I don't agree with everything said but I am picky about details. The tanks isn't a particularly good shape. A tank is fine but one that has height as its longest dimention isn't really the best.
The only thing a really hope you take away from my post is that you set up the whatever you decide is best to keep the animal in at least 10 days before you bring the snake home. I do actually mean completely set up water dish with water and all. It will give you time to muck about and get it right before you subject the animal to big variations.
Lighting isn't proven to be a necessity but also isn't proven not to be either. All that can be said is the oldest snakes in captivity were provided lighting. In the wild they are often seen in early evening and early morning in the sun so what part it has to play is unknown.
belly heat aiding digestion is a complete myth belly or radient heat it make no difference. As far as heat bulbs or ceramic the ball python sees both. The heat pits are very very sensitive and they are conected to optical nerves and in turn the visual cortex. Heat is light just because we can't see it doesn't mean they don't. They see a larger specrum than we do. A near ir bulb (dark red heat bulb) or true ir bulb (ceranmic emitter) both emit light if you can see full ir.
Bulbs do sap humidity, but if you decide that the tall tank is what you are going to use a bulb will likely be needed to bring up the ambient temp, HEAT over humidity worry about providing the correct temps be mildly concerned if the humidity is low. A humid hide fixes humidity issues, no misting no mucking about, mist the moss every week or so.
The ambient temps are also important and often over looked. They speak about surface temps but fail to speak on ambient temps. The ambient temp should be 80-85ºF this is the temp of the air. Not the substrate but the air the snake is breathing. Ball pythons have 2 lungs one is tiny and is not much more than a aid to deep breaths. The other is very long (like all snakes organs are elongated) The lung passes beside the heart and liver and most of the large arteries run beside it as well. If the air is cool the blood is cool and no amount of heating on the surface will heat the core up. AIR temps are what regulate the core temps the surface temp just adds that last little extra bit of heat to allow regulation. This is yet another issue with tall tanks it is hard to regulate the ambient temps unless you heat the room to 80ºF so all the ambient temps are 80.
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