Let there be light!

Sizes can be small or larger it doesn't make much difference if set up carefully.

Depending on your budget I'd go small and spend the extra on a high quality thermostat like a herpstat or ecozone.

If budget isn't a problem they I'd buy what you want and a good thermostat.


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#1: Lights will dry out your enclosure.
#2: If you are properly controlling an under-tank heater (UTH, THG heat tape, flexwatt, etc) with a thermostat, and have the proper environment for a Ball in the first place, why would you add more heat?
#3: Ball Pythons are nocturnal, live in underground tunnels in their natural environment, and do not require light FOR ANY REASON.
#4: Lights create stress for ball pythons and in the long run, is not good for them.
#5: A "tank" is for fish... not ball pythons.
#6: Natural light peeking in from a window is perfect.

Sizes... a big enclosure for a baby ball IS NOT A GOOD THING. The smaller the enclosure, the better off they will be.

I could go on and on... yes, lights "look cool" and can "add heat"... but please replace the "look cool" factor with the over all well being of your animal and the "add heat" factor with getting the proper enclosure to begin with.

Here is my caresheet if you wish to read more...

http://www.coopersconstrictors.com/b...nd-videos.html

Case in point few understand RH at all. There are 1000s of text books on physics and meteorology to back the point of RH I have made.

Water bowls do not magically shrink under lights, glass does not absorb water. If you keep the size and shape of water bowls and substrate the amount of water in the air stays the same. The fact the air is warmer changes the saturation point and this drops the RH % as the air can hold more water.

So second point of grade six physics is heat sources. Radiant heat does not heat air. So your UTH in a normal room temp have correct surface temps but the snakes core temp is still cold due to the air temps. Many big tried and true breeders feel ambient air temps are more critical than surface temps. Ignoring it is ill advised. Unless you are ready to heat the whole room to at the very least 76ºF there are very few options for changing ambient air temps.

There are few hard absolutes. You are well aware that the Philadelphia Zoo kept the oldest ball python in captivity (for over 40 years) in a glass enclosure and with a light cycle? It is hard to say that a light cycle is harmful with multiple animals over 40 years living under light cycle conditions. Be very careful of hard and fasts they bite back sometimes.

As said before a heat lamp is needed if you can't get the ambient temps where they should. I have to run two heat lamps plus a uth because my room is on the colder side. Uth is needed for bp because they need belly heat, belly heat helps break down their food.They say uth should be about 1/3 of the tank. All heat sources should be controlled by a thermostat or dimmer switch etc.(If not used it is very easy to burn your bp or over heat your enclosure) Heat lamps that heat the enclosure 24 hr a day will need a bulb that will not disrupt bp day and night cycle or a ceramic heat emitter can be used.( Heat lamp will knock your humidity down.) Radiant heat panels are a great source of heat but are not really made to be mounted on a screen top. Enclosure size is said to be no bigger than 20 gal for a very young BP. The right size hides are important something that your BP fits real snug in, many recommend a hide with one opening example http://www.reptilebasics.com/hide-boxes or http://www.exo-terra.com/en/products/reptile_cave.php Glass enclosure will work fine but are harder to heat and hold humidity, if you go with a glass enclosure I would get one with front entry doors (Top entry only with heat lamp, will become old moving lamp every time you want to enter cage) Before you buy a glass enclosure I would look into a custom cage there are many companies that make them like animal plastics as Capray said.