Well, a glass enclosure is not a replica of the wild ethier, a tub would be closer. Ball pythons live most of their life in other animals burrows which are dark and snug like a tub. All my picky eaters eat WAY better since I have moved them to a rack system in tubs from a blacked out tank. Ball pythons will "bask" from warmth on substrate that was heated from the sun and that will be from their belly because they avoid the hot Aftican sun all day. Which a heat pad controlled by a thermostat mimics best.