Night-time heating/what to do?

[ElwoodG]

Hi everyone i just got my ball python a week ago and everything seems fine and she seems happy, eaten twice, shed (even though it was patchy, but i think low humidity was to blame) but my question is about night time heating. during the day i use a ceramic lamp with a heat bulb, and my warm end is 90deg and my cool end is78-82 depending on how hot the house is during the day. but at night time i've been turning the lamp off to give her a dark/night cycle and the temp usually drops to 70-75deg. now i've had some people say you should let it drop in temp at night, its some sort of nautral day/night cycle thing and others say you shouldn't let it drop at all. so im just a little confused. should i get a under tank heating pad to turn on at night to keep the temp up or is letting the temp drop fine? any help and advice is greatly appreciated. thanks guys.

[dr del]

Hi,

I would replace the bulb with either a ceramic element or a red heat bulb.

There isn't really any advantage to providing a night time drop unless you are trying to bring large enough animals into breeding mode.

Most people find that lamps sap the humidity though so a UTH might be an idea if you are having problems with that.

What are you using to measure temp and humidity and where in the tank are you checking - I ask this because some people do not know the round dial types can be seriously inaccurate.


dr del

[thegoalie22]

I would get a heating pad AND a red night bulb or CHE. Make sure you have the heating pad on either a thermostat or a rhetostat. A rhetostat is like 10 bucks, but you have to monitor the temps several times a day. A thermostat is pricey (80-200 dollars), but once set to the right temp, you can simply leave it.

I know people will vehemently disagree with me on this, but my personal opinion about humidity is that if a humid hide is provided for shedding and there is always water, I havent found it all that important.

[Kaorte]

No, a night drop is not recommended. You should have a constat hot spot of 90-95*F and an ambient temp of 80-85*F during the day and night.

The light that comes in from the window or simply turning on the normal room lights will be enough to provide a day and night cycle.

I would get a UTH and only use the CHE if your ambient temp won't stay above 75*. A UTH must be used with a thermostat. The cheapest model is the reptitemp 500r. It can be hard to find in stores but is easily found online.

[ckwatson]

I have heard a lot of people on this site say a night drop is bad or not necessary. Why is this? When the sun goes down it gets cooler and BP and every other animal in the world does just fine with this. I can under stand it not being necessary but I dont see how it can be bad for a BP. Any input on this would be great.

[Kaorte]

Ball pythons dwell in rodent burrows and termite mounds in the wild. They retain heat pretty well and don't have much of a temp drop at night.

[ckwatson]

But they are nocturnal? they will leave the burrows and mounds at night in search of food? I know this may not be every night but if an animal is nocturnal it does not matter how well where it spends the day retains heat.

[Kaorte]

But they are nocturnal? they will leave the burrows and mounds at night in search of food? I know this may not be every night but if an animal is nocturnal it does not matter how well where it spends the day retains heat.

Ball pythons are ambush predators. They don't normally go out "hunting" unless they are really hungry.

Ball pythons in captivity will spend 90% of their time hiding. They really only come out on feeding day.

So that means A ball python in the wild will go "hunt" for food once a week. So the other 6 days are spent in a consistently heated "hide".

Every breeder keeps their ball pythons at a constant temp unless they are trying to trigger a breeding behavior. Based on all this combined experience, it has been noted that ball pythons do better with constant heat as opposed to a night drop.

I don't really see why you are arguing FOR a night drop as they are rather difficult to do. Wouldn't it just be easier to leave all the heating elements on 24/7?

[ckwatson]

yes it would be easier, I am not arguing I am just trying to find out why people were saying it is better to change the natural habitat of the animal. which it seems like I was wrong about, I guess I just did not know dirt held heat that well.

I would also guess that breeders keep the snakes at a constant temp so it is easier to get them in the breeding mood. If the snake is used to a constant temp any drop in temp and change in light cycle could get them to breed any time of year. Not just winter and the rainy season.

I have never heard not doing a night drop is bad for the animal, but untill now I have never heard that it is bad for the animal. In fact many of the books and online resources I have read have said to drop the temp at night. I dont think doing it ether way will kill the animal. I am just trying to find out why people do things the way they do.

[omnibus2]

yes it would be easier, I am not arguing I am just trying to find out why people were saying it is better to change the natural habitat of the animal. which it seems like I was wrong about, I guess it I just did not know dirt held heat that well.

I would also guess that breeders keep the snakes at a constant temp so it is easier to get them in the breeding mood. If the snake is used to a constant temp any drop in temp and change in light cycle could get them to breed any time of year. Not just winter and the rainy season.

I have never heard not doing a night drop is bad for the animal, but untill now I have never heard that it is bad for the animal. In fact many of the books and online resources I have read have said to drop the temp at night. I dont think doing it ether way will kill the animal. I am just trying to find out why people do things the way they do.

Because it works for them.

Honestly we know very little about ball pythons in the wild. Many people who keep ball pythons successfully, including breeders, use these temps. I'd suggest sticking with them because they keep ball pythons healthy.
I suggest a night drop of no more than a couple degrees.