lighting

Do ball pythons need natural sunlight because my room is in the basement with no windows so can i keep the tank there or will i have to find a place with natural light

They're nocturnal - so they couldn't really care less. Any light is more for you to see them with. They definitely don't require natural sunlight. You can provide artifical light for your own benefit.

i think they could care less, but would they think it strange to wake up in what they think is the morning and see dark? i know i would.. i think if they noticed they would love it for sure. they could come out whenever they please, no daylight to annoy them.

actually i heard you want to keep a day/night cycle. this could be done just by keeping a light on during the day

Yeah, it doesn't have to be a dedicated light on/in the tank, but could just be a little light from the window, a celing light, etc.

ok thanx for all your help

I got a red light so I can leave it on all day

yea They dont HAVE to have a day/night cylce but they do have to have 7 hrs. of dark. So if you got a heat lamp you would have to turn it off at night and replace it with a heat pad or a night heat lamp. So basically they dont have to have a day cycle. But they do have to have a dark night. Cupid is always active....even in broad daylight

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Originally Posted by Tiger

I got a red light so I can leave it on all day

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As long as it's not just a regular red house/party bulb, but has the coating, etc - you can leave it on all day as they can't see in the red specturm.

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, but has the coating, etc

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What coating is that, please? Its what I have been doing too.

"Party bulbs" are clear glass with red coating, which will burn off. You need an actual red glass bulb for it to be safe.

yeah i have a red glass bulb(infrared) but the problem is when i put it on his hot side gets 103 degrees! so i haven't been using it but the hot side is like fluctuating between 86-89 degrees and the cool side is some how always 79.8.....always lol. so i guess i wasted some doe.

Did you have it sitting flush on the lid or was the light suspended above the enclosure?

I was told by a reptile store owner (who supposedly has 50 years experience) that you should take your BP out in the sun for 15 minutes a week because they need the vitamin d (i think that is what he said) from the sun. Any experts have an opinion on this?

Jamie

Our only local exotic vet tried to convince us that BPs needed UVB as well. They are nocturnal creatures - how would they do this in the first place? I think some folks are taking these requirements most diurnal reptiles have and blanketing that to include all of them. That is not logical, captain.

My $0.02 is that it's cheaper than an UV bulb and achieves the same effect, but that there's no evidence supporting ball pythons having a need for UV light. Information becomes outdated sometimes, as newer information becomes available.