I keep UVB on my ATBs, and have done it on other species before as well. Ball Pythons tend to be lumps regardless... but I found my other species exhibited a wider range of behaviors (the ATBs are clearly nocturnal but their perching/basking/nighttime movements were distinctly different with a UVB light vs without), and did well with them. I like lighting cages with UVB lights, either 2.0 or 5.0 in most cases... You see a more noticeable difference in insect eating lizards, even nocturnal ones like Leopard Geckos, when they're kept with it, but I feel even though snakes don't *need* light, they at worst don't mind it, and at best do better with it.
I think we understand less about how reptiles perceive and utilize light than we think we do, and we're still scratching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the lighting discussion. In most snakes, it is a less relevant discussion than with a majority of lizards, but it's still an interesting discussion to have. Looking forward to see what the results were like
-Jen
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