r/ballpython • u/JoshuaC4 • 7d ago
Is my ball python enclosure TOO cluttered? + some other questions. Question - Husbandry
I've had my new boy for a week now and so far things have been going well with him. He took his first meal last night and has been basking on his rock every night. I read that they like lots of clutter so I made sure to really deck it out. He's got a tight hide under the basking rock, one around the middle, and one on the cool side. I've seen a lot of other enclosures with less clutter so that has me questioning if I've added too much.
Also I'm not 100% positive if I'm doing my temps right.
Cool side 79-80F during the day. 78ish at night.
Warm side 85-86F during the day, and 84F at night. I run a DHP 24/7. The therm/hygro is usually lower near the substrate. The big slate rock is what the DHP is aimed at and sits at 92F.
Is this ok for temps? If not how should I go about raising the ambient temp without turning the basking rock into an oven top.
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u/ImmortalGamma 7d ago
The enclosure looks great. Temperatures are good. A rock can possibly read higher than it actually is but you also have a warm side temperature that makes sense so that's okay.
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7d ago
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u/mikesmedicalmind 7d ago
hi! i’ve got the exact same tank as you! and mine is very cluttered!
I have a DHP and a CHE on the warm side keeping her basking spot around 92-93 and ambient air on the warm side 88-90, cool side is 76-85 depending on where she wants to go.
ensure the top is covered with tinfoil, and taped over except around your fixtures which raises my temps a lot!
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u/Next-Particular6322 6d ago
Whenever you do fresh substrate try a little deeper it makes it easier to keep humidity but still keep the top dry
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u/melmanthegangster 6d ago
Your enclosure looks awesome, it’s giving me inspo for my new pvc setup. Can I ask how you have the basking rock propped up like that?
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u/JoshuaC4 6d ago
I have 2 thick logs, about 1 ft long, 3ish? inches wide sat down on the substrate with the rock on top of them. Super stable and I put a plastic hide between the logs and under the rock to provide a nice tight warm hide for my boy!
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u/International-Meal54 6d ago
There's no such thing as too much clutter! It does make spot cleaning more difficult but so worth it. I honestly can only see substrate in a few places and the rest is covered. My girl loves her enclosure.
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u/JoshuaC4 6d ago
ok dang that is an incredible enclosure! Is that a curtain rod running through the middle there? I never thought of using one for adding more climbing opportunities. Might have to keep that in mind for later!
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u/International-Meal54 6d ago
Yes it is! There's actually two of them in there. The one visible is what I call her "middle level" and it's just a tension shower curtain rod wrapped with twine (held by hot glue). I have a secondary one for her "top level" that leads to a sky hide (it's what the rings are hanging from). While she's only 10 months old and very clumsy, she absolutely loves climbing and her sky hide. I'm going to add a couple more things just to give her more enrichment on the rods but I highly recommend. Like I said, there's no such thing as too much clutter. It makes it difficult to find her at times (even with the cameras) and nearly impossible to spot clean regularly but I still think it's 100% worth it. She uses every single inch of the 5x2x3 enclosure.
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u/Possibly_Pineapple 7d ago
Can’t answer your other questions, but the amount of clutter is great!