ball python

[EndlessForms]

hey people [thank goodness i finally figured out how to post stuff] anyway my brother is getting a ball python and wants to keep it [when it outgrows the tank he's got] in a large rubber maid tub [i mean those terrariums are so dang expensive] and wants to know how to heat the enclosure. is a heatpad at all possible? or would a ceramic heater be better? or are there any cheaper methods?

thanks to anyone who responds

 

[Ookamii]

Heating pad is still possible, but i would also suggest a lamp. In order to use a heating pad you need to put a peice of glass between it and the tub, and make sure its one of the really clear tubs, not the foggy kind. I kept the 5 1/2' corn i had in one of the plastic tubs when i was breeding her, and she nor the male had any issues with it, and he was a 6' corn.

 

[DrJ]

Is asking $50-100 for an adequate home too hard to ask for? (price depends on used vs new; 20L vs 40 breeder)

If you are really wanting to go with a tub...do it right and get a rack system. Flex-watt will work wonderfully, along with a good thermostat like Helix.

 

[EndlessForms]

well 50-100$ isn't bad but...he doesn't have that kind of money...has like no income...so...and the tub would be temporary anyway [just until he's old enough to get a job] and he's 13 now and if he get's a footlong snake couldn't it live in a 40 gallon long? for at least 3 years? or do these things grow faster that i think?

 

[DrJ]

What is it currently being housed in?

If cheap caging is a primary concern, a 40 breeder will suffice for the life of the animal. May not be the "best", but will be more than adequate.

And, you are sure it is a ball python, right? See if you can post a picture. Or, does he/you even have it yet?

My main concern is that if a simple requirement of caging is unaffordable, how will he afford the animal in question? Will he be able to feed and care for it? Caging is only the tip of the iceberg...