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Registered User
Red light
Can ball pythons see red light? I bought a red bulb and am using it and I do not think they can see it. also i heard somewhere that they cant.
thanks.
-Matt
1.0 Ball python "jake the snake"
R.I.P. "Ralph" short lived friend but a friend none the less.
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Registered User
Re: Red light
To my knowledge, i don't believe they can see it.
I think it's more of just a heat source.
But i could be wrong, i just remember somebody telling me that at one point through this site.
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Registered User
Re: Red light
 Originally Posted by Mighty Monty
To my knowledge, i don't believe they can see it.
I think it's more of just a heat source.
But i could be wrong, i just remember somebody telling me that at one point through this site.
yeah thats what i thought.
by the way the red light give of hardly any heat (its only 25 watt) but i mainly use it so i can see the snake at night.
-Matt
1.0 Ball python "jake the snake"
R.I.P. "Ralph" short lived friend but a friend none the less.
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BPnet Veteran
Re: Red light
They are not unable to sense it. I know this because I've seen mine jump when I've turned the lamp on before. My guess is they can't really see it but they can sense the sudden heat source. I leave mine on constantly and it doesn't seem to bother him.
1.0 Normal BP - "Snakey"
1.0 Jungle carpet python - "Chewbacca" aka "Chewie"
0.1 Olive python - "Cleopatra" aka "Cleo"
0.0.1 Corn - "Husker"
1.0 Veiled Chameleon - "Kermit"
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Registered User
Re: Red light
 Originally Posted by bearhart
They are not unable to sense it. I know this because I've seen mine jump when I've turned the lamp on before. My guess is they can't really see it but they can sense the sudden heat source. I leave mine on constantly and it doesn't seem to bother him.
Yeah the set up i h ave right now is 12/12 incandescent white light (gives off a lot of heat) red light 24/7, UTH 24/7
-Matt
1.0 Ball python "jake the snake"
R.I.P. "Ralph" short lived friend but a friend none the less.
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Registered User
Re: Red light
i don't think to HAVE A inderescant and a UTH on at the same time. i only have a cerimic bulb and uth, both on 24/7, but they get different settings for each time of day. i like to keep it realistic.
1 norm BP - monty - Male.
g0 BpS
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Registered User
Re: Red light
wow.. just found a very interesting article
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/202/14/1931.pdf
so... the BP's have rods and 2 types of cones. The rods peak in sensitivity around 494nm wavelength, which corresponds to a blue-cyan color. But, since they are rods, this is won't be perceived as color to the snake, only brightness.
The most abundant type of cone is sensitive to a peak at 551nm, which is between green and yellow, but closer to yellow. The other type of cone is apparent in fewer numbers but has peak sensitivity at 360nm, smack in the middle of the UVA spectrum. In the article, the authors speculate that the UV sensitive cone, which there is almost none in the retina, may contribute to pheromone detection.
Keep in mind that although the sensitivity peaks at these noted wavelengths, sensitivity occurs at both higher and lower wavelengths. The activation of the cones and rods will decrease in a bell shape fashion falling off form the peak value and decreasing to zero activation at wavelengths adequately different from the peak. To give an example, the human 'red' cone is peak responsive at 560, but will respond slightly all the way to about 605nm and as low as 470. All of the human cones have a sharper drop off at higher wavelengths than lower wavelengths.
Since, reddish color starts at about 600nm and goes until about 700nm or so, the snake will not see much at all, if anything. So, its good for nothing but heat... and as you say 25 watts isn't going to do much for heat... so save your money on electricity and don't use it. perhaps a more appropriate night light would be an extremely low wattage moon light bulb, which provides a dark blueish glow, i believe zoomed makes one.
So, I may provide an interesting argument that it may indeed be beneficial for snakes to have a light that produces UVA, not for vitamin D production.. but for sustaining the proper vision. Further, breeders may want to consider this too if it has the potential to facilitate and strengthen the mating processes. For those who want to try, keep in mind that the snakes you've had as breeders for a while may no longer be sensitive to UVA, since areas of the brain that are not stimulated during development will atrophy or develop to be associated with other brain functions... but plasticity of neural systems may allow the cones may to regain a visual function, yet not necessarily allow them to be received by the areas associated with reproductive behavior. So, if you're going to try it, raise one of your breeding snakes from day 1 on UVA light in addition our visual spectrum.
-Brian
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Registered User
Re: Red light
I was using a 60 watt red light bulb, which would almost run at full wattage to keep the tank heated. I noticed it was pretty bright, and seen less of my bp at night. I switched to a 75 watt on thermostat, and that seems to run the bulb 50% dimmer at day/night. Much darker tank at night, and he's back to being out a little more at night around feeding day.
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Registered User
Re: Red light
 Originally Posted by spudz11
wow.. just found a very interesting article
http://jeb.biologists.org/cgi/reprint/202/14/1931.pdf
so... the BP's have rods and 2 types of cones. The rods peak in sensitivity around 494nm wavelength, which corresponds to a blue-cyan color. But, since they are rods, this is won't be perceived as color to the snake, only brightness.
The most abundant type of cone is sensitive to a peak at 551nm, which is between green and yellow, but closer to yellow. The other type of cone is apparent in fewer numbers but has peak sensitivity at 360nm, smack in the middle of the UVA spectrum. In the article, the authors speculate that the UV sensitive cone, which there is almost none in the retina, may contribute to pheromone detection.
Keep in mind that although the sensitivity peaks at these noted wavelengths, sensitivity occurs at both higher and lower wavelengths. The activation of the cones and rods will decrease in a bell shape fashion falling off form the peak value and decreasing to zero activation at wavelengths adequately different from the peak. To give an example, the human 'red' cone is peak responsive at 560, but will respond slightly all the way to about 605nm and as low as 470. All of the human cones have a sharper drop off at higher wavelengths than lower wavelengths.
Since, reddish color starts at about 600nm and goes until about 700nm or so, the snake will not see much at all, if anything. So, its good for nothing but heat... and as you say 25 watts isn't going to do much for heat... so save your money on electricity and don't use it. perhaps a more appropriate night light would be an extremely low wattage moon light bulb, which provides a dark blueish glow, i believe zoomed makes one.
So, I may provide an interesting argument that it may indeed be beneficial for snakes to have a light that produces UVA, not for vitamin D production.. but for sustaining the proper vision. Further, breeders may want to consider this too if it has the potential to facilitate and strengthen the mating processes. For those who want to try, keep in mind that the snakes you've had as breeders for a while may no longer be sensitive to UVA, since areas of the brain that are not stimulated during development will atrophy or develop to be associated with other brain functions... but plasticity of neural systems may allow the cones may to regain a visual function, yet not necessarily allow them to be received by the areas associated with reproductive behavior. So, if you're going to try it, raise one of your breeding snakes from day 1 on UVA light in addition our visual spectrum.
-Brian
Thanks for that... Yeah I'm not using the bulb for heat, I'm using it to see the snake at night and not bother him with white light.
-Matt
1.0 Ball python "jake the snake"
R.I.P. "Ralph" short lived friend but a friend none the less.
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