Top products from r/BallPythons

We found 94 product mentions on r/BallPythons. We ranked the 12 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.

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Top comments that mention products on r/BallPythons:

u/_ataraxia · 3 pointsr/BallPythons

this is a severe neglect case. this snake is extremely stunted, and while she could grow on a proper diet, she will never be the full size she would have been if she'd been raised in better care. you're getting on the right track with enclosure improvements, but you still have a lot of things to change, and you need to take VERY careful steps with her feeding regimen or you could kill her.

start by reading my basic BP info dump. the first three links are detailed care sheets, then a tub tutorial, and the rest are product recommendations. read everything thoroughly, come back with any questions. let me know if any of the links don't work.

glass tanks can be very challenging for ball python husbandry due to the high amount of air flow with the screen top and the total lack of insulation with the glass walls. it's generally recommended to use tubs or pvc reptile cages instead. wood enclosures can also be suitable if they're designed well and sealed properly to protect the wood against moisture. glass tanks can work, but they require a lot of modification and maintenance, which you'll find tips for in the second link. i'll give you product recommendations to cover options for tanks, tubs, and pvc/wood enclosures.

  • the basics and then some
  • common problems
  • feeding problems
  • here is a tutorial to give you an example of how to set up a tub. this is what i would recommend for an immediate setup, and you could upgrade to a pvc cage upgrade later. note: this tutorial shows adhesive velcro to attach the thermo/hygro to the tub wall, but you should not do that. tape and other sticky adhesives should never be used inside the enclosure, your snake can get stuck on it and suffer serious injuries. hot glue is the easiest reptile-safe adhesive option. screws or bolts can also be used to mount things on plastic/wood walls.
  • pvc reptile cages are ideal. they have the husbandry benefits of a tub with the aesthetics/visibility of a tank, they're much lighter than wood or glass, and they will remain unaffected by decades of constant high humidity. animal plastics, boamaster, and boaphile plastics, are some popular companies. many people will use a tub for a young snake and upgrade to pvc later.
  • spyder robotics makes high quality thermostats to regulate your heat sources with pulse/proportional temperature control and various safety features. this is a popular cheap thermostat with simple on/off style with zero safety features. inkbird thermostats are also low-cost but overall higher quality than the hydrofarm type. any heat source should be regulated by a thermostat to ensure safe and appropriate temperatures.
  • heat tape or ultratherm heat pads are high quality and affordable under tank heater [UTH] options. this is a suitable heat source for most enclosure types. remember that a UTH will not provide ambient heat, it will only affect the temperature of the surface to which it is attached.
  • a porcelain base lamp and ceramic heat emitter [CHE] is the best ambient heat source for a tank, and it will also work for some pvc/wood enclosures. any heat lamp that emits light, even red or blue, should not be used at night.
  • a radiant heat panel [RHP] is the best ambient heat source in a pvc/wood enclosure. there are a few options, such as reptile basics and pro products.
  • a digital dual sensor thermometer/hygrometer allows you to easily monitor the warm side floor temperature [with the probe] as well as the ambient temperature and humidity [with the main unit].
  • an infrared thermometer allows you to spot-check surface temperatures anywhere in the enclosure.
  • these hide boxes are a cheap simple hide with a design that offers the best sense of security for your snake. cave style hides, cardboard boxes, plastic food containers, etc, can also be used. half logs are not appropriate hides.

    now, beyond the basics. for rehabilitating a starved and stunted BP, it's important to take things slow. feeding too much and/or too frequently can result in organ damage. i have experience with a stunted adult, so i'll share the first two months of her feeding regimen to give you an idea of how to 1] ease into a regular diet and 2] switch from mice to rats.

    at the time of rescue, BP's weight was 140g, meals were one fuzzy mouse with an estimated weight of 5g, meal schedule was "once every few weeks".

  • week 1: settling in.
  • week 2: one fuzzy mouse, 5g, ~3% of BP's weight.
  • week 3: two fuzzy mice, total 8g, ~5%.
  • week 4: one fuzzy mouse, 5g. one rat pinky scented with the mouse, 5g. total 10g, ~7%.
  • week 5: BP weight 155g. one hopper mouse, 10g. one scented rat pinky, 6g. total 17g, ~10%.
  • week 6: one adult mouse, 14g. one scented rat pinky, 6g. total 19g, ~13%.
  • week 7: one fuzzy mouse, 4g. one scented rat pup, 20g. total 24g, ~15%.
  • week 8: BP weight 160g. one scented rat pup, 24g, ~15%.

    i continued scenting her rats for another couple of months, but that was more because it was easy [i have other snakes who eat mice] than it being necessary. you can use soiled bedding from a mouse cage for scenting, just ask your local pet store if they can fill a baggie for you, explain it's for a picky snake and most people will gladly oblige.

    from there, i fed her the same as i would feed a growing baby. a max of 15% until she was ~750g, then dropped to a max of 10% until her growth plateaued, then settled at 5%.

    in addition to being stunted and emaciated, your BP is also severely dehydrated. the humidity in the enclosure NEEDS to be 70%-80%, and you should add a humid hide at least until she's having clean complete sheds. a humid hide is a fully enclosed hide with a solid bottom, like the zoo med 3-in-1 reptile shelter or a plastic food container with an entrance hole added to the lid. choose a hide with plenty of extra room for the snake to move around. fill it about 1/2 - 2/3 the way with a moisture-friendly substrate like sphagnum moss, cypress mulch, or coconut husk/fiber. saturate the substrate with water and gently squeeze out the excess, so it's wet but not soupy. re-saturate the substrate as needed. this hide will allow the snake to "soak" in a humid microclimate, which is less stressful and more productive than soaking the snake in a tub of water.
u/Shaylios · 1 pointr/BallPythons

Thank you all so much for the advice!

I'm really strapped for money right now, so I'm going to try and make her tank work for as long as possible. I put a little amazon shop list together with some of the recommended products - please feel free to take a look and recommend other suitable products. http://a.co/b2h5atL

In the list, I've got multiple different fake plants, some black 1 entrance hides, a complete hide with 4 sides and just a hole, multiple digital thermometers / hygrometers, a kitchen scale, coconut fiber, aspen bedding, a ceramic heat emitter with dome, and a thermostat
(I had already bought this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E9IO6N0/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
would it be suitable? Or should I return it to get the one on the shopping list?)

She does have one of those metal screen tops, but we put a few boxes and such on top for extra security. I may pick up some insulation pads at my local Lowes and attach them to the outsides of the tank to help keep the heat in. Thoughts on that?

Sarah is eating okay. So far we've been giving her 1 little fuzzy each Saturday. Hopefully when I get the scale I'll be able to more accurately assess the food weight vs hers.

Her shed has come completely off! I gave her a nice warm soak shortly after the photos had been taken, and it was like she just wiggled out of it. Hopefully with the substrate change and the addition to the 4 sided humid hide, I won't need to soak her and she can just do her own thing.

When it comes to the ceramic heat emitter, is 60 watts enough? I'm afraid of burning her. The cage is only about a foot tall, and it would have to be in one of those dome lamps that sit attached to the screen. I've been leaning towards getting the "Zoo Med Deluxe Porcelain Clamp Lamp" for the bulb. Has anyone had any experience with this? Will they work together?

I'm absolutely horrified of any fire risks (my house had burnt down about a year and a half ago due to faulty wiring) so are there any tips to help prevent overheating?

Again, thank you all for the amazing advice. Looking at Sarah's previous setup and then looking at everything thats been suggested breaks my heart. I wish I had known sooner that she was being treated this way... But my friend had made it clear that she was "basically an expert" and "knows what to do." Let me roll my eyes a bit harder. As soon as I had seen her bearded dragon laying in sand, I knew she didn't know anything about these poor animals. It takes a few minutes to do some decent research on an animal. Its been just a day since I've reached out to all of you, and look at all this information! You would think in the 3 or so years that my friend had Sarah, she could've taken the time just to do a basic google search...
Some people really should never have animals.

Anyways, sorry for the tangent. Please let me know what you guys think of the products I'm considering! Thank you so much!

u/notasandpiper · 1 pointr/BallPythons

I've heard of pros and cons for every kind of bedding under the sun, but half logs ALWAYS invite potential for a snake to feel stressed out and not completely 'safe', and EVERY bp tank should have a hide on both the cool side and the warm side, so the snake can scoot over to wherever they need to go as their temp needs change. Every bp tanks should also have at least one hygrometer. Fluker's is very reliable and has humidity and temp: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009YJWW4/ It's currently under $10.

Obviously these are issues you inherited and are doing your best to deal with. I agree that if the snake came in dehydrated, even perfect temps would not help the first shed at your place go right. I suggest your priorities moving forward to be getting that hygrometer and two single-opening hides. Once you have the hygrometer going, you can tell if you need to get a humidity solution going.

Please know that as someone who has had a beeper for about two years now, I really appreciate that you are doing your best for this noodle and improving his life.

u/jynnsomething · 1 pointr/BallPythons

The UTH needs a thermostat, which will read the temperature and also control it.

Just to be clear, since I think you might be confusing the two:
thermometers measure temperature
thermostats control the temperature of something like a UTH

UTHs need thermostats or they can get too hot. You should never use a UTH without one.

There are nicer versions like herpstats, but you can also use something like this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011296704/ref=sspa_mw_detail_5?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I strongly recommend using an IR thermometer to calibrate the thermostat.

u/bmmoore2021 · 3 pointsr/BallPythons

Are you just setting the rat in front of him? Because it can often help if you make it do the rat dance (take a pair of tongs and wiggle it in front of your snake) and then once he strikes, keep pulling on the rat after the snake as struck, so he thinks the rat is trying to get away and will constrict it. Also are you sure you're getting the rat all the way up to temp? It should be about 90 degrees. You can use something like this to be sure: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00837ZGRY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

u/angelichrissy · 0 pointsr/BallPythons

this or this, depending on if you want the thermometer/hygrometer inside or outside of the enclosure.

also, a thermostat is different from a thermometer. thermostats regulate temperature while thermometers measure.

also, you need at least two hides. one on the cool end and one on the warm end. your snake should be able to fit snugly, touching the sides of the hide when it's inside of it. half logs don't count as hides because they have two entrances. and clutter up the open space to make your snake feel less vulnerable.

u/burceps · 1 pointr/BallPythons

With a tank that opens up top, I've found this hammock works well since I can reach around it conveniently.