Ball python heat issue

Hi all!
I have a juvenile ball python in a 20 gallon terrarium. I have a heating pad but my apartment is very cold and the temperature is getting too low for my liking. My warm side is about 75F. I was using a space heater to help bring up the heat but I do actually have a heat lamp. Could I use that and if so what type of bulb should I use.

Thank you in advance!

You could use a CHE, just make sure you connect it to a rheostat or a thermostat. The only problem with CHEs is they suck out humidity so you have to watch for that


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The problem with a heat lamp is that your snake needs heat all day & night, but they need a reasonable photoperiod too (ie. they need darkness at night). So you could use either a CHE (ceramic heat emitter) which puts out heat only but no light, or maybe a black incandescent bulb (there is disagreement about whether or not the low-level purplish light actually disturbs a snake at all), & in any event, think about SAFETY.

Heat lamps should be fixed so they cannot be knocked over (by family or other pets), because the last thing you need is a house fire. All heat sources should also be controlled by either a thermostat or at the very least, a rheostat (aka "lamp dimmer"), & checked frequently to make sure that the snake's home is maintaining the proper temperature range- not too cool & not too hot. The "warm side" as it is now is way too low- you want a BP's home temps to range from 88* warmest to about 78* coolest. (roughly)

I'm in the same situation as you, I have a super cold, drafty apartment and a heat mat on its own just doesn't cut it. I use a combination of CHE and heat mat - like Bogertophis says, this is so my snakes can have darkness at night.

Like others have said, CHEs do really tend to try out your hot side. I've found a few good ways to combat this. First, make sure the cool side is very consistently humid all the time. I use multiple big water bowls, bigger than a bp would "need." On the hot side, I also place an extra water bowl - this is super important! The CHE will dry out the hot side pretty quickly, and the evaporating water will help keep the ambient humidity where it needs to be. I also keep a humidity box on the hot side all the time to make sure my snakes always have access to a hot, humid area. Finally, a good humidity-retaining substrate should do wonders as well. I use cypress mulch and haven't had any problems. If you have a screen lid, also be sure to cover that as much as you can.

CHEs in general are a bit higher maintenance than heat pads. If you have to take them off the tank for any reason, this goes without saying, but be sure to turn them off first! And warn people about that if they're going to watch your snakes for you, too. I use clips to secure the wire and the dome itself to my snakes' enclosures, so knocking them off is less likely. CHEs, in my experience at least, tend to run more expensive than basking bulbs, but they're also more reliable and don't seem to burn out as often (but they WILL burn out eventually, so keeping spares on hand is a pretty good idea). I also make a habit of checking my snakes' thermometers a couple times a day to make sure things are holding steady.

I hope you get everything sorted with no issues! And just in case this is helpful, my juvenile ball is also in a 20-gallon right now, and a 100w CHE works perfectly (on a thermostat, of course). You might have to play around with the wattage, but that's what works for us!