Newbie Introduction :)

[Kat1204]

Hi Everyone,

From what I've seen so far, this seems to be a very friendly and informative forum

Exactly what I'm looking for

I'm Kat btw. Soon to be BP Mammy to 'Mya' who is a 7mo 100% het albino. I've fallen in love with her. Temperament, colour and markings..... just everything!!

I'm in the process of sourcing and setting up her viv and hope to bring her home end of next week or the week after (depending on how long it takes to get her setup just right!)

I think I've got all her requirements satisfied but I'd like to ask a question about lighting and overnight heating.

First though, here are a few pics of her which I took today when I went to pick up some décor from the reptile store:







My questions are:

Location of viv a bit gloomy so although they don't need light is it ok to still use one? Would a low wattage bulb be ok (in a mesh guard of course) for 12hrs a day? Goin to use an UTH mat to provide temp gradient so hoping bulb won't influence temps too much.

Also, overnight should I leave the UTH mat at the basking temp or should it be reduced?

Thanks in advance

[Raven01]

Hello and welcome.
If the light temperatures are a concern I would suggest using LED, they seem to have a really small heat output.
You could do a night drop but, with BP's I personally don't see any need for it. They are pretty nocturnal critters and even shy ones seem to have no issue moving about at night to thermo-regulate.
Good luck and I hope you really enjoy your snake.

[Mephibosheth1]

Glad to have you with us!!

Don't know much about the lighting issue, but the temps should remain constant throughout the day. Be sure the hotspot is around 89-91, and that the UTH is regulated by a thermostat of some sort.

EDIT: Raven beat me to it lol

[Kat1204]

Glad to have you with us!!

Don't know much about the lighting issue, but the temps should remain constant throughout the day. Be sure the hotspot is around 89-91, and that the UTH is regulated by a thermostat of some sort.

EDIT: Raven beat me to it lol

Thank you.

Yes I have a Habistat Mat stat for the UTH. So if that is set at 89-91 I should leave that on constant overnight too?

[Kat1204]

Hello and welcome.
If the light temperatures are a concern I would suggest using LED, they seem to have a really small heat output.
You could do a night drop but, with BP's I personally don't see any need for it. They are pretty nocturnal critters and even shy ones seem to have no issue moving about at night to thermo-regulate.
Good luck and I hope you really enjoy your snake.

Thanks Raven

I'd just read that some say light causes stress, but others have no prob with it??

Gets confusing when u read conflicting advice. Just want to know her setup will be right for her.

[Slim]

Welcome to BP.net! Good to have you here

When it comes to tank heating, do what you have to do in order to maintain a warm side at about 32C and a cooler side at about 26C. Once you achieve that temperature gradient, leave it like that 24 hours a day. Your BP will decide where it wants to be. Just be sure to have a hide on both ends.

As for lighting, Ball Pythons do very well with whatever ambient light you happen to have. They are, for the most part, nocturnal, and the lighting is more for your benefit than the snake's.

[Kat1204]

Welcome to BP.net! Good to have you here

When it comes to tank heating, do what you have to do in order to maintain a warm side at about 32C and a cooler side at about 26C. Once you achieve that temperature gradient, leave it like that 24 hours a day. Your BP will decide where it wants to be. Just be sure to have a hide on both ends.

As for lighting, Ball Pythons do very well with whatever ambient light you happen to have. They are, for the most part, nocturnal, and the lighting is more for your benefit than the snake's.

Thank you. I'm hoping I'll achieve these temps using UTH alone. I will leave it on constant day and night.

To be honest the light is more for viewing purposes (So I can monitor my girl as well as being able to see stools etc) It's a dark wood viv, and I ill be using reptibark which is also dark and it will be in a dark area of the room. If I was to use a light, would a low watt ordinary house bulb be ok?

[Slim]

If I was to use a light, would a low watt ordinary house bulb be ok?

It shouldn't be any bother to your snake as long as it has an appropriate hide to sneak into

[Thalasuchus]

If I was to use a light, would a low watt ordinary house bulb be ok?

If you want something that doesn't produce a lot of heat, you're better off with compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs, usually spiral shaped and more common in the house these days). Incandescent bulbs produce quite a bit of heat, I've used them as daytime heat bulbs in a pinch Or you could get fancy and outfit your viv with LEDs, which produce no heat and (I've heard) last a long time.

[Kat1204]

Thanks for the advice

Providing I can maintain correct temps with UTH I will go for fluorescent then. If I need more heat I'll use an ordinary bulb.

Thanks again