Offering enclosure information/inspiration (crosspost from r/ballpython)
Offering enclosure inspiration/information
Hey folks, this is a very long post, which I've spent a few hours on writing/putting together. So hopefully it's a helpful/informative one.
(English is not my first language so please forgive mistakes if there are any)
Small disclaimer before I start.
I'm not exactly years deep into reptile keeping so I'm far from perfect. The goal for me is just to keep improving my knowledge and the setup and make sure my snake is as comfortable and well cared for as possible.
So if any more experienced keepers have feedback I'm more than willing to receive it.
And if there are any less experienced (future) keepers with questions I'd be more than happy to answer them :)
This is not a ‘minimum requirement’ setup by any means, but rather an example of a more naturalistic and optimized approach.
Setting up a proper enclosure with the optimized husbandry can be difficult, I definitely went through trial and error to get where I am now.
Right now I feel like I reached a very solid setup, so I thought to share it with you all to potentially save some (future) keepers from wasting a lot of money and time like I did.
I'll attach a full shopping list at the end.
Enclosure:
My enclosure is made of 6mm thick glass (0.23 inch), I wish I had a PVC enclosure but they're incredibly difficult to get and expensive where I'm from. This glass enclosure definitely didn't make getting the temperatures right any easier.
The measurements are 40"x20"x32", I know 4x2x2 is the minimum standard, but I didn't have enough space in the living room and the reptile shop employee said I could compensate with more height. I'm looking to upgrade to a 4x2x2 in the furure when Rapha eventually outgrows his current enclosure.
Heating:
I've been doing a lot of proper research on reptile heating lately, I started out with CHE's and later switched to DHP's. Only after my recent research frenzy, I came to realize I was still lacking in the heating department.
So here is my current heating setup;
Basking spot:
I'm using a 75W par30 halogen flood light with a 45° spread angle, this is connected to a dimming thermostat. The probe is positioned under the bulb, to get a stable and representative reading.
DHP:
In the middle of the enclosure I've mounted an 80W DHP from Arcadia, this is also connected to a dimming thermostat. During daytime it's set to 86°F and during nighttime it's set to 90°F, though the ground/ambients never really reach those temperatures in the middle or on the cool side.
The sole purpose of the DHP is to keep day and night time temperatures stable throughout the enclosure.
UVB light:
I'm using the 24W 6% uvb long fixture from Arcadia in a reflective cover for a real basking area. According to the table on the official Arcadia website, the basking area on the floor should be between 1.2 and 2.0 UVI with this setup/distance. This creates a low-level UV gradient, allowing for natural ‘cryptic basking’ behavior.
The UVB fixture is about 21" above the surface
Temperatures:
Warm side/basking area:
The surface of the warm hide sits around 93°F I'm always aiming for the inside of the warm hide to be around 89/90°F during the day. With ambient temperatures of between 80-85°F.
The perch under the halogen/UVB light has a surface temperature of no more than 87°F.
The plaftorm under the hammock has a small hotspot of 90°F but it's around 80°F all around
The hammock is around 95°F, so this is the hottest area in the enclosure.
I've also created a cold and humid pocket in the back right corner (which is the warm side), it sits around 70°F which represents a really properly shaded area close to a warm area out in the open.
Warm hide temps drop to around 79°F at night (but not lower).
Nighttime ambients stay between 76-80°
Middle of the enclosure:
The top of the middle hide stays stable around 80°F while the floor inside is around 77°F, the ambient temps in the middle are more or less around 80°F too.
The middle hide and ambients settle around 77°F at night
Cool side:
The top of the cool hide never goes over 75°F but is around 73°F most of the time, the floor inside is also 73°F. The ambient temperature of the cool side is also 73°F.
These temperatures stay the same during the night as they are already low enough.
The elevated platform sits around 75°F during the day but slightly drops to 73°F during the night. Ambients are very stable also around 73°F
Always verify surface temperatures with an IR thermometer (as I did), don’t rely solely on thermostat or thermometer readings
I've covered about 80% of the mesh top with HVAC tape, this REALLY helps retain temperature and humidity. Make sure to still allow some ventilation to prevent stagnant air
Lighting and heating timings:
Halogen runs between 9am and 10pm (dimming thermostat)
LED runs between 9am and 10pm (smart plug)
UVB runs between 10am and 9pm (smart plug)
DHP daytime temperature set between 9am and 10pm, the night time temperature set between 10pm and 9am (dimming thermostat)
Hides:
I'm using basic hide boxes, they aren't as pretty but they work incredibly well.
To weigh them down (as they are quite lightweight) I've glued some dark grey slate tiles to the top with silicone.
This is a great lifehack as the slate tiles also act as thermal batteries, meaning they hold heat incredibly well. They hold and radiate that heat for the bigger part of the night (with the help of the DHP aswell).
Make sure the slate tiles have no sharp edges or corners to avoid your snake cutting themselves.
Substrate:
I'm using a bottom layer of coco fiber which holds water like a sponge and forest/coco bark (or husk) for the top layer, the substrate is roughly 4" deep in total. This substrate holds humidity incredibly well, I only pour water in the corners once a week (around 500ml each corner). This will vary depending on enclosure size and your local climate
My humidity is pretty stable, the warm side being between 65-70% and the cool side being between 75-80%.
When Rapha goes into blue I put sphagnum moss in his middle hide and mist the enclosure daily.
Enrichment:
Enrichment is what allows your snake to actually *use* the enclosure, not just hide in it. The more covered it is, the more secure they will feel while exploring. Still make sure there is enough open space for them to move comfortably.
I'm not quite fully done with covering the floor to make him feel covered while moving around, I'm planning to add 1 or 2 more plants on/around the branches in the middle
I was quite limited with (elevated/climbing) enrichment since my enclosure is glass, I obviously can't drill wherever I want. So I had to get creative.
For the platforms, I used shower trays (the things that hold your bottles of soap). I could easily attach these with the adhesives that come with them, they are impossible to pull off without any tools or sticker removal liquid of any kind. I put some of the left over cork background in there to absorb the heat, the metal gets a lot hotter than cork.
The tension rod/perch is a shower curtain rod wrapped with rope (for texture, grip and aesthetics). I attached the climbing rope under it as a way for Rapha to climb up to the rod
Other than that I used a bunch of artificial plants and real branches, just get creative with these. You can find them anywhere, though I got them from the local garden center.
I used suction cups for almost all of my elevated enrichment/decorations apart from the platforms and the tension rod/perch)
This is my (final) shopping list. You obviously don't have to follow this to a T, but this gives you a rough insight to what it'd cost to build an elaborate/naturalistic setup;
Custom (glass) terrarium 40"x20"x32": €400,-
Water bowl L: €24,95
Govee thermo/hygrometers: €20,-
75W par30 halogen flood bulb: €20,-
80w arcadia DHP: €32,-
2x lamp sockets: €20,-
2x Lucky Reptile lamp cage: €44,-
Arcadia 24W 6% UVB set: €92,-
2x Ketotek dimming thermostat: €100,-
LED strip for ceiling incl. cabels (1 meter): €80,-
Timers for LED strip and UVB: €24,-
Power strip (10 plugs): €10,-
Cork background: €41,70
Vinyl background for sides: €18,-
3x standard plastic hide box L: €48,-
3x slate tile: €20,-
Artificial plants: €50
Big branch (1 meter): free
2 small branches: €20,-
Tension rod (incl. rope): €28,-
2x platform: €16,-
Wooden toy ladder: €8,-
Cotton climbing rope (1 meter): €8,-
Hammock (incl some artificial plants): €22,-
2x tube plastic silicone: €10,-
Double sided tape: €8,-
HVAC tape: €10,-
Bunch of suction cups: €10,-
Table for terrarium (self made): €124,83
Feeding tongs: €0,99
Water spray bottle: €6,93
Infrared thermometer: €18,98
Snake hook: €19,49
80L of coco/forest bark or husk: €60,-
Total: €1415,87 (or roughly $1550)
I have spent at least $400 more than this to finally reach this goal, you won't have to if you more or less do what I did from the start. This list is excluding any tools, like; pliers, power drill, screwdrivers, etc.