $20 by shopping in the right places. Resell websites will often have people selling cage accessories for cheap as well. Something to climb on is a must. People don't associate BPs with climbing but if provided the opportunity, they will climb.

Vet visits: The hope is that you'll never have to take your snake to the vet but sometimes it can't be avoided. You have to find a vet that specializes in exotic animals and a visit can easily put you back a few hundred dollars. Its general advise that if you can't afford a vet visit, you should hold off on getting a snake.

For more information I highly recommend you going over to r/ballpython

Going shopping tonight and tomorrow. Was ordering some things on amazon and was wondering what size of a hide I should get, reading the article you gave me said there should be no dead space in there hide. Here are the two I am looking at [One] (https://www.amazon.com/Reptile-Hide-Box-C-Medium/dp/B00UCDIBMY/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1492216546&sr=1-3&keywords=reptile%2Bhide&th=1) [Two] (https://www.amazon.com/Reptile-Hide-Box-C-Medium/dp/B00UCDIBJ2/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1492216546&sr=1-3&keywords=reptile%2Bhide&th=1) And if you dont mind I would like to send you pictures of my completed closure to get your final word on it

Would this also work? Mainly asking because Amazon is much more convenient and Reptile basics is currently out of stock.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00UCDIBJ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_1JQAzb4VQN1WQ

http://www.amazon.com/Reptile-Hide-Box-C--Medium/dp/B00UCDIBJ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1458954649&sr=1-1&keywords=reptile+hide+box i'll end up getting these and put stickers on them to suit my liking