Do ball pythons benefit from direct lighting in their enclosures? Not concerned about UVA/UVB as there is enough science backed evidence to conclude nocturnal animals do not benefit from ultraviolet supplemental lighting. My question is if a 12 on 12 off cycle benefits a ball python.
I have been of the belief that they do not need it and that all that is required is indirect light from a room filtering in. But is this really the case? Could a day night cycle benefit a nocturnal snake? In the wild they live in Savannahs and tree lines. This means they are exposed to full daylight not filtered through a canopy. Even if they hide in burrows and mounds during the day, daylight still would rule their cycles.
What happens when we introduce that cycle into an enclosure? I have done this now with the LED strips in my PVC enclosure. I have a 10 on 14 off cycle and I am starting to observe how it changes, if anything, Dante's behavior. It is too early to tell anything because he is also in new surroundings and is exploring his boundaries.
We did have a power outage earlier due to storms (I am in a slight panic typing this as thunder is booming overhead and I am a big coward) which cut the lights in his enclosure for about 10 minutes. When they came back on he was sticking his head out of his hide. He was moving around his cage and even came to the door when I opened it. He just now as I finish writing this sentence, crawled back into his hide after taking a drink. I found it interesting that a disruption in lighting induced him exiting his "burrow".
Anyone else make a switch to day/night light cycles in their enclosure and notice behavioral changes?
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