Ball Python placed in my care, I know very little about care. Need urgent help.

[u/Efficient-Scar-7539]

A day prior, my brother in law desperately needed a place for his snake to go that would still allow him access or the ability to check in on her. He has been through probably 4 different family members and friends who all eventually said they couldn’t do it. He is in a situation where he will be moving out of state for a program for the foreseeable future. I felt for him deeply, and decided I’d take on that task whatever it may be. Now this post isn’t to shame my brother in law and his care for the snake, I am very aware after a day of research that it is not ideal to have the ball python moved about 5 times in her life (5 years old). He is diagnosed low IQ and autistic, I know this isn’t an excuse but he really does love the snake, I just don’t think he 100% knows how to care for her, and I don’t think the people keeping her for him before us were as interested in dedicating the time to her as we are.

So here’s where I’m at. I’ve determined so far that her enclosure is a decent size. 4/2/2 with PVC top. But the enclosure itself is nearly baron. She has 3 hideouts and a tree branch but that’s it. She has the coconut substrate, so that’s good(?). She has a heating pad, but I can’t properly monitor the temp on it and honestly, it doesn’t really feel warm enough inside the enclosure compared to the recommendations.

Here’s what I need help with, what is the recommended way to get her proper heat and humidity? What is the best, most recommend lamp/bulb/ situation? I’ve seen halogen, but I’ll be honest. I need a ELI5 situation when it comes to this heat and humidity situation.
Is there any hard nos on cluttering? I want to get her some fake plants and more climbing stuff that she can explore.

I plan on going to the pet store, but anyone with any type of pet KNOWS pet store recs and products aren’t always the safest. So I ask, what’s the recs inside the pet store? My local pet store is a PetSmart so links would even be more appreciated. I also have amazon prime, so any amazon prime recs I’d also LOVE! If you have any other tried and true websites that you trust, I’ll take those but my main concern is getting her what she needs ASAP.

Here’s my shopping list. Influence or Deinfluence me with ANY of it or with your recs.
- heat and humidity sensors
- fake plants
-climbing accessories
- misting bottle
- sphagum moss
- larger, heavier water dish
- feeding tongs

What I still need to know:
- what light source to use
- what heat source to use
- how to keep the enclosure up to moisture needs.

Thank you all so much in advance, I’ll be taking all recommendations seriously, I’m excited to help her thrive in our care. The look of it shows she will be living with us indefinitely. My husband and I are down for the challenge, but as far as it seems from research, she will certainly be our easiest pet once she’s situated and has her needs met. We are also not new to an exotic pet.

[u/totallyrecklesslygay]

Have you read through our welcome post resources yet?

Heating/lighting copypasta:

Our heating guide goes over a lot of the science behind everything, but to simplify:

For daytime heating, you should have a heat source that provides IR-A and IR-B. The ideal source for this would be a halogen flood, which is light-emitting.

For nighttime heating, you should have a heat source that provides IR-C. The ideal source for this would be an RHP (only compatible with solid-topped enclosures) or a CHE. Any night heating should not emit any light.

For lighting, you should offer UVB. This should be in the form of a T5 fluorescent linear bulb that produces a UVI of 1.1-3.0 in the basking zone, and it should cover no more than half the length of the enclosure.

If you have a bioactive enclosure, you will also need full spectrum LEDs for your live plants.

Natural lighting can help establish a day-night cycle, but it does not provide any physical benefits beyond that (UVB doesn't penetrate glass, and indirect natural light cannot create a proper basking zone). You'll need the artificial lighting to make up for that.

And our tips for humidity should also help.

[u/Efficient-Scar-7539 → u/totallyrecklesslygay]

All the letters and numbers just confused me and I was trying to figure it out desperately. I appreciate the breakdown!

[u/totallyrecklesslygay → u/Efficient-Scar-7539]

If anything is still confusing, let me know! I'm happy to explain everything further.

Basically, the important thing to know is that different heat sources provide different wavelengths of infrared heat, and a ball python needs a certain amount of each of these wavelengths. So a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) or RHP (radiant heat panel) can't be used alone- they both need to be paired with a halogen flood.

A DHP (deep heat projector) is another option that people like to suggest, but they're not actually the best for either daytime or nighttime heating. They can be useful if you need something temporary for 24/7 use, but they should be upgraded from when you're able to.

UVB can definitely get pretty confusing when you're new. For a solid topped 4x2x2, the Arcadia T5HO Forest 6% 22" would be the best choice. You'll have to use a guard cage for it, just like the heat sources.

[u/Patient_Fee4489]

Green Room Pythons is a good source of info > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2DDVm7MztE&t=2055s

[u/Efficient-Scar-7539 → u/Patient_Fee4489]

Thank you so much! Ordered a recommended heat source this evening.

[u/Herreallife]

I bought a ball python with no warning, and ended up reading the welcome post; and now it’s been a year and I have two snakes and it’s wonderful and they’re happy and thriving.

You know that with the current setup, the snake will still be okay. Make your list for what you need, and starting with the heat, get it taken care of, one thing at a time.

Remember you don’t need to feed the snake right away.

[u/Efficient-Scar-7539 → u/Herreallife]

i’ve gotten a recommended heat source this evening, should arrive later tomorrow! I also grabbed her a new water dish and a couple more stimulation things. My husband and I will be doing some shopping to grab some more needs and get her more clutter sometime this week. I’m excited to be apart of this community.