Reptiles - Geckos, Lizards, Snakes, and Turtles!

[Katara Fernandez]

I want to get myself two ballpythons. Has Anyone Tips for me how to get started? I have a huge fishtank I want to keep them in (1000 l)

[catra]

I want to get myself two ballpythons. Has Anyone Tips for me how to get started? I have a huge fishtank I want to keep them in (1000 l)

i have had my ball python for over a year and i love him so much, i could not be happier
here he is:


first, research. people often say they are easy or cheap pets but you need to put a lot of research into it before you get them
i researched them for over two months before getting them. there are many resources online. DO NOT trust what the pet shop employees say. don't buy from a pet shop, please. they often are very sick. you can get a snake at a reptile show near you, breeders, or online. i got mine online.

you are going to need to ask yourself some questions. can you pay for treatment if your snake gets sick? what if your snake only eats live food like mine does, are you okay with that? where are you going to buy food for them? where will you keep their enclosure? when you travel, who is going to take care of them? what if you get tired of them and don't want them anymore? etc.

i would not recommend cohabitation AT ALL (keeping two snakes in the same enclosure). please do not do this.
there are many horror stories where snakes have lived together for a long time with no problems, and one day there is a fight with massive injuries (regardless of the snakes' sex). since you have such a large tank you could split the tank in half and put one on each side. here is an example when someone split a tank in half for their fish. i'm sure you could find a tutorial for a reptile tank divider.
OR you could always get one snake, see how it goes, wait a few months, and then get a second. because even with the tank divider, there is a chance the snakes could make each other sick. when you get a new reptile, you should quarantine (don't place them near other animals) for at least three months.

there is so much to say about ball pythons that i don't know what i should say. feel free to post on here or message me, i would love to help. i know how confused i was when i first got into the snake hobby.

there is a forum called [url=ball-pythons.net]ball-pythons.net[/url]
SIGN UP on it. it has saved my life countless times. there are experts, people who have had snakes for over 20 years, and so many helpful people on that site. you can make posts asking questions or read others' posts. completely recommend.

hope this has been helpful. again, feel free to ask anything. don't be embarrassed - animals' health and safety come first.

[rose;]

I want to get myself two ballpythons. Has Anyone Tips for me how to get started? I have a huge fishtank I want to keep them in (1000 l) :)

i have had my ball python for over a year and i love him so much, i could not be happier
here he is:


first, research. people often say they are easy or cheap pets but you need to put a lot of research into it before you get them
i researched them for over two months before getting them. there are many resources online. DO NOT trust what the pet shop employees say. don't buy from a pet shop, please. they often are very sick. you can get a snake at a reptile show near you, breeders, or online. i got mine online.

you are going to need to ask yourself some questions. can you pay for treatment if your snake gets sick? what if your snake only eats live food like mine does, are you okay with that? where are you going to buy food for them? where will you keep their enclosure? when you travel, who is going to take care of them? what if you get tired of them and don't want them anymore? etc.

i would not recommend cohabitation AT ALL (keeping two snakes in the same enclosure). please do not do this.
there are many horror stories where snakes have lived together for a long time with no problems, and one day there is a fight with massive injuries (regardless of the snakes' sex). since you have such a large tank you could split the tank in half and put one on each side. here is an example when someone split a tank in half for their fish. i'm sure you could find a tutorial for a reptile tank divider.
OR you could always get one snake, see how it goes, wait a few months, and then get a second. because even with the tank divider, there is a chance the snakes could make each other sick. when you get a new reptile, you should quarantine (don't place them near other animals) for at least three months.

there is so much to say about ball pythons that i don't know what i should say. feel free to post on here or message me, i would love to help. i know how confused i was when i first got into the snake hobby.

there is a forum called [url=ball-pythons.net]ball-pythons.net[/url]
SIGN UP on it. it has saved my life countless times. there are experts, people who have had snakes for over 20 years, and so many helpful people on that site. you can make posts asking questions or read others' posts. completely recommend.

hope this has been helpful. again, feel free to ask anything. don't be embarrassed - animals' health and safety come first.

Along with this, if you're stuck on using a tank, set it up and make sure your humidity and temps are spot on before ever getting a snake. Tanks are much harder to keep warm and humid and ball pythons are sensite to their environement. They're also shy and need LOTS of coverage in a tank. I personally suggest starting out with a tub set up which is much simpler and cheaper for a ball python, and will let you get familiarized with caring for snakes before trying to do an elaborate set up

[CanineHaywire]

I've been in the hobby for years. I currently own two bearded dragons and a ball python. I have owned other snakes, geckos, lizards and turtles.

[catra]

Along with this, if you're stuck on using a tank, set it up and make sure your humidity and temps are spot on before ever getting a snake. Tanks are much harder to keep warm and humid and ball pythons are sensite to their environement. They're also shy and need LOTS of coverage in a tank. I personally suggest starting out with a tub set up which is much simpler and cheaper for a ball python, and will let you get familiarized with caring for snakes before trying to do an elaborate set up

agreed. i have mine set up in a tub right now and it's goin great. i'm going to change to a display tank when he is a bit bigger, but even then - why fix it if it isn't broken?
op - it's up to you but tubs are way easier to set-up and control.

[Katara Fernandez]

Wow. I'm totally amazed by all the nice help *-*
Thank you all so much!
I've read articles about how to Design this fish tank as Terrarium for ballpythons, but never anyone said, that they don't want to share a tank! Thank godness I know now. I was thinking of making a water hole about 50 l. But then I got some confusing tipps, which often say the complete opposite. Do your ballpythons love water or are they not using it at all?
And LeHolibomber: Your Python looks absolutely stunning! I'm glad it has a owner who really cares for it!

[WalkingContradiction]

Anyone know of any good vegetarian reptiles?
I love them I just don't want to have to feed them animals... even crickets ha

so far I have thought of
- some tortoise (dunno witch specific breed turtle though) (and I really want a lizard...)
- iguana (they just grow soooo big ahh)
- blue tongue skink (but they are more omnivorous right?)

[cardboardteeth]

@walkincontradiction
uromastyx are vegetarian!! ;w; their care is, as far as I know, very similar to that of a bearded dragon.

[WalkingContradiction]

@rhil

Ah thanks! I haven't heard of them before but am now doing research and they are sooo cute :3

[rose;]

Anyone know of any good vegetarian reptiles?
I love them I just don't want to have to feed them animals... even crickets ha

so far I have thought of
- some tortoise (dunno witch specific breed turtle though) (and I really want a lizard...)
- iguana (they just grow soooo big ahh)
- blue tongue skink (but they are more omnivorous right?)

uromastyx are similar to bearded dragon but much higher temps, but ambient and hotspot (150), and while vegetarian they should be supplemented with bee pollen. For size, they need larger enclosures then bearded dragons, and most are not as friendly and sociable as beardeds, as well as not able to be out of their enclosures as long since they need much higher temps. Humidity must also be kept consistently very low, or respiratory infections may develop.
ALSO just a tip to anyone thinking of owning or currently owning, while play sand is a fine substrate for them, be careful with decor. They WILL dig, and will dig under decor, so make sure decor is resting on the bottom of the enclosure or secured, and sand filled in around it. Digging under decor may cause it to shift and fall onto the uro.

tortoise are great, I babysit one for the summers and I love him. He's more active and ambles around constantly, and eats so much. The bigger the better for enclosure size for these guys, and some like to dig as well. But typically low basking temps are easier to obtain. Not super expressive or interactive, although they're super fun to watch eat. The one I babysit gets to run around my apt for significant amounts of time during the day since I don't have air conditioning so it's typically very warm, and their required ambient temps are low

I would not recommend an iguana unless you are a very experienced reptile owner/hobbyist and have owned other large lizards. They can take a LONG time to tame down and you run the risk of having a VERY angry six foot lizard on your hands for many months of the year during breeding season. Males often become aggressive and can cause serious injuries. Not to mention they eat so much and need very large enclosures with expensive lights

I personally would recommend a blue tongue skink. Compared to my beardie my BTS is more interactive, more inquisitive, and more friendly. They're also super fun to just sit and watch. They are omnivores, however, they can receive their protein in the form of high quality, grain and fish free dog or cat food instead of live bugs, which are a good supplement but not required. Fresh greens can/should be mixed into their wet cat/dog food in small amounts and they can also be given raw or cooked egg, raw or cooked (without seasonings) meats like chicken, and things like canned snails. As far as I know they do not require these things, although they are a good supplement and I provide them to mine. They can also be supplemented with repashy mixes and arcadio omnigold or their specific BTS mix. They can be given fruit as treats
They need slightly larger enclosures than bearded dragons and depending on the species you get need higher humidity than beardeds, and typically lower temps. I have mine in a 50g wide that's 4 ft long and he's full grown, I have the lid taped with foil and it keeps the humidity at about 80%, he's got a single low wattage basking light and a relatively low wattage RHP for ambient, pretty simple. They do actually need mental stimulation as well.
unfortunately, they are rather expesnive to get from a breeder and mostly become available as babies once a year. There are also certain localities that are not establishes breeding populations in the US, and if they are available are wild caught imports, and if they say captive bred, are babies from a wild caught female. They are cheaper, but require vet visits to make sure no parasites, etc.

Wow. I'm totally amazed by all the nice help *-*
Thank you all so much!
I've read articles about how to Design this fish tank as Terrarium for ballpythons, but never anyone said, that they don't want to share a tank! Thank godness I know now. :) I was thinking of making a water hole about 50 l. But then I got some confusing tipps, which often say the complete opposite. Do your ballpythons love water or are they not using it at all?
And LeHolibomber: Your Python looks absolutely stunning! I'm glad it has a owner who really cares for it! :)

I provide water for all my snakes in a dish large enough for them to submerge their entire body. BPs enjoy taking a soak every once in a while, but them sitting in the water for extended periods of time (like a blood python would) would indicate to me that there's something wrong (mites, temps too high, humidity to low). If your humidity is spot on (as it should be), you shouldn't really find your snake hanging out in the water bowl for days on end. A larger water bowl may help keep the humidity in the tank up though.
BPs also aren't really an aquatic snake and I would think would prefer to have something solid to be resting on in the water, rather than having to go swimming to be in the water, as 50L is quite large. There's also the issue of cleaning- often a water dish also becomes a place for poo. If the water dish will be permanently in the tank, how will you clean it?