Ball Python Setup #1

Buying for a ball python can be cheap or expensive- depending on how much you want to spend. In all practicality, ball pythons are perfectly fine living in a rack system. But, I'd like to have mine in a tank because its more aesthetically appealing to me and more enriching for the snake.

So this blog series will be about my experience buying and setting up my ball python enclosure.

The first items I bought were an aquarium and a screen top.

Aquarium vs Reptile Enclosure

There are a few options when it comes to enclosure type that both get the job done.

Reptile Enclosure

• Front opening
• Screen Top
• Glass
• More expensive

Aquarium

• Open top
• Glass
• Cheap

I personally opted for the aquarium because it was cheaper and I like the glass look of the aquarium more than the black bars that help open the front doors of the reptile enclosures.

Size

From what I was told at the reptile expo I went to, a ball python can live its entire life in a 20 gallon long, so that's what I bought.

Screen Tops

There are a plethora of options when it comes to screen lids: mesh cover, mesh covered with a square hinge, and mesh cover half hinged are some that I found to be the most common. I chose the plain mesh cover just due to costs. Because I have an aquarium that does not have grooves for a slide in lid, this one worked best for me as it just fit over the top of the aquarium.