XYZReptiles Ball Python Reptile Starter Kit
6 Customer Reviews
Terrible kit
Don't waste your $. These items are wrong and/or useless for a ball python minus the water bowl and heat pad. Heat tape is better but whatever. Do not use aspen bedding for these snakes. They need higher humidity levels and aspen will mold. Use coco husk. Whoever said overhead heat is best for ball pythons...WRONG. Belly heat is best but either will suffice. They like to curl up and hide 90% of the time so having a place to warm their bellies while their backs are protected is where you'll find them. Also two hides are best; one on the warm side, one on the cool side (95-ish warm, 75-ish cold.) Biggest flaw of this kit and many first time owners is not pairing a reputable thermostat with the heat pad. These things get hot enough to burn and if not regulated could injure your critter. Google is amazing, just do some basic 20 minute research before giving an animal a miserable life and/or horrible death. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS KIT. Attached photo is a quick throw-together 10 gallon setup (complete with a sanitized chinese food dish, best hides ever.) He is one of 17 snakes, must be doing something right as they all eat, poop, and shed great. Just saying. $25-$100 total cost on one like this minus the snake cost depending on where you get your accessories and who you know. Again, belly heat is preferred but this was thrown together as a temp setup. Happy herping.
Aspen is bad
Aspen bedding gets moldy when wet and isn’t good for high humidity snakes such as ball pythons. I would definitely not recommend this
Don’t waste your money
I ordered this kit for a new ball python that would be a Christmas gift to my son. The water dish and hide cave are way too small. It says that it is supposed to be for a 20 gallon tank size and the heater sent says it’s for a 10 gallon tank and the thermometer is not the one pictured in the photo. There are no instructions for anything so I can’t get the thermometer to change from Celsius to Fahrenheit. The thermometer is not reading a temp that is needed for the snake even with a separately purchased heat lamp. I wish that I was able to see this in store before buying. There are far superior new snake kits at pet stores.
Most items not useful. Heat mat is DANGEROUS without a thermostat.
This is not a good starter kit for a Ball Python. A heat mat with no thermostat is very dangerous and can cause burns (Chewy, please, this is irresponsible). Aspen is almost never a good substrate for Ball Pythons. Overall, this is not only a waste of money but is dangerous to the snake.
Poor choice for ball pythons
This kit is far from an ideal starter kit for a ball python. Overhead heat is preferable to a heat mat, and either way any heat source needs to be plugged into a thermostat. Aspen does not hold humidity well enough for ball pythons unless you live in a very humid environment, and it molds easily. Cypress mulch or coconut coir are much better options for keeping humidity high and won’t mold. Also you don’t really need a snake hook for a ball python, they’re typically pretty easy to handle as long as they’re handled regularly. Save yourself the money and stress and just buy a small hide, water bowl, cypress/coco coir substrate, thermostat, thermometer/hygrometer, ceramic fixture, and bulb, your ball python will thank you!
Good value
I really liked the items in this starter kit. I had no idea what to buy for my python, and this kit had it all. The only issue I had was that the thermometer was not working, but Chewy made it right!