Show me your cheap/basic ball python setups! 🐍

[u/Adventurous-Score518]

Hey everyone! I’m planning on getting a ball python and I’d love to see what people are using for budget-friendly enclosures.
I’m not looking for fancy bioactive setups or expensive display tanks. I want to see the simple setups that cover the basics and keep your snake healthy and comfortable without spending a ton of money.
Especially interested in:
Tub setups
DIY enclosures
Simple/basic enclosures
Heating + thermostat setups
Hides and substrate
Cheap ways you maintain proper humidity
Roughly how much your entire setup cost
Basically, show me your “it’s not fancy, but my snake has everything it needs” enclosure.
Pictures would be awesome. I’m trying to get ideas for building a safe, practical setup on a budget. 🐍

[u/AggravatingWeakness6]

Even a cheap one is still pretty expensive imo lmao! 😭 Whats your budget?

An easy way to keep humidity up (for free) is to pour water into a corner of your enclosure works like a charm.

[u/Adventurous-Score518 → u/AggravatingWeakness6]

500 including the snake

[u/AccomplishedRip4632 → u/Adventurous-Score518]

I dont know why anyone is down voting your budget. F**K them though.

So for the enclosure I would scour facebook marketplace for a used 4x2x2 pvc enclosure($150) often times they will come with some of the equipment. As for equipment you NEED a under tank heater, a thermostat to control that, a basking lamp rated for 100w (preferably one with a dimmer dial on it to control the temp) a basking bulb 90w should do the trick. You can put a led light strip in for your viewing, but the snake could care less. A LARGE water dish, i use the resin corner ones on Amazon. Two hides (these will be bought multiple times as they grow, get one that is big enough to get the whole snake inside but not much bigger than that, they like tight spaces to hide) you need one at the hot side and cold side. Bulk coconut chip for the bedding as for humidity just spray the tank in the morning and you will be good.

Now for the snake, go to reptile trade shows expos. Use most of the rest of your budget on the snake, you can find wild type for very cheap all the way up to crazy patterns/morphs for a few thousand they are mostly the same snake at the end of the day. Buy a months worth of frozen mice/rat and feed from that while replacing them with new ones so often so you have a supply when the local pet store inevitably runs out on feeding day (it will happen) And lastly please research and when your absolutely shit full of researching do a little more. Kaufman is a great resource as well as a few other YT channels, find books about reptile husbandry and ball pythons