# First time Royal Python setup



## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

Hi there.
I am currently looking at acquiring a baby Royal Python for my almost 11 year old daughter. Being that I used to be a breeder of fish I have a few fish tanks and equipment at my disposal for modification if possible.

Initialy I would be hoping to use a 15 gallon corner tank that is very much higher than it is width x length with a home made wood/ wire mesh top but the main question is can I use a partially sealed internal bespoke water filled vat with aquarium heater to act as a radiator and control the temperature and add a little humidity and further more a 75 watt sodium vapour lamp (SON) with shading to simulate natural sunlight and create daily hotspots for sunbathing? This would be my initial build. 
I am then looking at using a 48x18x18 tank removing the front glass and making wooden framing with glass viewing inset and making a two inch deep trough running the whole length of the front of the tank, perhaps 4-5 inches width. Again I would hope to use an aquarium heater as the main heat source but I also have a 150 watt SONe lamp to simulate sun light used in conjunction with an aquarium triton tube. The SONe is planned to be wired via a random oscillating timer circuit and a reverse relayed photo switch so that it comes on during daytime only. I also have SOX units (red/orange type street lamp) that I used to use to simulate dawn and dusk conditions to get my cichlids to spawn that may be off use. 

Any advice on any of the above would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Matt


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## Mik3F (Feb 6, 2010)

To be honest an aquarium heater probably won't cut it

For a young Royal, a rub with a heatmat connected to a stat will be perfect. Or a small viv (no larger than 24x15x15") again with a heatmat as the heatsource

When it is older and you move it to a viv then a guarded ceramic setup is probably the best option.

Royals do fine at room humidity, it only needs increasing when they are coming into shed


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

*Royal Python setup*

Thanks for the advice on that one with regards to moisture. Do you know anything of the use of SON units for lighting and heat?

Matt


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## Mik3F (Feb 6, 2010)

Sorry don't know anything about them


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

*Lighting*

I used them for my fish and even in the green house as they are close to the natural wavelengths of sunlight that man can create efficiently. I also have two mercury vapour lamps that are eccellent for early plant growth both in aquatics and horticulture. However how they would correlate with snakes is another matter. 
I am simply trying to use what I have at hand but in doing so create an as close to natural setup that I possibly can.

SON units give of huge amounts of heat as well as light that is making me think that they themselves may be the answer in that if the tank is well insulated with plenty of rocks for heat absorbtion it may just be as good if not superior to heatmats.

What I am now thinking is if I install a heatmat and set it's thermo at the minimum of the pythons tolerance and gradually lower the light closer to the tank, adjust the shading and the timing this may just be effective.

I will incorprate this in to my set up on build prior to acquring said beastie and keep you posted on results.

Matt


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

Another turn on lighting, we know that humans and many mamimals utilise sunlight to produce vitamin D amongst other things, is there any evidence to suggest that sunlight has an effect chemicaly and or dispositionaly to a reptile?

Matt


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## Mik3F (Feb 6, 2010)

Royals are nocturnal so don't get much sunlight anyway. There have been studies into the benefits of UV but I personally don't give mine any


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

Do they like to sunbathe to heatup in the morning as most reptiles do?

Surely that would also mean that a Royal has a very good low temperature tolerance to be nocturnal on Africa's plains? Meaning that perhaps we keep them too warm?

No offence intended of course, just trying to pick my way through the finer details and i am truly gratefull

Matt


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## Mik3F (Feb 6, 2010)

I never see mine basking during the day, she stays in her hide at the hot end for the vast majority of the time


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## RedDragon619 (Jan 1, 2010)

when i got my 1st royal she never basked, as mik3F said they dont seem to care about it, mine was in hot hide 95% of the time, but all mine (6) are in rubs and seem 2 b doing better, all feed everytime (unless in shed) and seem chilled and "happy" as such.

Hope this helps :2thumb:


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

So perhaps a captive environment may be more suited than a wild habitat. 
Just thought that the inclusion of environmental variables may have improved their captive stay. 

Thanks guys.

Matt


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## RedDragon619 (Jan 1, 2010)

THEMADFIFER said:


> So perhaps a captive environment may be more suited than a wild habitat.
> Just thought that the inclusion of environmental variables may have improved their captive stay.
> 
> Thanks guys.
> ...


in the case of a royal then maybe, there is alot of ppl on here that will say the same,as in royals do better in rubs/small space.
they seem to prefer it, they feed etc alot better (as u know, royals have there moments when it comes to feeding :bash

in the wild they stay in there "hides/borrows" most of the time and then come out 2 drink/eat at nite and back they go and will stay there for awhile b4 coming out for a drink etc again.

great snakes all the same and i love all of mine, im hoping to breed for the 1st time this year, i have a lot more reading to do 1st but i hope it will happen.
in around 3years i will b trying for a bumblebee royal, i have dad "pastel" and mum "spider" so fingered crossed :2thumb:


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## Mikeyy (Sep 24, 2009)

I keep all of mine in vivs, as i have the room,
i should really keep them in racks but there all happy so I'll leave them

if your only going to have one, i'd pop him in a nice display viv 
racks are just good if you have a few or not a lot of room 

but either way is fine


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

*Heating result!!!!!*

Hello again!
I have run a little test using a 150 watt aquarium heater, a tall sweet jar in this case a "Roses jar" filled with water and placed in my 15 gallon corner tank. 

I tweeked the thermostat so it's maximum cut of is roughly 34 C placed in the sweetjar through a 28mm hole in it's lid so that just the cap and variable stat is protruding. 

The tank is bare with an 80mm vent on the top and situated in open space. The ambient room temperature was between 14-15 C

The tank maintained temperature at between 29.2 and 29.8C over the course of roughly 3 hours. with no additional heat source.

Thus proving this can work, however I have also purchased a habistat (300watt rated) thermostat, heatlamp and mat from the usual auction site that should soon be en route`.
The trouble with the aquarium heater is that they use bimetalic thermostats that can and have been known to stick on so it is best to have a secondary thermostat preferably theristor coupelled and it will be used on the lamp and mat aswell.

Now bearing in mind that a 150watt (0.6 amp) aquarium heater can heat a a 24x15x12" tank of water with ease and no insulation I will modify (by enlargement) and move this unit on to my 48X18x18 tank when the time comes for the baby royal(ball) to move.

My whole reasoning behind using a radiator type heater is that water stores heat better than air, so stable temps can be maintained easier than can with air, and if to be honest I have these items at hand. 
Now given that Mik3f(thanks mate) has made me aware of humidity this arrangement will be sealed, however perhaps if you have more mositure loving snakes, ie rain forrest type dwellers then this may be of excellent use as the top of say a jar could be vented providing of course you top up as required.

Definatley going with a sealed water radiator and again I will post and update as things transpire.....

Matt


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

Hi Mikeyy,
I guess to each their own but for me something as exotic and simply amazing as a reptile should be on display(showing off a little perhaps) but was the same in my fish breeding days. I never did bare tank breeding arrangements, they always had the best habitat I could provide both astheticaly and as natural as possible, may make a little more difficult to manage but I aint a farmer I am a lover of animals and this is rubbing off on my daughter to a degree that way surpases mine, she is ten years old and not even having a ball yet she knows more about it than I do, thank god for the internet! lol

Matt


Mikeyy said:


> I keep all of mine in vivs, as i have the room,
> i should really keep them in racks but there all happy so I'll leave them
> 
> if your only going to have one, i'd pop him in a nice display viv
> ...


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

*A little info on the SON (high pressure sodium lamp) mentioned earlier.*

Back again......
It turns out that this light might be a bit over the top.
A 150 watt unit outputs 15000 lumens steady with a bulb surface temperature of 220 degrees C.
15000 lumens is equivacle to around 8 x 100 watt standard lightbulbs. Given that the sun is roughly rated at 9300 lumens at ground surface it is like looking at 1.5 suns when viewing the bulb at close proximity.

Colour temperature is stated as 2300 degrees K and as is very broad spectrumed from ultra violet through to infrared and black light.

Conclusion, would be of good use in a cupboard type setup mounted at ceiling height with reptiles on floor to mid room height max and really only for basking loving beasties at that.

Matt....On a mission.....lol!


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## Mikeyy (Sep 24, 2009)

as long as it's guarded and stated mate it really doesn't matter!

Some of mine have 100, some 150, some 250
all on pulse stats, I have noticed the 250's seem to be on less (a they are more powerful they need less time to get up the temps I spose)
so therefore, they last longer 

I'm the same with my vivs too mate, I like hem
looking there best to display to animal  
but mainly for myself  I just enjoy looking at a gorgeous viv 
and as long am the snakes happy in there, that's all that matters



THEMADFIFER said:


> Back again......
> It turns out that this light might be a bit over the top.
> A 150 watt unit outputs 15000 lumens steady with a bulb surface temperature of 220 degrees C.
> 15000 lumens is equivacle to around 8 x 100 watt standard lightbulbs. Given that the sun is roughly rated at 9300 lumens at ground surface it is like looking at 1.5 suns when viewing the bulb at close proximity.
> ...


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

Ah, now there is an issue. I do not think that SON units can be used with pulse stats as the lamp would shut down and needs a cool off reset time of roughly 5 minutes before the ignighter will refire. I think I may have mislead you there, SON units are nothing like heatlamps but the upsides are amazing, good heat, silly bright and a lifetime gauranteed minimum of 6000 hours with 50% of bulbs still in operation after 15000 hours.

Totaly Mikeyy just my own personal preference and taking nothing from people who really know what they are doing. It may be a snake and perhaps they are devoid of emotion but I cannot help but think quality of life. Maybe I am too much of a fairy...lol

Matt


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## Mikeyy (Sep 24, 2009)

THEMADFIFER said:


> Ah, now there is an issue. I do not think that SON units can be used with pulse stats as the lamp would shut down and needs a cool off reset time of roughly 5 minutes before the ignighter will refire. I think I may have mislead you there, SON units are nothing like heatlamps but the upsides are amazing, good heat, silly bright and a lifetime gauranteed minimum of 6000 hours with 50% of bulbs still in operation after 15000 hours.
> 
> Totaly Mikeyy just my own personal preference and taking nothing from people who really know what they are doing. It may be a snake and perhaps they are devoid of emotion but I cannot help but think quality of life. Maybe I am too much of a fairy...lol
> 
> Matt


why not just shove a ceramic in there mate?
Cost me £15 each and have been in over a year now!


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## THEMADFIFER (May 31, 2010)

What can I say.....I like to P about with things! lol
I have a ceramic bulb and mat en route` as well as managing to modify an aquarium heater and jar as desrcibed earlier in this thread.


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## DE73 (May 12, 2010)

The royal will not be a big fan of the light Matt, the ceramic is a much better way to go.

A royal doesn't really make a good display animal if that is your main goal, as they are nocturnal. You may want to consider a low wattage red night light so you can watch the royal scooting arounf for about 2hrs after dark.

Also, watch that the relatively large enclosure does not spook the baby into not feeding well for you.

good luck and hope you enjoy the royal


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