# A few Ball Python questions



## aspieguy (Sep 28, 2010)

Hey,

I have a small Ball Python, about 20 inches long, give or take a few inches. 

She is constantly trying to escape from her enclosure. Does this mean something is wrong with it? 
I have her in an aquarium about the same length as her body and about 10 inches wide. It was all I had at the time. She has a heat pad about the same size as the aquarium, a water dish, and a hide. Her aquarium is on the humid side, because her substrate, mulch like substrate, was very moist when I put it in. Does her trying to escape have to do with a bad setup? 

Secondly, are there affordable ways to house a Ball Python? I am thinking about getting a larger enclosure for her, however I am unsure what would be the best for my buck. I'd rather not spend $200-$300 for a glass aquarium. What about a rubbermaid container? 

Thanks,


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## pitbulllady (Sep 28, 2010)

aspieguy said:


> Hey,
> 
> I have a small Ball Python, about 20 inches long, give or take a few inches.
> 
> ...


Check the temperature on the floor of her enclosure; heat pads without a thermostat to control their temps can, and often will, overheat and can burn the snake.  I had a thermostat go bad this past Feb. and the result was two badly burned Boa Constrictors, with second and third-degree burns that cost me a fortune to treat, though it sure was preferable to losing those two snakes!  The only way I knew something was wrong was that both of those poor babies kept trying to get out of their enclosure.  Little did I know it was because they were in horrible agony until I picked one up to see what was wrong and discovered the snake was hot.  Poor snakes can't even whimper or cry like a dog or cat to let you know when they are in pain.  If I had not discovered this when I did, they would have literally been cooked alive!

But yes, many Ball Python breeders do keep them in Sterlite or Rubbermaid containers, usually with a rack system.  These snakes do need a rather humid environment or they tend to have trouble shedding their skin.  Another thing is the substrate itself; you said it was "mulch-like".  What exactly IS it?  I found that my snakes did not do well on cypress mulch from Lowe's, and regurged every meal while on it, even though it did not state on the bag that it contained anything other than cypress.  Pine or cedar mulch/chips are both toxic to snakes, and will cause serious problems, so be sure the substrate does not contain either of those or any sort of insecticide, fungicide, etc.  If it is TOO wet, the snake will be uncomfortable and can get a skin infection.

pitbulllady


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## aspieguy (Sep 28, 2010)

pitbulllady said:


> Check the temperature on the floor of her enclosure; heat pads without a thermostat to control their temps can, and often will, overheat and can burn the snake.  I had a thermostat go bad this past Feb. and the result was two badly burned Boa Constrictors, with second and third-degree burns that cost me a fortune to treat, though it sure was preferable to losing those two snakes!  The only way I knew something was wrong was that both of those poor babies kept trying to get out of their enclosure.  Little did I know it was because they were in horrible agony until I picked one up to see what was wrong and discovered the snake was hot.  Poor snakes can't even whimper or cry like a dog or cat to let you know when they are in pain.  If I had not discovered this when I did, they would have literally been cooked alive!
> 
> But yes, many Ball Python breeders do keep them in Sterlite or Rubbermaid containers, usually with a rack system.  These snakes do need a rather humid environment or they tend to have trouble shedding their skin.  Another thing is the substrate itself; you said it was "mulch-like".  What exactly IS it?  I found that my snakes did not do well on cypress mulch from Lowe's, and regurged every meal while on it, even though it did not state on the bag that it contained anything other than cypress.  Pine or cedar mulch/chips are both toxic to snakes, and will cause serious problems, so be sure the substrate does not contain either of those or any sort of insecticide, fungicide, etc.  If it is TOO wet, the snake will be uncomfortable and can get a skin infection.
> 
> pitbulllady


It definitely isn't hot enough to burn a snake. The substrate I bought at a pet store. It had pictures of snakes on the bags, so I assumed it was alright for them. 
It's humid in the container, but I don't think it is enough to cause any problems. The substrate is damp, especially near the water dish.


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## Rowdy Hotel (Sep 28, 2010)

You are housing it all wrong. A 10g tank is a little small for a 20" BP, and you definitely shouldn't be using a heatpad the same size as the tank. This gives the snake no thermogradient and the entire tank is probably too hot because I bet you don't have a thermostat or dimmer on the heatpad. That would explain why it's constantly trying to escape. Most BPs just hide during the day and come out at night when hungry. Please get atleast a 20g long fish tank or even a rummermaid or sterilite plastic sweaterbox, a heatpad the cover no more than 1/3 of the bottom of the tank, a thermostat for the heatpad, and an accurate digital thermometer with a probe or an inexpensive laser thermometer (tempgun.com). Place the probe ontop of the heatpad where the snake would be and keep her warm spot at 90-93 and provide a hide or two (preferably one in the cool end and one in the warm end). For bedding I find many things will work, chemical free cypress mulch, newspapers, eco-earth or other coconut bedding. I place moist paper towels in their hides every few days for humidity. 

Please check the temperature of the tank, heatpads get very hot when used on a glass fish tank.


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## aspieguy (Sep 28, 2010)

Rowdy Hotel said:


> You are housing it all wrong. A 10g tank is a little small for a 20" BP, and you definitely shouldn't be using a heatpad the same size as the tank. This gives the snake no thermogradient and the entire tank is probably too hot because I bet you don't have a thermostat or dimmer on the heatpad. That would explain why it's constantly trying to escape. Most BPs just hide during the day and come out at night when hungry. Please get atleast a 20g long fish tank or even a rummermaid or sterilite plastic sweaterbox, a heatpad the cover no more than 1/3 of the bottom of the tank, a thermostat for the heatpad, and an accurate digital thermometer with a probe or an inexpensive laser thermometer (tempgun.com). Place the probe ontop of the heatpad where the snake would be and keep her warm spot at 90-93 and provide a hide or two (preferably one in the cool end and one in the warm end). For bedding I find many things will work, chemical free cypress mulch, newspapers, eco-earth or other coconut bedding. I place moist paper towels in their hides every few days for humidity.
> 
> Please check the temperature of the tank, heatpads get very hot when used on a glass fish tank.


But the snake isn't hot at all! She's actually on the cool side. The heat pad is really hot, but being beneath the aquarium (not inside) and beneath all the substrate, it isn't that hot, not enough to burn a snake!


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## aspieguy (Sep 28, 2010)

How many gallons does an adult ball python need?


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## aspieguy (Sep 28, 2010)

I have a rubbermaid that is 3.5 feet long and 1.5 feet wide. Will that do for an adult Ball Python?


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## aspieguy (Sep 28, 2010)

This is my setup for my Ball

http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/ff305/tjpetrowski/?action=view&current=DSCF0280.jpg


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## Nicole (Sep 28, 2010)

aspieguy said:
			
		

> I have a rubbermaid that is 3.5 feet long and 1.5 feet wide. Will that do for an adult Ball Python?


Yep 




aspieguy said:


> This is my setup for my Ball
> 
> http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/ff305/tjpetrowski/?action=view&current=DSCF0280.jpg


It looks too wet to me.  Try to get some dryer substrate for it and move the heat pad so only half the tank is sitting on it and it will be fine for now but you'll need something bigger soon.


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## blacktara (Sep 29, 2010)

aspieguy said:


> Hey,
> 
> I have a small Ball Python, about 20 inches long, give or take a few inches.
> 
> ...


I would recommend a heating pad maybe 1/3 to 1/2 the size of the enclosure - the reason being that you can then give the snake a warm area and a cool area  to choose from 

That said, I dont think that its trying to escape necessarily means anything about the set-up

The ball I had did that all the time - especially after it managed to get out once - after that it would keep craning up and bumping around near the spot where it had previosuly escaped.


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