I need some help with bulb fixtures.

[jessica87]

It's drawing closer to finally having a Ball Python. This will be my first reptile and some things are a little confusing to me. Let me start off by saying that I will be getting a starter kit:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

I will also be getting another temp gauge, humidity gauge, heating pad and a bulb(s).

Can Anyone give me a better knowledge on the bulbs which ones are used for night and which ones for the day time.

I was looking at these at Petsmart also:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo No/Yea

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo No/Yea

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo No/Yea

And should a heating pad be used 24hrs, only at day or only at night. This is my main concern is the heating and bulbs.

[I-KandyReptiles]

It's drawing closer to finally having a Ball Python. This will be my first reptile and some things are a little confusing to me. Let me start off by saying that I will be getting a starter kit:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

I will also be getting another temp gauge, humidity gauge, heating pad and a bulb(s).

Can Anyone give me a better knowledge on the bulbs which ones are used for night and which ones for the day time.

I was looking at these at Petsmart also:

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo No/Yea

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo No/Yea

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo No/Yea

And should a heating pad be used 24hrs, only at day or only at night. This is my main concern is the heating and bulbs.

Please have your set up 100% ready before bringing your guy home!

Any type of heat source, whether it's a lamp or heat pad MUST be regulated. Heat pads will reach unsafe temperatures in a matter of minutes. You MUST have a thermostat.

The best you can buy are herpstats.
http://www.spyderrobotics.com

The cheaper option:
http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...ords=Hydrofarm

When you get your thermoSTAT, you plug your heat pad into it. You take your probe and secure it OVER the heat pad on the OUTSIDE of your tank.

Do NOT have the thermoSTAT probe inside the tank, as your snake can move it, pee on it, and will ultimately screw up your probe reading.

If you use a lamp, which most will suggest against, buy a light dimmer. They're about $10 from home depot and allow you to adjust how much heat is coming from the lamp.

Lamps will kill your humidity. Many will suggest covering half your lid with tinfoil/plexiglass/wet cloth. Misting will also help. Also, do not get white bulbs. Most will suggest a red bulb, and which wattage to use is hard to tell as every set up is different.

After your thermostat, a temp gun will be a wise investment. Or you can purchase a digital thermometer with probe. Many will suggest an Accurite, while others disagree. If you get an Accurite, you place the entire unit in the cage. The probed bit will be secured on top of the glass over your heat pad so you are able to monitor and be sure your thermostat is working properly. The unit goes on your "cool" side to monitor ambient temperatures.

You are aiming for:

Hot spot: 88-91 degrees
Cool side: 78-80 degrees
Humidity: 50%

When your snake goes into shed, you will need to boost your humidity up to 60-70%.

Inside your tank you will need:

-two identical hides. Find ones that are small enough to wrap your ball python around all sides and only have one entrance. Those log hides at the pet stores are terrible. One goes on the warm side, the other on the cool side.

-Water dish. If you get a large water dish, you can place it somewhat over your heat pad to help even more with humidity.

-Proper substrate. If you are using a tank, id suggest Eco earth or coco fibre as they help hold in humidity. Aspen IS fine, but you might have trouble maintaining the proper humidity levels.

[Neal]

I'd say go for UTH if you can manage your temps properly with it, if not then you can get an overhead light, but make sure you keep it hooked up to a thermostat.

You can get a ceramic heat emitter that doesn't generate any light, which is the route I would go if you went with a bulb. A BP doesn't need any kind of a light spectrum.

[wienkeg]

Use heat pad 24hrs with a thermostat. A ceramic heating element (screws into regular light socket) costs more in the beginning, but lasts longer, and ends up costing less in the long run. Use this 24hrs too. You want your temps to be constant day and night. Also, get a rheostat for it (lamp dimmers can be had for $10). Humidity is tough in a tank, covering 50-75% of the lid with aluminum foil taped down with foil tape helps, also using a substrate that holds humidity is helpful (aspen works, I use cocohusk/ecoearth).

I set my tank up, and now I decided I want a pvc enclosure, as with all the stuff you have to do to a tank, the enclosure ends up looking better IMO, and makes keeping humidity up easier. Just my 2 cents.

What the above two posts said is good advice as well. Feel free to private message me.

Read this to see what you should be shooting for http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

Good luck with the setup