(Part 2) Top products from r/ballpython

Enclosure
Glass tanks with screen lids are very bad for ball pythons, you should be looking at getting a tub set up (using a rubber maid/sterilite /iris tub & soldering or drilling holes into the sides - here is a good tutorial of setting that up ). Or you would be wanting to get a PVC enclosure. I have an Animal Plastics T8 for my ball python, it did take about five weeks for it to show up, though. So if you want to go this route, plan way ahead. The tub route is cheaper, but takes more DIY skills. The PVC cage route is more expensive, but very aesthetically pleasing. To make a glass tank work, I suggest covering three sides with foam board to help insulate, and covering most of the screen lid with saran wrap or foil to keep humidity in. Also you would want to ditch the aspen and get something like coconut husk.

Humidity
A ball python needs at the minimum 60% humidity. This is incredibly difficult to achieve in a glass tank with a screen top. A tub or PVC enclosure makes this super easy. Humidity should be measured on the ground with a digital hygrometer. The stick on humidity gauges that pet stores hawk are often inaccurate and can cause serious injury or even death if they come unstuck from the wall and stick to your snake. I use this two in one hygrometer / thermometer.

Temperature
Ball pythons need a thermogradiant w one end at between 88F & 90F & a cool end of 78Fish - the ambient temperature should never be below 75F, & should be around high 70's. In a tub or a PVC enclosure, you will want an under tank heater - heat tap, heat mats, heat pads. I recommend the flexwatt that you can get with the Animal Plastics enclosure or the ultratherm from Reptile Basics. If you have trouble keeping the ambient up in the PVC enclosure, you may want to get a radiant heat panel, which installs to the ceiling of the enclosure. For a glass tank, you will probably need a ceramic heat emitter installed over the cage to keep ambient temperatures appropriate. CHE sucks out humidity, so you will need to be extra on top of that. CHE gives off no visible light. Red lights are often given out like candy at PetCo/Smart places as good ways to provide heat at night. They are not. Ball pythons can see red light, and it messes up their day/night cycle. I don't have recommendations for CHE because I don't use them.

Thermostats
Any & all heat sources you have for your BP need to be controlled by a thermostat. Failure to appropriately control your heat source can lead to it quickly becoming 120F & injuring your snake. I highly recommend Spyder Robotics Herpstats. You can get larger ones w more probes so that you can control all your heat sources w one unit. They have a ton of good safety features & a lot of people on this sub can answer any questions you have on them. The cheaper ones are around $100ish. If that is too much for you, there are a lot of people who use the Jumpstart thermostats, but they have less safety features & can wear out quickly. They also make a loud clicking sound periodically. I cannot stress this enough, this is not a place to cut corners. You need a thermostat.

Thermometers
I already linked to my recommended combo hygro/thermometer. This thermometer is great because it has a small probe to measure "outside" temperatures. I use this probe to measure the floor on my warm side (I hide it on the ground under the substrate so I know the absolute hottest place my BP can get to). I place the unit itself on the cool side, so I know all my temps & the humidity on one unit. You will also want an IR thermometer gun (there might be better recs than this one). This is good for spot checking temperatures without moving around probes & also checking the temps of the prey items.

Hides
You want at least two similar, enclosed hides. Half logs are NOT suitable, they are too open & they stress out the BP, as they can't watch both ends at once for a predator. Some of the best hides are these ones from Reptile Basics. They are enclosed on all sides with just a small entrance. They are dishwasher safe & also very cheap. You want them to be similar if not identical, so that the snake does not have to choose between feeling safe & thermoregulating. You will want one on each side of the temperature gradient. Feel free to add more that are different for diversity in the enclosure. I also have some fake vines/leaves in mine so that she feels more invisible. Go to a craft store or the fish supplies for these, the ones marketed for reptiles are way overpriced.

Water dish
You will want a water bowl that is large enough for the BP to soak in. This should be changed daily, as they like to poop & pee in their water. You'll want something sturdy as they like to tip them over. I got some crock dishes from Reptile Basics. You don't need any water treatment for the snakes water unless you treat water for yourself. If you tap is safe for human consumption, it's safe for your snake.

Feeding
BP's eat every 5 - 7 days as hatchlings and yearlings, as adults they can go longer. BP's are NOTORIOUSLY picky eaters. The ideal IMO for a BP is a proper sized rat fed either pre-killed or frozen/thawed. I feed frozen/thawed rats from Perfect Prey. Just a heads up - they ship with fiber glass insulation & dry ice. I try to open the packages outside so my cats don't get into it. They come in freezer bags and I just store them in my regular freezer. If even one thing is wrong in your husbandry, your BP will likely not eat.

How Much To Feed
The feeding amount depends on the weight of the BP. You will want a digital kitchen scale - you can get one cheaply at any box store. While under 750g, you want to feed about 10%-15% of their body weight about every 7 days. Once they are in their second year you want to feed 7%-10% of their body weight, after they are in their third year, you want to feed about 5% every 7 to 14 days. I document all feeding days and the weight of the prey in my google calender.

You should be weighing your snake at least once a month to track how much you should be feeding. You should not disturb or move or handle your snake for at least 48 hours after feeding.

Frozen / Thawed
I get the rat out the night before the day I want to feed. I put it in the fridge. About two hours before I feed, I get it out of the fridge and put it on the counter to get it to room temp. And then I soak it in a zip lock bag in warmish water (I use a temp gun to get water around 110F) for about 20 minutes, and use a temp gun to make sure the rat is around 100F, and then I run the head under running hot water until its 110F. The head of the prey should be warmer so the snake has a target. I then use tongs to move it around in the enclosure to mimic it being alive. She (usually) strikes pretty quickly. If she doesn't, I leave it in overnight, and throw it out in the morning if she doesn't eat it.

I prefer frozen thawed cause I can buy cheaply in bulk. It's also safer. As BP's get bigger, they require larger prey - and rats have sharp teeth and sharp claws and can seriously injure your snake.

Myths of Cage Aggression
You do not need a separate cage for feeding it. This is a myth. The best way to reduce stress at feeding time is to feed in their regular enclosure. This minimizes the risk of regurgitation.

Substrate
Stay away from aromatic woods - such as pine. A lot of people like to use coconut husk, unprinted newspaper, or paper towels. There are pros and cons to each. I like paper towels, they are cheap and easy to clean up messes with. I use PVC enclosure so I don't need a substrate that helps with humidity like coconut husk. This should be spot cleaned whenever a mess is made. My BP likes burrowing under the paper towels. She creates "underground" tunnels. Aspen chips can mold super easily so not really recommended. If you have a chip type substrate and are worry about ingestion of substrate while feeding, put a plate down before hand.

I'll add some pictures later, but regarding your other questions... I totally get having space limitations and being a student, I am only a few years out of school myself. But setting up a legit bioactive viv is a big deal and you'll probably wind up spending more money filling up your 20gal, and then redoing it with a 40gal in three years. That being said, if you wanna try it, go for it! It'll be fun and you'll learn a lot, just wanted to let you know in advance. Cleaning a viv is WAAAYY easier than a traditional plastic-tub setup. Since the microfauna act as little custodians, you really just have to spot clean (pick up the big pieces and leave the rest for the custodians). As for your lid, you can buy clamps like these, but you'll have to check if they work with your tank. You should really have these anyways since once your BP is older, they will definitely find a way to get out. The bugs escaping are not a problem at all! Firstly, they live in the substrate, so they wont bother climbing out. Secondly, they are super tiny so even if they did get out, you'd probably never see them again. Thirdly, they cant survive outside the soil so they'll die pretty quickly outside the tank. To your last question, you wont really know until a month or so if things are working right. Since you only put in a dozen of each type of bug at first, you have to wait for them to breed a bit. A month down the line you can shine a flashlight into the soil and usually see a few of them crawling around though! Also, you'll be able to tell pretty clearly if your plants are doing well or not (getting enough light, water, etc.). Does that help?

Go with the PVC set up. As some one who has used glass set ups and tried to find ways to alter them to make them better for BPs: don't bother. It costs more to make the set up 'right' and then to maintain it, because you will have to maintain it constantly. When I began, I thought I could engineer my way through and turned the tank on it's side, built a door, all kinds of things...and yeah, it worked, made a beautiful glass enclosure and I could see my snake, but it was never consistent enough to not have to check daily, like a PVC should be.

Stay away from glass. It's just not worth it.

Good choices on the reptile basics stuff.

This is the thermometer I use: Acu-Rite Indoor/Outdoor - it also keeps track of humidity.

Stay away from the Zoomed coconut husk stuff and go for ReptiChip - it's less dusty and slightly bigger chunks so it's safer for your BP. Plus that package is big and perfect for several full substrate change outs.

The water dish is not big enough - it's only 3 inches wide. Definitely won't help with humidity, unless you get 2-3 of them and put them around the set up. Get a ceramic dog bowl like this instead. It's big, won't run out quickly, and will let your BP soak if it wants to.

Use the reptibasic hides. They're sturdy and easy to clean. 'Decorative' hides are usually a pain to clean.

I've tried the decorative vine and it's no good; when your BP poops on it, the poop stays stuck and unless you're going to pull it out and sanitize it every time (the leaves are fiber, not plastic), it's just a pain to have.

Lastly, don't even bother with mice for your BP. Just start straight from rats. The sooner your BP is on rats, the easier life will be.

I don't know if thats a regular log or a log hide on the bottom part but you need 2 hides. Also, get rid of the aspen bedding. Pet stores tell you its fine for BPs but its really not. They need something like coco husk that will help retain humidity and not get mold. Also, I suggest getting a much sturdier water bowl. The tupperware container you have will easily get knocked over and spill. I suggest these ceramic ones:

https://www.amazon.com/Ethical-5-Inch-Stoneware-Crock-Dish/dp/B00025YU3Q/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=ceramic+water+bowl&qid=1562863550&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

What are you doing for heating and is it attached to a thermostat?

In this subreddit there are pinned posts and a BP wiki that has a lot of useful information for setting up good enclosures. I highly recommend you check it out.

Wyze Cam 1080p HD Indoor Wireless Smart Home Camera with Night Vision, 2-Way Audio, Person Detection, Works with Alexa & the Google Assistant https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076H3SRXG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_9nVRDbBCA7HHM

it’s honestly amazing. quality product for the price!

1. There is no problem as long as you don't leave it out for more than a day. Ideally you should take it out of the freezer in the morning, and feed at evening/night so it has all day to thaw. More than one day, I would throw it out. Same goes for if the snake refuses. Never refreeze a rodent that you have already thawed out.
   
2. Yes, you want to switch to rats. I did not see your previous post but if you have had the BP for less than like two months I would not do that right now. Give them time to settle in and feed them what they are used to (in your case, mice). Then when everything is settled you can switch them over to rats. If you keep them on mice, it will be expensive in the future and you will have to feed 4+ mice at once, whereas with rats you could just feed one large one.
   
3. Not sure, sorry.
   
4. How late? There should be no problem as long as they have a consistent day/night schedule. Keeping the light on until 1am is different than staying up until 4am. I've had my BP for two years and I often stay up late with the light on. No issues with me so far.
   
5. While you can get mites from substrate, a lot of mites come from other animals, perhaps at the pet store or someone else's pets. Or maybe they already had mites when you got your snake. I use aspen for my BP and people say it molds easily, but that has never happened to me. You should be okay either way.
   
6. I have seen this one recommended often - https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Combination-Thermometer-Hygrometer/dp/B001NOGK7Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1542174746&sr=8-4&keywords=reptile+hygrometer - It is a combo so it can tell you ambient temps as well.
   
   Good luck!

I highly recommend a digital thermometer/hygrometer like this in addition to a temp gun! A temp gun is great for measuring surface temperatures, but it's best to also have something that measures air temperature.

I use one that uses a probe to monitor the temp. It's actually this one. It works surprisingly well, and it's light enough that you can hot glue the probes down the back, and even glue it to the front of the enclosure to make it look nice. With that being said, sometimes he will still get the probes unstuck, but it doesn't happen very often, and the dry hot glue is a pretty harmless adhesive ime

Would something like this work for the digital thermometer/hygrometer? https://www.amazon.com/Zilla-Reptile-Terrarium-Digital-Thermometer-Hygrometer/dp/B004PBB1XU/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1497236584&sr=1-3&keywords=digital+thermometer+hygrometer+reptile

I have one of the thermometers with the probe that I have been using for the temperature and hadn't even thought of somthing like that for the humidity. Thank you!

And I will work on the hides and clutter this week. (His current favorite spot is actually in the middle under the water bowl, its darkest and definitely the smallest area for him to hide).

there should be no reason to need any type of light, my house is at 70 and my Ball cage when he was in one stayed at 85ish in a 20 gallon tank, You definetly need a thermostat for the heat pad.
Ignore pretty much everything the pet store told you because most of them dont no crap about reptiles but how to sell a whole lot of stuff you dont need.

I also recommend getting a Infered thermometer similar to this https://www.amazon.com/Arctic-Star-AR550-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B000MX5Y9C but look around they make them cheaper and do just as good.

the heating pad should be on the underside of the tank on the outside glass like so http://www.onlinegeckos.com/basic-leopard-gecko-tank-setup.html

Just in case you need it, here is that Hydrofarm thermostat.

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPRTC-Digital-Thermostat-Heat/dp/B000NZZG3S

If you're using dial gauges for temp/humidity, switch over to something digital. THose analog ones can be off by as much as 10-15 deg.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/AcuRite-Digital-Humidity-and-Temperature-Monitor/16888914

Also, be sure you can spot check temps to make sure your thermostat is working properly. I use this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CVHIJDK/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687442&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B002YE3FS4&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0C5PQKCMKWJXVDH7H4QZ

Consider switching out the lights with ceramic heat emitters. No energy is wasted on visible light (which is completely unnecessary for BPs and can cause unneeded stress).

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiCare-Ceramic-Infrared/dp/B0002AQCQO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452098477&sr=8-1&keywords=ceramic+heat+emitter+150+watt

And you might want to invest into some type of dimmer for those lamps/CHEs just in case your temps get high enough. Consider covering part of the top of your tank (does it have a screen top?) with a piece of plexi or something similar. That will help keep in heat and also help to keep your humidity at proper levels. you'll want to shoot for around 60%, and bump to 70% when in shed.

Get digital temp amd humidity gauges. The analog ones are known to be highly inaccurate which could lead to you not knowing of a problem inside your bps enclosure. Ill list some more accurate temp/humidity gauges i use for all my animals/know work far better than analog gauges.

(These two links are for direct spots) https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digital-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B06XY3X7P9/ref=sxin_2_ac_m_rm?ac_md=0-0-ZGlnaXRhbCByZXB0aWxlIHRoZXJtb21ldGVy-ac_d_rm&keywords=digital+reptile+thermometer&pd_rd_i=B06XY3X7P9&pd_rd_r=f1b30844-5547-49df-95ff-ba0aac3561f2&pd_rd_w=Uchs0&pd_rd_wg=guzkL&pf_rd_p=d1a6ea92-24ed-409e-8e33-97dc5a8de815&pf_rd_r=TGRYA2JMNKC4SK449XXH&qid=1569166473&s=gateway&sprefix=digitalreptile++thermometer

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07RBPV8Q4/ref=sspa_mw_detail_0?ie=UTF8&psc=1

(I use this one to make sure my heatmat regulartor thing is accurate) https://www.amazon.com/Etekcity-Lasergrip-774-Non-contact-Thermometer/dp/B00837ZGRY/ref=sxin_2_osp129-ac57b3ab_cov?ascsubtag=ac57b3ab-bed4-443b-8488-8e105122ba5b&creativeASIN=B00837ZGRY&cv_ct_id=amzn1.osp.ac57b3ab-bed4-443b-8488-8e105122ba5b&cv_ct_pg=search&cv_ct_wn=osp-search&keywords=digital+thermometer&linkCode=oas&pd_rd_i=B00837ZGRY&pd_rd_r=89005af9-9dd9-4e80-a240-605a60d3d510&pd_rd_w=t3SHd&pd_rd_wg=c1tkV&pf_rd_p=33b90d57-4392-4d9b-9557-da4c9de25645&pf_rd_r=AZDN5TXKRQHMD5KGXTCN&qid=1569166451&s=gateway&sprefix=digital+&tag=thedrive09-20

(This one is for the middle or get two for each side as this one has worked the best to see the overall temp/humidity in the enclosures for my bp and crested) geckohttps://www.amazon.com/dp/B01H1R0K68/?coliid=I2O5Q9VJY092E6&colid=2MBRCC0QH2E8J&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Edit: also whats your overal humidity in the room you're keeping the tank cause the cypress might be soaking up in moosture in the air which is causing your enclosure to be so high. I do still suggest you change to digital but it still might be helpful to know if your bedroom is the problem.

One like this should be fine. You can look at similar products and find what suits your needs financially and such.

Like, would this work?

https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Labs-Ceramic-Emitter/dp/B01KVC3I6Y/ref=sr_1_12?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1505422934&sr=1-12&keywords=Ceramic+Heat+Emitter

I have this hood...2 of them actually...

https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Compact-Incandescent-Fixture/dp/B0016BOYZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1505423027&sr=8-1&keywords=exo+terra+compact+top

Here are the ones I got. They have a better model that’s about $10 more.

There are specific products for reptile transport. still need to wrap them to ensure they dont get direct exposure to them.

I’ve been using one of these and I like it a lot.

I use that one but I bought it in 2015 heard they are not made as well recently so was suggested this one Inkbird ITC-308 Max.1200W Heater, Cool Device Temperature Controller, Carboy, Homebrew, Fermenter, Greenhouse Terrarium Temp. Control https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0POhDbS76GY6G

> Also, humidity is still low. Low 50's, about 52. How can I raise that? His water dish can't get much bigger so I don't know the next step.

Better substrate. I recommend the coconut fiber substrate that's fairly common. Also, if you're using a glass aquarium, I recommend covering most of the screen top with aluminum foil or something similar. This will help keep the humidity you generate in the tank.

> It looks like he began shedding before I got him. Now the skin is peeling off in somewhat random spots. Head and neck seem fine but the body is scattered. Could this have to do with the humidity? What should I do about it?

Yeah. This is a bad shed and is very much due to low humidity while shedding. Humidity needs to be around 60% during a shed. In the meantime, you can soak him. Get a small tub with lid. Poke some holes in the lid and fill it halfway or so with water. Then put the snake in and put the lid on. You can leave him in for 15 minutes or so (checking on him every couple min). After that, take him out and put him in a towel. Hold the towel and let him crawl through it on his own while you loosely grip him using said towel. The stuck shed should come off very easily this way.

>I like it

If you want a suggestion... I use this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072XG1TTW/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You just cut it up how you want and tape it on.

Looks like I can get this 48x96 sheet of 1/2 inch PVC board to make an enclosure with max dimensions of 24d x 48w x 24h though 24 inches high might be a little bit excessive. I was going to seal the edges with aquarium grade [silicone sealant]
(https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002ASD34/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1495836754&sr=8-1&keywords=aquarium+safe+silicone) . And then cut grooves in the top and bottom for sliding door glass.

Get an IR Thermometer so you can measure the surface temperature. The surface temperature can sometimes be surprisingly higher than the ambient air temperature.

I'm not sure what wattage you'd need as I don't use them for my BPs but here is what you'll want to look for: https://www.amazon.com/Flukers-Ceramic-Heat-Emitter-Reptiles/dp/B0002DHO6I?th=1&psc=1
I would suggest combining any heating element (including the heating pad) with a thermostat to prevent burning your animal. Here is the one I use for single cages: https://www.amazon.com/BoHoFarm-Thermostat-Controller-Digital-Germination/dp/B07LBGWMV9/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?adgrpid=58774470711&gclid=CjwKCAjw0vTtBRBREiwA3URt7in9YoKI4q6yMVOkdGir5PdmSgbb8jaPffbDzHsaw0OerjDYrTG5fhoCzSAQAvD_BwE&hvadid=274680356553&hvdev=m&hvlocphy=9028317&hvnetw=g&hvpos=1t1&hvqmt=e&hvrand=1542334422605610034&hvtargid=kwd-303301745743&hydadcr=5603_9612393&keywords=thermostat+reptile&qid=1572715745&sr=8-5

I'll link my clips, brb

Exo Terra PT2730 Terrarium Cover Clip Set, Large https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LEW9OSW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_gjtBDb7FV2RWR

This is what he's talking about. You should put her in something smaller because they won't heat that much space.

I use reusable shoulder heat pad things when i transport my python. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Heat-In-Click-Re-Useable-Shoulder/dp/B000WOV5WG

I have two of these: https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-Thermometer-Digital-Hygrometer-Humidity/dp/B004K8RF10/ref=sr_1_9?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1521249989&sr=1-9&keywords=acurite+temperature+and+humidity+sensor

DMI Reacher Grabber, Ergonomic Lightweight Reacher Grabber Tool With Magnetic Tip, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0001X23HY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_5swYBbZP27G3E

I would check your temperatures just to be sure. What kind of hides are you using? Also, your cage is a bit exposed. You should try and block off 3 sides of it. Something like this is good: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B072XG1TTW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1 or you can also use black foam board (same stuff used for school projects).