Night temps

[alexrls]

what ideal for a young BP? (not breeding)

[Cody]

I'd say same as daytime temps, I guess. Ball pythons don't really need a night time drop or anything. Sometimes a natural night time temp drop will occur when it gets cooler outside, causing the temp inside to drop a few degrees as well. I myself don't worry about a night time drop. I try to keep my temps between 88-94 warm and 80-84 cool all day and night.

[Tigergenesis]

I agree w/ Cody. I keep the settings the same and there is sometimes a lsight drop due to outside temps, but I don't try to drop them. No need to.

[Smynx]

Ditto. We don't purposely drop our nighttime temps, either. Unless you're getting ready to breed a pair, it's not necessary.

[guitrage]

Is it possible that shorter days alone, without a change in temperature, can cause a BP to go off feed? If a snake goes off feed during the winter, would putting a light on the cage for 12 hrs a day possibly get the snake to start feeding again?

[Tigergenesis]

Yes I think it's possible and no I don't think that will stimulate them to eat again. I think they just know the season has changed. My BP has a light on during the day and he still went off feed. You'll find that many of us whose bp's have gone off feed didn't change the temps or anything else for that matter - but nature did. Going off feed is just something we have to deal with.....as frustrating as it is.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Is it possible that shorter days alone, without a change in temperature, can cause a BP to go off feed?

Excellent observation! ... Exactly ... these signs are some of their triggers for breeding season and when they want to breed, food is the last thing on their mind. Also, instinctively the snake worries that it won't be able to get the warm constant temps it needs to digest, so they just stop eating for a while.

If a snake goes off feed during the winter, would putting a light on the cage for 12 hrs a day possibly get the snake to start feeding again?

Unfortunately no. I've tried experiments in the past with extended lighting periods and precisely controlled ambient temps to try and get some imported animals to eat through the winter and it never works for me. Ball pythons are little natural weather machines and they know whats going on outside better than anyone no matter what the indoor environment is like.

-adam