UTHs or Heat lamps? Pros and Cons?

[CoolioTiffany]

I was wondering which was better for a BP. My BPs do just fine with a heat lamp, but many people say get a UTH and a thermostat. I don't really have enough money at the moment for new things. I think heat lamps are fine, and they are cheaper to purchase. What do you think? Pros and Cons of each?

[Elise.m]

I was told not to use a heat lamp cuz it dries things out. Also, BPs need heat from under them, not on top.

[I<3Dreamsicles]

I was wondering which was better for a BP. My BPs do just fine with a heat lamp, but many people say get a UTH and a thermostat. I don't really have enough money at the moment for new things. I think heat lamps are fine, and they are cheaper to purchase. What do you think? Pros and Cons of each?

I think most people use both...
Heat lamp for basking and a UTH to keep the regular temp.

Well if you have both there is no pro or con, but for the lamp I would think that it doesnt heat as well, because they need to be warm (belly) to digest the food. and with only a uth you wouldnt have any basking spot just a warm spot.

[Hock3ymonk3y]

It is best to use UTH because belly heat helps with digestion. But, if you have too much humidity a heat lamp may be the way to go because they really zap the humidity. Either way, you still would need a thermostat, just to be on the safe side, you dont want to burn your little friend.

As for me, I have both. I use a 60 watt red heat bulb, on 24/7. I also have a UTH that is on a lamp dimmer, so the hot spot is at 89-92*F. I would just use the UTH, but I really need the heat lamp to get the ambient up to 85*F. (Keep in mind I am using a 20 gal long aquarium, so it is pretty hard to keep the right temps, but I manage).

Hope this helps,

[crown0826]

I would diffently use UTH due to the fact that using heat lamps drys out moisture your humidity will be hard to keep up using heat lamps. Another point I'd like to make is that balls should have a cycle of light and darkness 24hr constant light will stress out your animal unless of course you use red heat lights. uth is the way to go IMO.

[Kaorte]

Well everyone who keeps snakes in a rack system uses belly heat (UTH or flexwatt). If you live in a dry climate, lamps are your worst enemy. I think belly heat is also more beneficial for digestion.

Does this mean heat lamps shouldn't be used? of course not. People use them without problems all the time. I just think a UTH would be a better investment.

I will make a chart since I have no life!

UTHs

Pros:
Easy to use
Widely available
Helps aid in digestion (this is more of an opinion though)
Doesn't take up a bunch of space
Doesn't zap humidity

Cons:
Kind of expensive (unless you get flexwatt!)
Need a thermostat (which is expensive)
Sometimes isn't enough to heat the whole cage in cold houses


Lamps

Pros:
Inexpensive
Widely Available
Variety of wattage available

Cons:
Zap humidity
Need a thermostat (expensive)
Sometimes doesn't heat inside hides
Can be stressful to a nocturnal animal
Bulbs burn out and need to be replaced often
Night temp drop (if you turn them off)

This is from my point of view and I am biased

[I<3Dreamsicles]

How come everyone says that lamps kill the humidity??? All ive read is that a lamp over the water dish RAISES humidity.

[rabernet]

In my opinion, heat lamps are not needed for ball pythons, UTH's are. I started with my first ball python with a UTH on one side and a heat lamp on the other for supplemental heat, and I was enslaved to that enclosure. I had to mist three times a day to keep the humidity up.

I saw in your picture of your set-up that you are using analog devices to measure temps and humidity. If you get a digital device, you are going to be shocked how low your humidity is as a result. It may also be why you have had to soak your animals to aid in sheds.

For me, there are no pro's to using heat lamps. They don't aid in digestion, they suck out humidity, they sometimes stress out ball pythons who are nocturnal and don't do well with light shining down on them 12 or 24 hours a day (I assume you run yours 24 hours a day since it's your only heat source), bulbs have to be replaced pretty frequently and the day I threw mine in the trash can was a liberating day!

[rabernet]

How come everyone says that lamps kill the humidity??? All ive read is that a lamp over the water dish RAISES humidity.

In my experience, that wasn't true.

[Elise.m]

How come everyone says that lamps kill the humidity??? All ive read is that a lamp over the water dish RAISES humidity.

I just set up my tank. I have a hydrometer in there, along with substrate, two hides, and an empty water bowl (no snake yet).

Just that alone the humidity is at 50%, when the hydrometer wasn't in the tank it read 40%. So that means the substrate, which is kinda dampish, contributes 10% humidity. Now if I had a lamp beaming down on that substrate, it would dry it out, and make the humidity drop. Not a whole bunch, being that only one side would dry out, but enough to make a difference.