# Advice needed on a new set up of a royal/ball python



## kaleluk31 (Sep 6, 2010)

In a few weeks ill be trying to set up a wooden vivarium and buy a male ball/royal python, i dont know exactly what to do, but have had conclicting advice that just confuses me more.

*heating*
So far ive been told i need a heat mat half the side of the vivarium floor i.e if i get a 4ft viv i need a 24 or 23 inch heat mat. with chip wood covered in Melamine, plastic?? the heat matt would not conduct to well so i thought maybe get a small piece of ply board and grout a few kitchen tiles to it, then just place it on top of the heat mat, would it conduct heat good?? i was worried cos i hear of bare matt's burning the snake and things like that.

*housing*
ive also been told that if i buy a 4ft viv for a ball/royal python, that when buying the python make sure its at least 2ft long so it doesn't get stressed over a large environment.
I have to start off big because im on a budget and im using the money that i make from selling my 4ft tropical aquarium.

*Training*
when i get the snake i want it to be used to me so it dont get frightened and try bite me because im a stranger to it, what is the best way to get it used to me?

*Feeding*
As with the other information ive heard conflicts on that to.
one web site says only feed it dead rodents because live ones might injure your snake.

but then i hear sometimes they need live prey because frozen rodent removes a vitamin they need??

any other tips are gratefully received also


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## RedDragon619 (Jan 1, 2010)

right lol

*Heating*

if the snake is large anuff for a 4ft viv then a heat matt ON A STAT will be fine, you will need to fix it inside the viv, use staples or drawing pins to do this, only in the clear outter edge of the matt tho lol

*Housing*

4ft will be fine if you have a large-ish snake

*Training*

if you are getting a older snake then its temperment should what it is.... it may be calm or it may want to eat you lol but most royals are pritty good so if it wants to hiss etc at you then hadle once aday for just afew mins, it should help : victory:
*
Feeding*

most people have there snakes on defrosted rats, rats are better for them but some will only take mice
royals are known to be fussy feeders so they may go off there food for very long periods of time, this is normal so dont worry but watch there weight. there is other ways to get them feeding so you can ask on here at anytime if you need anymore help : victory:
also you need to leave them alone for 48hours after they have fed

again anything else then just ask

ohhh and pics are a must hehe


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

If you are getting a hatchling Royal then a 4' viv will be far too big (a 3' viv is plenty big enough for an adult Royal :2thumb. Heat mats are fine, no need to put wood over it, if you wish you can place some tiles over it (these will retain the heat very well indeed). As for feeding, make sure you buy one that has a feeding record, if it's been feeding well the chances are it will continue to feed well (but like Red Dragon said they can fast for long periods of time, nothing to worry about so long as they don't lose too much weight). Try to buy a hatchling that's been fed on rats, if not try to convert it over to rats as soon as possible (rats are better as when Royals are adult it is easier to feed a large rat than 5 or 6 mice in one feed :whistling2. When the time comes to convert it, just post up for help & we will help you convert it to rats :2thumb:.

Oh for a hatchling you will be better off starting it in a RUB (Really Useful Box), these come in different sizes & depending on how big the Royal is depends on the size you need. A 9L or 12L is fine for a hatchling & will do it for quite a while (i have a 14 month 500g Royal in a 12L RUB).


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## kaleluk31 (Sep 6, 2010)

RedDragon619 said:


> right lol
> 
> *Heating*
> 
> ...



i had a thought on the whole heat matt issue, if when people have a glass viv they just place it under the tank, well if i have a wooden one, why dont i just get apiece of glass that's been bevelled for smooth non sharp edge and place it on top in the wooden floor in the viv?


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

I agree with the above exept,
A heat mat for a larger royal is not suitable it can cause thermal blocking[to much weight on mat] .If your getting a viv get a ceramic bulb set up,or red bulb.You will need a ceramic bulb holder,a bulb guard, heat resistant cable all fixed to roof of viv and a ceramic or red bulb ,all avialable from reptile-ink on here,The ceramic bulb will need a pulse stat, the red bulb a dimming stat both can be used 24/7


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## kaleluk31 (Sep 6, 2010)

nelly1 said:


> I agree with the above exept,
> A heat mat for a larger royal is not suitable it can cause thermal blocking[to much weight on mat] .If your getting a viv get a ceramic bulb set up,or red bulb.You will need a ceramic bulb holder,a bulb guard, heat resistant cable all fixed to roof of viv and a ceramic or red bulb ,all avialable from reptile-ink on here,The ceramic bulb will need a pulse stat, the red bulb a dimming stat both can be used 24/7


But my thought on a bulb for heating is that if a bulb is on 24/7 2 problems will arise, 1. if a buld is in use 24/7 your going to be changing a bulb every 3 weeks or less. 2. its going to be in my bedroom, i would not want a light on when im trying to sleep, so aheat bulb 24/7 isnt a viable answer for me.

As for thermal blocking i see where your going but, if people orginally put them under a glass tank, and then a snake on top it should be able to take the weight without this thermal blocking, after all a heat mat is only plastic or rubber with copper rods or wire in it.

a male royal/ball python while slightly heaver then a corn snake, a corn snake can grow slightly longer. would think the weight of a snake would be aproblem if it was aregular 8 footer python or something not a male ball python growing the max 4 to 5 feet


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

kaleluk31 said:


> But my thought on a bulb for heating is that if a bulb is on 24/7 2 problems will arise, 1. if a buld is in use 24/7 your going to be changing a bulb every 3 weeks or less. 2. its going to be in my bedroom, i would not want a light on when im trying to sleep, so aheat bulb 24/7 isnt a viable answer for me.
> 
> As for thermal blocking i see where your going but, if people orginally put them under a glass tank, and then a snake on top it should be able to take the weight without this thermal blocking, after all a heat mat is only plastic or rubber with copper rods or wire in it.
> 
> a male royal/ball python while slightly heaver then a corn snake, a corn snake can grow slightly longer. would think the weight of a snake would be aproblem if it was aregular 8 footer python or something not a male ball python growing the max 4 to 5 feet


As for the light, go for a ceramic bulb set up, this emits heat only not light and should last months.
As for the heat mat try pressing gently on on you will feel the temp rise. A fully grown royal can wiegh 3/4 kg. In my opinion mats should not be used with heavy bodied snakes, not worth the risk


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## kaleluk31 (Sep 6, 2010)

nelly1 said:


> As for the light, go for a ceramic bulb set up, this emits heat only not light and should last months.
> As for the heat mat try pressing gently on on you will feel the temp rise. A fully grown royal can wiegh 3/4 kg. In my opinion mats should not be used with heavy bodied snakes, not worth the risk


ive just look at aceramic bulb on ebay, ive also seen a ceramic bulb mains setup and its only a cable with a connection to the ceramic bulb, so how do you know how much heat its going to give off, what is the Wattage for a ball python? and how do you regulate the heat to the temp it should be if the ceramic setup is only a cable and connection?

also how much you guard from your snake rising up and getting burned by this bulb?


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

kaleluk31 said:


> ive just look at aceramic bulb on ebay, ive also seen a ceramic bulb mains setup and its only a cable with a connection to the ceramic bulb, so how do you know how much heat its going to give off, what is the Wattage for a ball python? and how do you regulate the heat to the temp it should be if the ceramic setup is only a cable and connection?
> 
> also how much you guard from your snake rising up and getting burned by this bulb?


Toregulate the temps you use a thermostat as you do with all heating equipment,you get a guard to fit the bulb with about 40mm clearence all wat round.The wattage depends on what size viv you go with.I use a 150 watt in a 4x2 viv with a dimming thermostat


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## kaleluk31 (Sep 6, 2010)

nelly1 said:


> Toregulate the temps you use a thermostat as you do with all heating equipment,you get a guard to fit the bulb with about 40mm clearence all wat round.The wattage depends on what size viv you go with.I use a 150 watt in a 4x2 viv with a dimming thermostat


 
ok on ebay please look at these and see if i have the correct items
thermostat 
ELECTRONIC REPTILE/VIVARIUM THERMOSTAT. B/NEW on eBay (end time 06-Oct-10 13:52:45 BST)

ceramic bulb holder
Ceramic Bulb Holders. Vivarium Reptiles on eBay (end time 10-Sep-10 19:14:33 BST)

the bulb?? ive no clue what wattage i would need for a 3ft or 4ft viv but the brand might look like this one
Ceramic Heat Bulb as Pearlco 60W Vivarium Reptiles on eBay (end time 11-Sep-10 11:20:33 BST)
i dont know if this bulb fits the above ceramic bulb holder or what wattage i need

ceramic bulb guard
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/EXO-TERRA-CER..._Reptiles_Spiders_Insects&hash=item1e46055f83


what wattage regular light do i get to simulate night and day? does this need aguard?


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

kaleluk31 said:


> ok on ebay please look at these and see if i have the correct items
> thermostat
> ELECTRONIC REPTILE/VIVARIUM THERMOSTAT. B/NEW on eBay (end time 06-Oct-10 13:52:45 BST)
> 
> ...


The bottom 2 yes ok.The thermostat not ideal.Needs to be a dimming stat or a pulse proportional.the top stat is a on/off stat it would work but would burn out the bulb quicker.If you can find a higher wattage do so .the stat will control it


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## kaleluk31 (Sep 6, 2010)

kaleluk31 said:


> ok on ebay please look at these and see if i have the correct items
> thermostat
> ELECTRONIC REPTILE/VIVARIUM THERMOSTAT. B/NEW on eBay (end time 06-Oct-10 13:52:45 BST)
> 
> ...


Every time i look at the different items needed including the snake, it gets more and more depressing when i see the price of setup go up and up and up.

the way its looking its going to cost around 3 to £400 uk (618 dollars approx) which is at least twice over the amount it cost for the 4ft aquarium im selling, its not looking like i cant afford it.

I hoped i could set up the viv including snake for about 200 uk pounds (310 dollars) but its looking no way close to that

ceramic bulb+holder+guard+dimmer= £65 ($100)
lighting £20 ($thirty eight
vivarium + bedding+food+decoration/equipment=£160 ($240)
ball python £80 ($125)

total around 560 dollars and thats not including anything i haven't thought of


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## corny girl (Aug 30, 2009)

kaleluk31 said:


> Every time i look at the different items needed including the snake, it gets more and more depressing when i see the price of setup go up and up and up.
> 
> the way its looking its going to cost around 3 to £400 uk (618 dollars approx) which is at least twice over the amount it cost for the 4ft aquarium im selling, its not looking like i cant afford it.
> 
> I hoped i could set up the viv including snake for about 200 uk pounds (310 dollars) but its looking no way close to that



Why not use a RUB (Really Useful Box), with a heat mat underneath on a mat stat (the one you looked at on ebay will do the job) & a couple of digital thermometers (look for Forrtex Systems on ebay, they sell them very cheap). Then get a small water bowl & a couple of hides (cardboard boxes will do). This shouldn't cost you more than about £50, then the cost of the snake on top :2thumb:. If you are getting a hatchling you don't need a big viv to start with :2thumb:.


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## nelly1 (Oct 27, 2009)

kaleluk31 said:


> Every time i look at the different items needed including the snake, it gets more and more depressing when i see the price of setup go up and up and up.
> 
> the way its looking its going to cost around 3 to £400 uk (618 dollars approx) which is at least twice over the amount it cost for the 4ft aquarium im selling, its not looking like i cant afford it.
> 
> ...


Its not cheap to start up.
You dont need any other lighting as long as its in a reasonably light room


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## Hazze (Dec 8, 2009)

Mate have a look in the snake set up section and I'm sure you will eventually find someone selling a 'royal with setup' for far cheaper than £400!

I got my full setup&royal for £220 from a petshop & I now realise if I'd have spent a bit of time on here I could have done it alot cheaper!
:2thumb:


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## Hazze (Dec 8, 2009)

Just seen that your in the USA. Have a look on some US forums & I'm sure you'll find something. Can't imagine the US being more expensive than here!


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## kaleluk31 (Sep 6, 2010)

Hazze said:


> Just seen that your in the USA. Have a look on some US forums & I'm sure you'll find something. Can't imagine the US being more expensive than here!


no im from near manchester uk


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## samurai (Sep 9, 2009)

I put an ad in the wanted section of my local friday ad for a cheap 3ft viv and got 1 for 20 pounds, i bought the ceramic heating equipment seperatly. There is also free cycle, the classifieds on here local paper etc where you could ask. Ebay has resonably priced ceramic equipment and there is often stuff cheaply for sale on here. At least once your set up they don't cost a lot to feed etc, just make sure you have money aside or insurance incase it becomes ill. You could also make the viv your self.


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