Needs Help Asap!!

Im going to buy a captivity hatched ball python. im setting up a 20 gallon long tank. Ive put the heating pad on bottom right hand corner. do i need a basking light on top? because i have a inferred light and a cermaic light fixture. but i didnt no if i needed one. or maybe i need it only at night or when the temp goes down? and should the basking light be in a different spot than the heating pad? maybe on another side?

also i have a pretty big water dish and i mounted a flat rock on top of it so he can hide in his water dish. is that ok? im counting that as my second hiding spot.

also should i put his hide over the heating pad?

Thanks guys!

Please, read over this care sheet. Night drop is not necessary, there should always be a 24 hour gradient temp. Hot spot should be between 88-92 degrees, cool end 78-80 degrees with an ambient temp between 75-80 degrees. I also would not use the water dish as a hide, I'd get an identical hide as the one you already have and just place it on the cool end. Ball pythons don't naturally soak unless there is a problem (such as mites, or humidity issues), however some do just because, but I can tell you the only time I ever saw any of my snakes soak was when I got a mite infestation from new snakes.

Do you have a thermostat for the UTH? If not, you need to get one asap.

Again, please read over the care sheet and welcome to the forum :)

Thank you! the care sheet is very help full!! :)

Ok, first off how cold does the room that your sake is going to be be in get? That will determine wether or not you need a heat lamp.

The heat pad (I will refer to it as a UTH) is in the correct spot. Do you have a thermostat for the UTH?

you will need 2 identical hides... one over the UTH and one on the cool side of the tank.

I prefer these hides (sold at reptile Basics http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes)

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/da98c371.jpg

UTH's do not effect the temperature of the air in the tank so you will need a thermometer with a probe to monitor the temperature that it is (plus the thermometers sold at pet stores do not work anyway. I suggest that you get this, it costs $12 at Walmart and will measure the hot and cool side temperatures as well as humidity.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...nt/photo-3.jpg

This is what a glass tank should look like (I was using a heat lamp instead of a UTH but either will work And I don't have a thermometer in the tank but that is required as well

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/bd98c3f5.jpg

Have you read through this? http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...s%29-Caresheet

Thank you Aaron!!