#ball python set up

Soba (before) // Ember (before)

Soba (after) // Ember (after)

[Please ignore the cold temperatures. This was directly after I set the RHPs to the thermostat, so it hasn’t had time to heat up!]

So I upgraded Soba and Ember’s enclosures! Soba was in a 44qt, and Ember was in a 16qt (WAY over due). Both are now in 100qt. I’m switching to ambient only, as my dresser only has enough room for one tub, so they have to be stacked (we’ll see how long that lasts... having to remove top tub just to feed and change water... 😒).

Guess who got upgraded! It's been so long for these two, WAY overdue. Can you believe Soba is 10.5 years old, and Ember is 9.5 years old?!

I finally got them in 4x2x2 pvc enclosures (from Focus Cubed Habitats), and I built the frame on the bottom (easier to clean under, and it has casters, so I can roll it around easily if need be). They are fully decked out with halogen, deep heat projector, uvb, and led. I installed their radiant heat panels in there as well, on the off chance they needed supplement heat on the cool end (a lot easier to do it before than after if needed), but it turns out they don't need it. So they're just there.

At this point, I'm just waiting on their sky hides to come in (that's the frame on the top-middle inside the enclosure), Ember's rock hides (he still has the plain Reptile Basic hides), and a new Herpstat 6 so I can run the halogen, dhp, and uvb on the same system. Right now, they're running on my old Herpstat 4 so it's just the dhp running, but soon they'll be fully 100% complete!

I feel like I need a lot more hides. I can never find ones I feel are good? I’ll probably throw in some more fake plants to make up for it and maybe make some of my own. I had a big branch thing, but it’s too tall. :(

The hide on the right is actually a large water dish on top of an actual hide. Which I’m testing out, and not really liking cause it’s so wobbly. I’ll probably trade it out for more foliage.

My set up is the Animal Plastics T8 (with hinged doors), the Reptile Basics 80 Watt Radiant Heat Panel, and Vivarium Electronics VE-200 thermostat. (I haven’t plugged anything besides the lights in at the moment)

Just cleaned out the royal. He has been on paper in boring quarters for a while after a mysterious mite outbreak. Seriously I don't know where they came from...the only explanation I have is they came back from the vets...

But now its time for refurnishing!  

First lets start with a nice clean empty tub. 

This is a 145L Really Useful Box which measures approx 80 L x 60 W x 40 D (cm). This is about the smallest size I would ever consider keeping a royal in and he will be put in something a bit bigger when I upgrade my legless army to vivs.

The tank is heated by both a heat mat (underneath the tub not in it) and a ceramic bulb on a pulse stat. The reason for having two heat sources Is because I just couldn't get the appropriate air temps with a heat mat alone. (If anybody is interested In modifying a tub for a ceramic it needs to be well thought out to make sure it safe for the snake and not a fire hazard so message me if you want to know more about how I did that.)

-Next I added a thin layer of orchid bark. 

 Then the two hides and the heaviest rocks (If you put lots of substrate down before heavy items there is a risk of the snake burrowing under them and injuring itself.) I like using large pieces of slate because its heavy enough that if arranged well even a clumsy royal wont be able to knock it over.  A nice piece of slate on the hot hide also keeps the stat probe firmly in place inside the hot hide.

-I then add more substrate to make sure the snake can dig a bit (but not under anything heavy) and the other furnishings. The pebbles and fake plants (which will no doubt be scattered everywhere by tomorrow) just provide some different textures which are enriching for the snake.

 It may look  there's not enough " floor " but when you think about it even a terrestrial snake like a royal in the wild wouldn't think twice about crawling over a rock or log even twice as high as this stuff... 40 or even 60 cm is viewed as quite a decent amount of height for a tub/viv but really it's nothing to them.

That's all !  Have a bonus photo of Solo the python exploring his new digs!