If you have ball pythons, then you know how important it is to make sure that they are as comfortable and happy as possible. In this article, I will outline 10 tips on the things I think should be in your snake room.
For my newcomers, a snake room is a room within your house where you can set up space specifically for your ball pythons. Some breeders have their setup in their basement. For me, I have my setup In a shed at the back of my house.
The shed has insulation on the walls, decent lighting, sturdy flooring, and a ceiling that is not too high. I have plenty of space in there to put tubs, water jugs, and all the other accessories I need.
1. Temperature & Humidity Gauge
Having the correct temperature in your snake room is crucial because all snakes are cold-blooded and need heat to regulate their body temperature. I control the temperature and humidity in several ways:
- Digital Temperature Gauge
- SensorPush Wireless Thermometer and Wifi Gateway
Digital Temperature Gauge
I use a digital temperature gauge whenever I am doing any type of work in my snake room. I have it prominently displayed so that I can see what the temperature and humidity are at all times.
If the temperature or humidity is not where they need to be, I can adjust my humidifier, heater, fan, or air conditioner (more on those in a moment). These will help moisturize, warm up, or cool down the space inside my snake room.
SensorPush Wireless Thermometer and Wifi Gateway
When I am away, I use the SensorPush. It’s connected to my phone, so I get alerts when the humidity or temperature is too high low.
I also have my air condition connected to my smartphone as well. I can turn it on when I am at work, traveling, or wherever. I don’t worry because I can always monitor the conditions of my snake room remotely.
2. Humidifier
Your pythons need to have a specific humidity. Regulating the humidity in your snake room prevents them from drying out and potentially more serious issues like respiratory infections or shedding problems.
I keep mine usually between 50 and 70 percent. However, I find that 60 is my sweet spot.
I use the Pure Guardian humidifier because it allows me to adjust the level of moisture and coolness in my room. And a cool-mist is what you want because if it is too warm, you will get a lot of condensation on the walls.
So definitely get a humidifier to help protect your reptiles.
3. Rodent & Snake Tags
Next in my little bag of tricks are colored rodent and snake tags. A huge shoutout to huge shout out to SnakeMan’s Exotics for recommending these to me because I would have never thought of them.
Now everybody has their own system when it comes to breeding their snakes, and using colored tags is part of mine.
I use the colored tags to identify snakes I have to feed, snakes that have eaten, and snakes I need to pair. The rodent tags let me know if there is a live rodent in the tub or if it was not eaten. Either way, I never forget whether I have a rodent in a tub.
This is my system. This is what works for me. You do, what works for you. But trust me, these are nice to have for your snake room setup.
4. Hand Sanitizer
If you have been watching my videos or reading any of the how-to’s on my site, then you know I am a huge advocate for hand sanitizer.
One of the biggest reasons I use it is for my safety, as well as for my reptiles. I sanitize my hands before I handle the animals. I also hand sanitize when I handle rodents and any of my other reptiles.
Video Tutorial
5. Climate Control
This one probably should have been higher on the list. Maybe it should have been number one, climate control.
What I mean by this are fans, air conditioning, and heating. I use these to help maintain my snake room at 79-81 degrees year-round.
I use the fans to recirculate the air and heat in the winter and cool the air in the summer. During the winter months, I also use an electric baseboard heater near the flooring, which is controlled by a thermostat mounted on the wall.
6. Snake Hooks
There are going to be a lot of people who disagree with me, but I am who I am. I choose to do things my own way.
Your pet snake can get really defensive and feisty ladies and gentlemen. A good way to stop them from being feisty or get out of food mode is a hook.
I have several sizes and I use them on my adults and hatchlings. I just give them a little tap on the head and they know I am not food, and they calm down pretty easily.
I personally use hooks. I know a lot of people don’t, but they work for me.
7. Flashlight
Very simple, very basic. I use them for candling eggs, general-purpose, and in case of an emergency.
If you don’t candle your eggs I suggest you have a flashlight as a backup just in case egg rolls or anything like that.
8. Disinfectant and Cleaning Supplies
You’ll want to clean and disinfect your snake room because you want to make sure that you are doing all of the proper hygiene practices. Disinfectant, paper towels, and spray bottles are part of my cleaning arsenal.
The disinfectant I use is F10. It’s a veterinary disinfectant super safe for your animals. It will help keep your snake room clean and fresh, which is very important for their health.
9. Plastic Containers
Plastic containers are very useful to have in your snake room because it makes it easier for when you’re packaging or weighing your animals and when you’re cleaning tubs.
I’ll buy a bunch of these in different sizes then modify them by making holes with a soldering iron. After that, I can keep them stored on a rack until I need them.
When I have to do anything with my snakes, especially cleaning. I can put a little bedding inside them, put my snake in and do whatever. I don’t worry, because they are safe and won’t escape.
10. Fly Paper/Insect Zapper
Depending on where you are, gnats may be an issue for you. I live in Long Island, NY and I have my snake room in a shed, so gnats are a big problem for me.
One way to help keep gnats out of your snake’s enclosure is by using two things, fly ribbon or an insect zapper.
Fly Ribbon
I highly recommend fly ribbon. You just pop it out and roll it out into a long string. I don’t know what it does but it traps the flies. The best part is that they are not that expensive.
You can get these in bulk on Amazon. I typically get the Raid FR3-RAID 4 Count Fly Catcher Ribbon.
Insect Zapper
When the bugs get out of control, I fire up my insect zapper. It’s not a bug zapper in the actual sense. It uses Ultra-violet lighting to lure the bugs in, then they get sucked up by a fan that traps them against sticky glue boards inside of it.
Pretty affordable and you don’t have to deal with the zapping noise while you are trying to work.
Final Thoughts
Well, that’s it for now. hopefully, the information you have read on my page has helped you learn a little more about how to care for your pythons.
If you have any questions, comments, or recommend some topics you want me to cover. Feel free to reach out to me, I love to share.
Until next time,
Happy breeding!
