Let there be light!

I don't YET have a Ball Python because I have wanted to do as much research about the species, care, husbandry and all that good stuff before I did get one. The one question I'm still not sure about the answer is whether or not a light source is really needed, to give off heat for the snake and of course just to light up the enclosure. Every YouTube video says a light heat source is absolutely needed to give the snake proper heat (along with an under-tank heat pad) And then there's that ONE video that says a light source is not needed as long as there's a proper heat mat.

Who can tell me what the real story behind this is?

A heat lamp is needed if you can't get the ambient temps where they should be in the tank.

I give my BPs a day and light cycle as I think it's better for them but this can be achieved with natural sunlight from a window (don't place a tank in or right by a window as it will get very hot inside) so a light isn't needed unless for heating purposes IMO.

Good job on the research!
People using tanks often need a lamp of some kind to add extra heat. It does not, however need to be UV lighting.
If you have a coustom enclosure and have set up heat tape along the walls, that will add heat just fine, as well as not drying out the enclosure too much.
If you are using tubs as your enclosure, all you need are heat pads because the tub having a lid holds much more heat.
I would suggest fetting a nice cage like one on the nice terrestrial cages from animal plastics.

That actually does make a lot of sense and will definitely take it into serious consideration and in the next few weeks I'll actually be putting those pointers to good use because that is when I'm hoping to pick up my Normal Male BP.

I was thinking about going with an exo-terra or Zoo-Med enclosure... Yay or Nay?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GerryJ0710

I was thinking about going with an exo-terra or Zoo-Med enclosure... Yay or Nay?

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Those enclosures will work with a little effort on your part they can work just fine. Just be sure to size the cage appropriately.

I own a couple of exo terras. I like them but not for royals (ball) at all. There are a lot better for that kind of cash. The PVCx enclosures like http://www.boaphileplastics.com/cages.html or http://www.npicages.com/cages.html are ideal and compriable pricing.

Lights are not necessary, however they do something that UTH, heat tapes, RHP do not, they heat air. The panels all heat objects not air. Like the sun, you can have a bright sunny day that the air is very cold, you being solid are heated.

The ambient air temp is also important and as UTH heat objects directly and they will heat air indirectly it is inefficient and far far too much heat is lost.

Humidity is very very poorly understood here. RH simply is a % number that represents how close it is to saturation point. The part that is poorly understood is if you increase the air temp the saturation point also changes. If you have the same amount of water in the air the RH will be different at higher temps. Bulbs do not take moisture from the air they change the saturation point of the air.

60%Rh at 70ºF (air tempature) has 7.92 grams of water per cubic meter (gm/m3)
60%RH at 80ºF has 15.22 gm/m3
60%RH at 90ºF has 20.63 gm/m3

60% @ 70ºF if the air is heated to 80ºF and there is no water source added (amount of water IN the air is constant the new RH will be 31%RH. The relitive humidity changes but the amount of water in the air has not.

Here's a question about enclosure sizing. Most people I have heard say that if you have a very young BP, within the first year you should have the equivalent of a 10 gal tank. I saw a YouTube video recently where the person says that if you CAN you should buy the biggest enclosure you can afford then buy as much decor and places to hide so that the snake isn't frightened and when the snake does begin to grow all you would need to do is remove some of the excess decor/foliage so that the snake can move freely.

Anyone with an opinion on this would be welcomed.

Could someone please help explain a little clearer what this exactly means?

RH is relative to temperature. It is not a measurement of how much moisture is in the air. At lower temps 60% may not produce good sheds at higher temps lower can.

A huge number of keepers freak out about bulbs "sucking moisture from the air" when in fact they are not changing it at all. The higher air temps can hold more water not less. The drop in rh is from increased ambient temps and is unrelated to how much water is in the air.

I have day ambient air temps of 84 degrees I keep the rh at this temp about 45% I have never had a poor shed. If you have 45% at ambient temps of 75% you will get bad sheds.




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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.