Since so many people have so many questions I think this was a logical thread

Glass ( aquarium) set up:

Glass setups are easy to maintain once you have the proper equiptment. Younger ball pythons can be kept in a twenty gallon while adults can be kept in a thirty gallon.

You will need:

Under Tank Heat-- such as a reptile heat pad you can buy at the local pet shop

Two IDENTICAL hides--- those half log hides are junk, either buy the rock type of hides with a little doorway in them or make your own using small upside down bowls with doors cut in them. just make sure that there are no sharp edges. ball pythons like their hides tight or they won’t use them, so make sure your ball python can coil itself in the hide and feel it on all sides.

DIGITAL thermometer---- once again those little stick on dial thermometers at the pet shop are junk. go to walmart and buy the Acu-rite indoor/outdoor digital thermometer with humidty gage built it. It’s around sixteen bucks, i know others say it’s cheaper but in michigan it’s not. When you get the thermometer home, set the actual unit in the cool side of the cage, this will be your indoor temp. run the probe into the hot side hide, this will be outdoor temp. do not stick the probe onto anything, just lay it on the substrate, you want to know what temp your snake is laying on. temps should be about 82/92
with a fifty to sixty percent humidity.

Thermostat---- yes it is differenct from a thermometer. A thermostat will control your under tank heater to prevent burns and fires. YOU MUST HAVE A THERMOSTAT WITH A UTH. and since you have to have a uth well then there ya go. the thermostat will have a probe that you want to lay in the cage above the uth. people have different ways of doing this. i personally lay my probe on the bottom of the tank, right on the glass where the uth is then fill with substrate. if i set my thermostat to 95 degrees, my thermometer shows it at 91 on top of the substrate. with the thermostat i never have to worry about it getting hotter than ninety five and i can change it when the temps in the house change.

Substrate---- this is the bedding for your snake. if you have no problems with humidity aspen bedding works well. NEVER use pine or ceder because of poisions in the oils of the wood. I personally mix my aspen bedding with bed a beast to hold humidity in better. people also use reptile carpet, paper towel and newspaper. If you are just bringing home your snake i always sugest using paper towel for a few weeks to check for mites.

Water bowl--- your snake needs a water bowl large enough to soak in if they feel like it, mine never does but she has the choice! they also need something heavy enough that they won’t tip over. fresh water should be put in daily.

Ball pythons like their cages to be BUSY!!! Especially in all glass enclosures. Make sure you have pleanty of vines and fake greenery, ball pythons will squash any real greenery so i wouldn’t bother with that.

Tub Enclosures

Use the same steps as with the glass enclosures
you will still need:

two IDENTICAL hides
water dish
under tank heater
thermometer/hydrometer
thermostat

you will also need a soldering wand to make holes in the tubs. i hear you can get those at walmart as well for about ten bucks.

I am going to let someone else post their thoughts on tubs because I don’t use them myself and I know they ( Rab, GA, Franky) could let you know sizes and such.



if i forgot anything please add on, that way people who read can get some help!

Basically the OP did mention tubs at the bottom of this very informative post (good job!). Tubs are set up just like tanks...hides, substrate, heating, etc. The only difference in tubs is two things....

1) you must put in ventilation holes...you can do this by either using a basic soldering wand to melt in the holes (in a well ventilated area) or by drilling (be careful to not crack the plastic)

2) you must reinforce any plastic tub lid, there’s really very few that are "snake proof" so adding things like big binder clips, c clamps, straps, etc. will keep your snake home and safe...anything over a 1/8" gap will allow your snake to escape (and it will)

My last suggestion with tubs is a personal one. I use Rubbermaid, Sterlite and Iris brand tubs and I have to say using all three brands that Iris wins hands down as snake enclosures. Most tubs are opaque and that’s the most common complaint about tubs..."I can’t see my snake". Iris brand produces glass quality clear tubs so you get the best of both worlds. Also Iris produces tubs with absolutely smooth interiors. This may not seem like a big deal but trust me, after you’ve chipped a rock solid urate out of a tub crevice a few 100 times, you will understand this one LOL. Lastly Rubbermaid and Sterlite tend to change their tub dimensions a lot for some reason, Iris rarely does. If you’ve spent hours and cash building a snake rack around a specific tub and then can’t get that size anymore, well that’s just really frustrating.

Because I think a pictures worth a thousand words....here’s some....

Acu-Rite digital...reads two temps and humidity for under $12.00 (make sure to buy a AAA battery)....available at WalMart also at Lowe’s and Home Depot though under different brand names...an absolute MUST have for tubs or tanks....

Typical baby tub setup....see the 4 binder clips holding that lid down...I lost a baby last year to escape because I forget and replaced only 3 clips after giving her fresh water...don’t make my mistake folks...it’s heartbreaking....

Iris tub...note the glass clear quality I was mentioning.....

Sterlite tub setup...nice tub but it isn’t as nice to clean nor as clear to view the snake....

Typical baby hide in our collection...just a smaller than cereal bowl sized plastic bowl with an entrance melted into it....dark in color, easy to clean (they do poop in their hides sometimes) and easy on the wallet to replace when the quick growing babies get too big for their baby hides....

Adult female BP in her huge plastic tub on aspen bedding.....

If you are a soon to be Ball Python owner just thinking about getting a Ball Python here are some basics.

First of Ball Pythons make great pets but you have to know what you are getting into and be willing to commit for 30 years or more and provide the adequate husbandry, food, and vet care when necessary.

Average Size: Hatchlings 10+ inches, adults 3 to 5 feet. (6 feet is not impossible but rare).

Temperatures

You will need to provide your Ball Python with a warm side between 90-94 F (32.5-34.5 C) degrees and a cool side between 80-84 F (27-29 C) degrees.

Humidity

You should provide your Ball Python with a constant 50%-60% humidity level. This level can be increased to 70% during the shedding period if necessary.

Feeding

A lot of care sheets will recommend feeding a prey equivalent to the girth size (widest part of your Ball Python’s body) once every 5 to 7 days for young BP and every 7 to 10 days for adults.

Personally I feed a prey slightly smaller then the girth size once a week, in my experience by doing this it allows BP to eat with more consistency.

A Small Rat (4 weeks old) or 2 to 3 mice once a week, will be sufficient even for the largest adults.

Remember if you chose to feed live you must always supervise feeding and never let a prey unattended with your snake or your BP could be seriously injured.

Do not handle your Ball Python for the next 48 hours following feeding. If handle to soon after a meal this could lead to regurgitation.

Supply Check list

1 Enclosure

Your enclosure should not be too big the bigger the enclosure the more stress you will cause to your Ball Python, remember that in their natural environment they spend 70 to 80 % of their time in a tight termite mount.

You can use a glass tank, keep in mind that is you do it will be harder to control temperatures and humidity.

If you get a baby you will only need a 10 gallons to start with and if you chose an adult a 30/40 gallons is all you will ever need. Use the rule of thumb the enclosure should be 2/3 of the length of your Ball Python.

A lot of people chose plastic tubs (Sterilite or Rubbermaid), which allow an easier control of the temperatures and humidity and make Ball Pythons feel secure.

When it comes to plastic tubs here are the sizes you will need according to your Ball Python’s size (Remember you will need a drill or solder wand to make holes for airflow)

Up to 500 grams – 12 Quarts (16 3/8"L x 11 1/2"W x 5 7/8"H)

Up to 1500 grams – 32 Quarts (23 1/2"L x 16 1/4"W x 6 3/8"H)

Above 1500 grams – 41 Quarts (34 3/4"L x 16 1/2"W x 6"H)

No matter which enclosure you chose remember to secure the lid as Ball Pythons are real escape artists.

1 UTH (Under Tank Heater)

Here are some products that will allow you to provide belly heat and achieve the required gradient temperatures in your enclosure: Ultratherm Heat Pads, T Rex Cobra Pads and Flexwatt Heat Tape (Unlike some other they do not stick permanently to the enclosure).

1 Thermostat

Regardless of the device you chose to provide heat you will need a thermostat, this will allow you to maintain proper temperatures and avoid over-heating.

I would highly recommend you to invest in a digital thermostat such as Ranco ETC-111000 and Johnson on the lower end, or Herpstat Digital Proportional Thermostat and Helix on the higher end, they might seem expensive but they are worth it. Keep in mind that if you get a cheap thermostat like the ESU 1 outlet or 3 outlets starting at 25 dollars you will get what you paid for, considering how long your BP will live you will want to invest in something durable, reliable and safe.

2 Hides

Provide one hide on each side of the enclosure. Ideal hides must be dark, tight (All side touching your Ball Python’s body) and identical so your Ball Python does not chose between security and thermo-regulation. In my opinion the best hides are ESU/Zilla Creature Cubbyholes.

1 Water Dish

Contrary to what many believe the water dish does not have to be big enough for your BP to soak (Healthy, mite free BP rarely soak).

1 Thermometer/Hygrometer

When it comes to temperatures and humidity you cannot guess you MUST know. (Avoid stick and dial devices as they are not accurate). To get an accurate reading I would recommend a digital device such as Acu-Rite Hygrometer/Thermometer that can be found at Walmart for 12$ or Zilla Terrarium Hygrometer/Thermometer.

Substrate

Here are some substrates that can be used in your BP’s enclosure: Newspaper - Paper Towel - Aspen - Repti-bark - Cypress Mulch etc. DO NOT use pine or cedar bedding as they contain phenols that can be toxic to your snake.

Purchasing a BP

When buying a Ball Python from a pet store you have to ask the right questions and examine the snake carefully, check for any mites, signs of RI or Mouth.

Often, pet stores sell animals that are often not well-started, problem feeders that are not properly hydrated and sometimes infested with mites.

My advice buy from a breeder, whether it is online or at a reptile expo, it will be the guaranty that the animal has been well started and properly cared for and remember to do your homework and check the Breeder’s reputation with the Board Of Inquiry

Smaller Enclosures Are recommended!
If you have a Small Snake, use a Small Enclosure!

Here is what is Recomended:

10 gallon for hatchling/baby BP
20 gallon for sub adult/2-3 ft long
30 gallon Enclosures would be Sufficient for an Adult


A 10 gallon Tank would be sufficient for a baby/hatchling,
and depending on how Small, a 5 gallon would work as well.

A 20 gallon would be sufficient for a sub adult/mid-size BP...
giving it more space, but not too much.

A 30 gallon is sufficient for a full grown BP, for life time.
Some prefer bigger, when they are full grown, but not required.

The Smaller the Snake, the Smaller the Enclosure should be...
Especially with hatchlings/babies!

Too Much space Can cause Stress, leading to other issues,
such as Not feeding, etc.

The General Rule is the Enclosure should be 2/3 the length of the snake.

Like, when the time comes for a 20 gal Tank... long size may be better,
as BPs do not climb, some do as juvies, mine do...

BPs do not climb, they are ground dwellers, and are not very agile.
They are strong, but do not coil around branches, like arboreal snakes.
They fall very easily, and can be injured!