Quote Originally Posted by salt View Post
Ball pythons don't need the light. If you are looking for a supplemental heat source to your uth (which you should get a thermostat for) have you considered just getting a ceramic heat emitter? They are sold in the same area as the bulbs (in petco/petsmart) but they emit no light only heat, and then you wont need to have a day time and a night time bulb. Also either light bulb or ceramic heat emitter you are going to want a dimmer on it so you can adjust the heat output. You can pick one of those up from home depot or a similar type of home improvement store.

Here is the step by step guide of setting up a ball python enclosure using a tank.
ok so what watt should i have for a heat emitter? i was under the impression they needed some kind of light/dark cycle. if this isnt the case then i can just get an emitter and his spot in the living room will provide enough light/dark? i have a set up right now and the tank is 20x12 and although it may be too small the snake is in shed so i dont want to switch him over too a larger tank until hes done to avoid stressing him out. the emitter would be a good idea i think with a higher wattage as right now i am having to use a little tinfoil with a hole cut in it to achieve a high enough temp for his hot spot with an infrared light, leaving the cool side uncovered. so my hot side with heat pad and infrared is 85.6F and my cool side is 76.3F. my humidity is around 70-80 but i find im having to constantly monitor that and last night when i was asleep it dropped to about 50.

any advice on wether or not im doing this right!