50 Gallon long tank in cold room, what size Lamp?

[singingtothewheat]

I have to say that i love this site and i spend alot of time on it. And some of the people here have helped me out with a few things. I spend alot of time reading all the post and old post, and i have to say that some of the things that get posted on here for people just are not true. I think that some people post things THEY like and not what the snake likes. In the post above someones says "snakes hated lamps and have a hard time shedding" I have to say that this is not true. I have used lamps with all my snakes and never had any problems AT ALL with shedding. And how everyone says that the half log hides are junk? Again my snakes have log hides and never had any problems with stress and things like that. And im sure that after i post this i will be bashed but this stuff just is not the case with my snakes.

Part of this may have to do with where you live and how dedicated / available you are to keep the humidity up.
I live in the high desert and unless I spray my cages several times a day, without heat lamps, and soak my snakes weekly, we have poor sheds. It is crazy dry here. If you live in the south and have high humidity as a rule then holding humidity is not as big an issue. So, remember that when you post about how lights are not a problem you may be giving the wrong advise depending on where the person lives.

There are several other reasons not to like lights though. They are on or off devices. If you get them too big they are too hot, if you get them too small they are not hot enough. A good uth with a thermostat can give a constant heat source at just the level you need.
Lights can get hot enough to burn. A good U.T.H. with a thermostat is not going to do that if it is set properly.

As for aquariums.
Again, if you live in a humid area, a tank might not be a bad option. If you live in a non humid area a tank is a terrible option. They don't hold humidity well AT ALL. They also do not hold temps well.

As for half logs.
The good way to determine whats best for your snake is to look at how it would keep itself in the wild. In the wild a ball python would spend it's time in some termite den, where it would be dark and close. This is how they like it. I'm glad that half logs have worked for you but because something has worked does not mean it's what is best.

Do we always do what's best? No, we improvise. However, I think it's counterproductive to tell people things that have worked for us that aren't the best. If for no other reason then cost. When new ball python owners get into the hobby, many of them try to cut costs. I certainly try to cut costs. We tell them about things like half hides and they go out and buy them, then they have snakes that don't tolerate that, are stressed and don't want to eat, or have poor sheds.... Now that person has to shell out more for something that will be better. It would have been better to go with something different / better to begin with.

Everyone is different and has different needs. None of this is meant to slam your keeping. I believe, like I said, it's best to look at how the animal would behave in the wild.