Night time UVB/amount

Hey, I got a question. I'm getting a female ball python and I do not want to put her with my male. (I don't want them to breed/ also keeping 2 together causes stress). So I'm buying her a 20 gallon snake kit from zoo med. as far as lighting/heating goes, it only comes with a deep dome blue day lamp and a heating pad, what UVB amount should I buy for this 20 gal?

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Originally Posted by The royal python

Hey, I got a question. I'm getting a female ball python and I do not want to put her with my male. (I don't want them to breed/ also keeping 2 together causes stress). So I'm buying her a 20 gallon snake kit from zoo med. as far as lighting/heating goes, it only comes with a deep dome blue day lamp and a heating pad, what UVB amount should I buy for this 20 gal?

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Ball pythons are nocturnal and do not require UV's

So I don't need any heat source for night? No red night lamp or anything?

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Originally Posted by The royal python

So I don't need any heat source for night?

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You need to maintain the same temperature night and day.

You can do so with your heat pad but you MUST get a thermostat to control your temperature.

An accurate reading with a digital thermometer is also a must.

Agreed they need the same temps day and night, a slight drop would be ok, but I keep mine at the same temps day or night. As also stated you need a t-stat to control the heat pad, VERY IMPORTANT, as they easily get more than hot enough to burn your snake...And as also stated no UVB is required for bp's..enjoy your new bp :D

K, I have both

Yeah, I heard heat pads can over heat but I have a spot I'll put it to maintain its heat and not over heat

Also thanks!

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Originally Posted by The royal python

Yeah, I heard heat pads can over heat but I have a spot I'll put it to maintain its heat and not over heat

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it is not about placement it is about reliable thermostat, a heat pad that is uncontrolled will reach temperatures that will be too high and
can cause serious issues, from burn to fire hazard.

Again you need a thermostat to maintain and control the heat.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

it is not about placement it is about reliable thermostat, a heat pad that is uncontrolled will reach temperatures that will be too high and
can cause serious issues, from burn to fire hazard.

Again you need a thermostat to maintain and control the heat.

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Case in point(for everyone):

In my younger days when attempting to use a UTH without heat control and leaving it "open air", I came home to find my UTH hanging from the tank with a melted hole in the middle of it and sparking. After using the UTH for less than 60 days. Thankfully I had it set up the way I did so it didn't burn the animal nor actually come in contact with anything flammable.

For a time I thought UTHs were the devil until I finally did some research(thank you BP.net) about them and using a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by Pyrate81

Case in point(for everyone):

In my younger days when attempting to use a UTH without heat control and leaving it "open air", I came home to find my UTH hanging from the tank with a melted hole in the middle of it and sparking. After using the UTH for less than 60 days. Thankfully I had it set up the way I did so it didn't burn the animal nor actually come in contact with anything flammable.

For a time I thought UTHs were the devil until I finally did some research(thank you BP.net) about them and using a thermostat.

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You got very lucky. I've seen some NASTY burns from heat pads (and lamps) that were not put on thermostats.

to the OP, ball pythons don't need UVB. If you insist on using a lamp, use a day light bulb for the day, and a red or black bulb for at night. I generally buy50 watt and put them on lamp dimmers (so you can control how hot the lamp is getting because they too get too warm). The UTH is really all you need on one side of the 20 gal. Just like Deborah said, make sure you have a thermostat that way it won't overheat and burn your snake. Trust me, paying the $30 for a thermostat is well worth it when you're looking at twice that (or more) on vet bills and creams to help a burn that you can easily prevent.

Another thing to note with the lamps, you will have a hard time maintaining humidity because the lamps suck out the moisture. I would recommend some kind of bark substrate (Reptibark, cypress mulch) or coco fiber (also called eco-earth) to help maintain that humidity. I would also cover part of the lid with a damp towel or plexi-glas to try and hold in as much humidity as you can...especially when they are in shed.