Quote Originally Posted by Spicypython View Post
Thank you so much for your advice! I think I am going to at least try using a lamp with the heat pad but if it doesn't work I will just use the heat pad. What wattage lamp would you(or anybody else reading this too haha) recommend for a 20l glass terrarium with a heat pad? And what temperature should I set the UTH and lamp to?
75 watts is an overkill for a 20g. I use a 75 watts for my bearded dragon's tank which is a 75 gallon terrarium (4 × 18"). I also use a 50 watts for my skink whose tank is about 125 gallon I think (4 × 2). For that size, I would try a 15-25 watts and play with the temp using a thermostat. CHE is also an overkill for such a small tank even with a thermostat. You will have to have a temp gun and play around which wattage works best for you. Use the daylight bulbs, not the basking ones for lizards which are much stronger and concentrated even for the wattage.

I also second the other posts advising you that a lamp may be unnecessary if your room temps are 77-80F. A UTH would suffice. And having a light on a shy species of snake may get more stressed out (At the beginning) when it is trying to settle down. Lastly, bulbs and CHE dries up your tank faster than without with a mesh lid. You will have to cover half the lid to retain humidity.

I don't remember if you are bringing home a baby or a mature ball python. Fyi, 20gallon may be too big for a baby. Even a 10 gallon can appear huge to a baby. There are ways to make it work though but it is an extra obstacle when you try to get it to feed for you for the first few meals.