Is using a red heat bulb bad?

[Maddlesrain]

Ok all,
Since my snake has been fasting, I’ve been trying to figure out why that may be. I’m in several Facebook groups and everyone on there jumps on anyone who has some sort of light source over their tank that isn’t a ceramic heat emitter. I’ve had a red heat light going for over three years now and I’m just now finding this out. Should a switch the bulb I have out for a ceramic heat bulb or is the red light fine in your opinions? I’m asking on here because I can’t tell if the people saying “light is bad” are just regurgitating information or are actually experienced keepers and I feel like you all here give advice with facts / experience to back it.


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[Craiga 01453]

I've been running bulbs for the entire time I've been keeping snakes, almost 20 years. All my animals are healthy, good eaters, etc...
I prefer the dark purple bulbs myself, but that's just cause I hate red, hahahaha.

FB groups are toxic... I ditched my FB account about 6 years ago. One of the best things I ever did.

[Bogertophis]

I don't keep BPs, but I use red or black bulbs for some of my snakes that like more warmth (like my spotted python loves to bask under her warm light), & I've
seen no problems at all with them. All of mine are used with dimmers also, never on full-blast...they're supplemental heat only- all my tanks have UTH too.

The main thing for you is whether or not your enclosure is meeting the needs of YOUR snake: heat rises, so overhead heat (of any kind) isn't the most efficient
when it comes to reaching the very floor of the enclosure, which is where your snake is mostly going to be. (BPs are not big on climbing up to bask.) In my spotted python's tank, she has a very warm UTH also running, so she has all sorts of choices that meet her needs. What are the temperatures in your snake's cage, on the warmest end & the coolest end (on the floor)? Is the light your only heat source? How tall is this enclosure? The chillier the room is where the snake lives, the more you'll need UTH heat rising from the cage floor, but if the room is kept warm (near the ambient needed for a BP) then you might get away with just some extra heat from above. (it's just not optimal for such terrestrial snakes though...their tummy needs the warmth)

I would not worry about using a red or black light, as long as your snake is getting the temps. & privacy he/she needs to thrive. Keep in mind that it's not only
winter that snakes sense a chill in the air...our air conditioning in summer can do the same thing, put a snake off food because they're too cool.

[Maddlesrain]

I've been running bulbs for the entire time I've been keeping snakes, almost 20 years. All my animals are healthy, good eaters, etc...
I prefer the dark purple bulbs myself, but that's just cause I hate red, hahahaha.

FB groups are toxic... I ditched my FB account about 6 years ago. One of the best things I ever did.

I completely agree. There are too many overly aggressive people in the Facebook groups. That goes for all types of animals. And most of them have no idea what they’re talking about.

Lol I don’t mind the red. I didn’t think my snake did either, but figured I’d double check!

I don't keep BPs, but I use red or black bulbs for some of my snakes that like more warmth (like my spotted python loves to bask under her warm light), & I've
seen no problems at all with them. All of mine are used with dimmers also, never on full-blast...they're supplemental heat only- all my tanks have UTH too.

The main thing for you is whether or not your enclosure is meeting the needs of YOUR snake: heat rises, so overhead heat (of any kind) isn't the most efficient
when it comes to reaching the very floor of the enclosure, which is where your snake is mostly going to be. (BPs are not big on climbing up to bask.) In my spotted python's tank, she has a very warm UTH also running, so she has all sorts of choices that meet her needs. What are the temperatures in your snake's cage, on the warmest end & the coolest end (on the floor)? Is the light your only heat source? How tall is this enclosure? The chillier the room is where the snake lives, the more you'll need UTH heat rising from the cage floor, but if the room is kept warm (near the ambient needed for a BP) then you might get away with just some extra heat from above. (it's just not optimal for such terrestrial snakes though...their tummy needs the warmth)

I would not worry about using a red or black light, as long as your snake is getting the temps. & privacy he/she needs to thrive. Keep in mind that it's not only
winter that snakes sense a chill in the air...our air conditioning in summer can do the same thing, put a snake off food because they're too cool.

I have the heat lamp and then a large heat mat that covers the front panel of the cage / goes under one of the hides. It’s on a thermostat that keeps it between 89-93F. Right now it’s HOT here so the ambient temps have been 84-88F most days and upper 70s-80F at night. I’ve been trying to keep the humidity up, and it’s been mostly in the 50s, but it drops during the day sometimes down to 45 and then comes back up at night when it cools down to the mid 50s.

We don’t have any air conditioning, so that’s not a problem! Trying to rule out everything to make sure it’s not something I’m doing causing this fast, but if the light isn’t an issue I’ll just leave it.

From my understanding the CHE put out more heat? Is that correct? Thinking it may be worth it for the winter months.


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[Bogertophis]

A CHE is just like a light bulb, only without the light: what I mean is, the output depends totally on the wattage. There are options for CHE, just as with light bulbs. And I don't use any CHE, but I've heard that they are more apt to burn out (faster) if dimmed down. I've not noticed that with light bulbs, but if you
need more heat (& less light), you might want to try a CHE. Just don't forget it's on & grab it bare-handed...(it has happened a lot), and make sure that the
light fixture you use is easily rated for the wattage you use. You want a ceramic base, not a (meltable) plastic one.

For more humidity, you might try another substrate...some hold it better than others, but with constant heat in a cage, they all dry out & need refreshed.
You can also put in a "humid hide"....like use a plastic food container of appropriate size (for snake + moss) and cut a "doorway" into it, & keep it filled
with soaked/drained sphagnum moss, or other moist substrate. My spotted python (actually a coastal species) spends most of her time in her humid hide,
as it's also over the UTH, & she likes it better than just her warm hide. She also cannot do a good shed without her humid hide.

[Maddlesrain]

@bogertophis

Makes 100% with the wattage I’m not sure why I didn’t use common sense with that as well.

Actually, one of my three hides is a humid hide and that’s how I keep the humidity up now. Might add a little more moss as well. I’m also going to be moving the cage to a new apartment and keeping a humidifier in the room since it’ll be a smaller space.


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[Bogertophis]

So it sounds to me like your BP is "just being a normal BP". I've kept a number of BPs in the past, & in my experience they ate very well as young snakes,
but got "fussy" (fasted now & then) as adults (2 yrs & on up). You didn't mention how old your snake is, did you? BPs have many attributes, but eating is their
"achilles heel".

[Maddlesrain]

So it sounds to me like your BP is "just being a normal BP". I've kept a number of BPs in the past, & in my experience they ate very well as young snakes,
but got "fussy" (fasted now & then) as adults (2 yrs & on up). You didn't mention how old your snake is, did you? BPs have many attributes, but eating is their
"achilles heel".

I got her about 3 years go, so she’s past that young and easy to please stage haha. I’m not sure how old she was when I got her (not more than a few months probably), but she’s definitely between 3-4 now.


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[Bogertophis]

I got her about 3 years go, so she’s past that young and easy to please stage haha. I’m not sure how old she was when I got her, but she’s definitely between 3-4 now.


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So this fasting is really really really normal...she's just following the "Ball Python Playbook", chapter 5, how to frustrate your owner & make them pay attention.

[Maddlesrain]

So this fasting is really really really normal...she's just following the "Ball Python Playbook", chapter 5, how to frustrate your owner & make them pay attention.

Oh, I’m paying attention all right. I’m practically stalking her cage and I can’t even see her because of the angle of the hide she’s in


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