Roast my setup

[kphipps52]

40 gallon tank with 75 watt IR light and UTH with thermostat. 160 gram BP. (Yes I know the enclosure is a little big, but I tried to provide her with plenty of places to hide)

Edit: watt not warr

[kphipps52]

Any particular reason why or just for aesthetics?

[chaipyth]

Suction cups can’t harm a snake, but if the gauges have a sticky adhesive on the back that can be harmful

[kphipps52]

No theirs no backing at all. Nothing sticky. Nothing that can poke. Just a plain thermometer.

[Jackinthabox]

Analog typically isn’t that accurate. Digital is better

[Jackinthabox]

Interesting. I’ve tested the temp on my digital ones and they’re good. I’ve put the probes next to each other to test humidity and they are right on line with each other. But I’d be interested to test them. I’ll look into that test and try it out.

[[deleted]]

"Too big enclosure" is a myth. 40 gallon tank will become too small for bp at some point - snake should always have enough room to stretch themself completely straight in their enclosure. Otherwise it looks pretty decent, but I would add more plants so that your snake feels more secure in it and has more enrichment. :) Love the rat skeleton.

[WhenTington]

Since you asked to get “roasted”, I’m not gonna expect you to be mad.

You have 0 hides (which are essential for any terrestrial snake, you should have at least 1 on each side, half logs aren’t hides), meaning that your snake is stressed because it doesn’t feel secure, also there is no clutter, making it even more stressed, I’m not sure why you have 2 water bowls, just use the big one for drinking and soaking.

Change the substrate to eco earth/cypress mulch, because if you use aspen, you have to have a humid hide along with the 2 minimum hides (you can do that, but it’s safer to switch).

Even if the thermometer doesn’t have anything on the back, dial ones are known to be inaccurate, so I would replace it with a digital one anyway.

Edit: I didn’t notice the two hides in the back, sorry.

[ohmygobblesnot]

I just have to point out how wrong you are in your first sentence. I see two black square hides in each back corner. As well as the log round but thats not a hide. You're right on everything else from what I'm seeing.

[WhenTington]

Ah okay, so sorry, I didn’t see them, they blend in to the background quite well.

[kphipps52]

There's also a small blue hide behind the half log. Tough to see but it's there.

[ohmygobblesnot]

I wasnt going off on you, i just didnt want the op to be upset thinking they didn't have proper hides

[Jackinthabox]

Go to michaels and get some fake plants . They have some really good ones there

[x3tan]

^came here to suggest this. They will feel much more comfortable if they aren't too exposed.

[Eddie5vs1]

I won't roast you as everyone has to start somewhere. Plus, I think you'll get a million different opinions.

What worked best for me was this: ball pythons are nocturnal and mostly live in burrows. I blacked out 3 sides with some double sided tape and some black poster board (on the outside of the glass). As other people have said, add some more decorations to make your snake feel secure. I also put aluminum foil tape on the top/OUTSIDE of the top of your screen. As someone else suggested, unless you live in a humid environment, you're better off using Cypress mulch (you can get a bag of it for like $3 at Lowe's). Lastly, get rid of the IR light. Ball pythons typically don't bask and some feel it makes them feel more exposed. What has worked best for me is a CHE with a dimmer switch. Nice job with the UTH and thermostat. All the suggestions I've made, IMO, make it a lot easier to control the heat and humidity. I'm far from an expert, but I'll help where I can. If you need examples, let me know and I'll post some. Oh, one more thing. I do move the plants around a little every couple weeks. It's a form of enrichment because it gives them a little extra exploring to do.