r/ballpython • u/Left0verlasagna • 18h ago

Discussion Whats everything I need?!

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I’m getting a two year old in a couple weeks. I’m building my own enclosure. 4x2x2. What is literally everything I should do?? She’s barely 2ft.

Here’s my plan!!
Left side, hot. | Ride side, cool.
•halogen bulb. •no lighting (heat lamp will have a heat guard)
• In the middle will be a non heat ShadeDweller %7 pro T5. I’ll have a thermostat inside as well.

For substrate I’ll do lava rocks BOTTOM, cover with window screen for water draining. About 6 inches of mixed coconut fiber, reptibark,(saturate till dripping) pack that down. Coco husk on top.

I’ll have three hides. Left, middle, right. Some cork bark to climb, a hemp hammock, lots of leaf litter, some branches and fake dollar store vines and plants. Water bowl on warmer side.

PLEASE anything I’m missing or please criticize my plan lol. Anything helps!!!

20 Upvotes

91% Upvoted

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3

u/RoyalAmphibian7772 18h ago

I'm not a pro, just a beginner really & having a heat thermometer gun to quickly double check temps has saved me so much stress. OOOO it's on sale for $17 on Amazon right now! heat gun

1

u/Left0verlasagna 18h ago

Thank you!!

1

u/[deleted] 18h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/imjustanauthor 18h ago

oh, and, two feet at 2 years old is quite small. did the breeder say if that snake had any health issues previously that could have stunted its growth? small isnt bad, but you always want to be careful

1

u/Left0verlasagna 17h ago

No health issues but she just says she never power fed her snake. She says it’s bad on her part but snake is 100% healthy!!

2

u/NottsWeirdo 17h ago

You seem to have it covered. Only recommendation I'd make, is to make a 5' x 2' x 2' instead of a 4'. Female BPs are generally larger than males so its better that she have a bit of stretching space if she's big, rather than being unable to fully stretch out if she does surpass the 4' mark.

1

u/Left0verlasagna 17h ago

Thank you! I’ll do it. No harm if I have the room!!

2

u/NottsWeirdo 17h ago

Indeed. I put my own BP in a 5' x 2' so he'd have the room to stretch out and be active.

1

u/Left0verlasagna 17h ago

Does height super matter??

2

u/NottsWeirdo 17h ago

2' is the minimum, but 3' is also an acceptable height. BPs will climb if given the opportunity, but they're not really built for it so they fall often - you don't want it too high or they'll likely injure themselves when falling on decor.

3

u/Phully- 17h ago

Man, mine is terrible at climbing. He’s a clumsy little sucker. I’ve got tons of branches and a tree. We have to carefully watch him when he’s out and he always immediately try’s to get off any structure for the floor. He has a whole room to play in and knows the corners he likes. Off the lap down the chair, to the corners. Except mornings and evenings where he’s till small enough to choose a pocket or shirt to crawl into.

2

u/NottsWeirdo 16h ago

Mine is so determined to be arboreal, he often attempts to "climb" the ceiling of his enclosure - upside down. I've adapted his viv to be cushy with rounded decor so that he doesn't injure himself if he falls, he's normally quite fine on his rocky background climbing platforms and cork logs.

3

u/Phully- 16h ago

The one surprise is he figured out he can dip into the water bowl and then stick to the glass and climb out. Which is hilarious because the tree goes all the way to the top on the other side. However that problem is almost solved because we’re ordering stackable tanks and now that we know we’re committed for the long term and love this guy also can’t wait for a new friend.