Night light vs. Day-Night Cycle and cold vs. hot hides

Hi. Having recently begun to care for an eight-month old Normal BP, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of available (and sometimes conflicting) information on their care..Two valuable threads I've reviewed are the Care sheet, and the Stickied/Reposted with Pics thread on setting up a 20-long glass tank (which I have.)

My biggest concern now is maintaining proper heat levels and humidity in the tank (along with helping my pet feel secure).

Here are two issues I'd like advice on:

1) I've read that red or blue "night" lights are best to provide an overhead lamp heat source, but I've also been advised to maintain a "day/night cycle." That said, I have a "Full Spectrum Reptile light" (50 watt) on during the day via a 12-hour timer, and 60-watt night light (red) in use for night-time hours. Is the white/full-spectrum light ill-advised, i.e., will it stress the snake? (he usually stays in one of the hides during the 12 hours it's on, and there is ambient light from a window in the room during daylight hours, but not too much...)..that leads me to the next issue ....

2) I have a half-log for the hot hide (sitting atop a UTH pad in such a way that the snake can move on and off the heated area to regulate its temp), and recently introduced an overturned clay pot with a top hole for the cold hide. He seems to prefer this hide now, but perhaps it's to his possible "detriment" (re: less heat in it?). I take care to disinfect this hide regularly with something called "Wipeout..." At night, there's also room for him to sit on top of the clay pot and bask in the night light's warmth, and he seems comfortable. Is it OK to leave this hide in the tank, or should I absolutely remove/replace it with a hide identical to the warm-sided one ?

Thanks for any comments!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by scalrtn

Hi. Having recently begun to care for an eight-month old Normal BP, I'm a bit overwhelmed by the amount of available (and sometimes conflicting) information on their care..Two valuable threads I've reviewed are the Care sheet, and the Stickied/Reposted with Pics thread on setting up a 20-long glass tank (which I have.)

My biggest concern now is maintaining proper heat levels and humidity in the tank (along with helping my pet feel secure).

Here are two issues I'd like advice on:

1) I've read that red or blue "night" lights are best to provide an overhead lamp heat source, but I've also been advised to maintain a "day/night cycle." That said, I have a "Full Spectrum Reptile light" (50 watt) on during the day via a 12-hour timer, and 60-watt night light (red) in use for night-time hours. Is the white/full-spectrum light ill-advised, i.e., will it stress the snake? (he usually stays in one of the hides during the 12 hours it's on, and there is ambient light from a window in the room during daylight hours, but not too much...)..that leads me to the next issue ....

2) I have a half-log for the hot hide (sitting atop a UTH pad in such a way that the snake can move on and off the heated area to regulate its temp), and recently introduced an overturned clay pot with a top hole for the cold hide. He seems to prefer this hide now, but perhaps it's to his possible "detriment" (re: less heat in it?). I take care to disinfect this hide regularly with something called "Wipeout..." At night, there's also room for him to sit on top of the clay pot and bask in the night light's warmth, and he seems comfortable. Is it OK to leave this hide in the tank, or should I absolutely remove/replace it with a hide identical to the warm-sided one ?

Thanks for any comments!

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1) Ball pythons don't require the light, the require the heat. The window light you have is enough for them to know when its day or night. I would recommend going with a ceramic bulb for heat, and keeping it on 24/7.

2) Your hides sound fine. I'm not sure what wipeout is, I cannot comment on if it is safe or not to use.

Personally, I prefer to use 2 identical hides so that the snake doesn't sacrifice thermoregulation for a hide preference. This is particularly important to me during the quarantine stage of acquiring a new snake, as this is when you'll be able to watch it and see if it does prefer warmer or colder sides, as a rule. Once the snake is used to all the new smells and changes of environment, and has gotten relatively established, I switch hides at that point if I want to.

As far as cleaning goes, I just switched to a vineager dilution and I love it. Natural and cheap, especially right now because it's used in Easter egg making! then get a generic empty spray bottle from the dollar store and dilute it with water, 1:4.

Sent from my warm hide using Tapatalk

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ng-a-good-idea


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