Zoo Med ReptiSun UVB/LED Gen 2 | Exo Terra TerraSky UV LED | Arcadia ThermalZooPro

[Qoph]

I am trying to compare different LED/UV options. As in the title:

• ReptiSun UVB/LED Gen 2
  
• Exo Terra TerraSky UV LED
• Arcadia ThermalZooPro

This will be for a forty-gallon 36"x18"x18" (approximately 15,141 centilitres & 91x42x42 centimetres for the Europeans) enclosure housing a baby ball python. It will be bioactive, so the actual height from roof to substrate will be more like 12-14 inches (30-35cm). The TerraSky appears to be the most cost-effective solution, and it's programmable for a day/night cycle. The ThermalZooPro only qualifies as an LED lamp because it can include an LED strip, but it does look pretty interesting. The ReptiSun seems like it might be the highest-quality single lighting option, but it doesn't come with a fixture. Plus, because it's about the size of a CFL, it'd take a four-socket hood and four bulbs to stretch the length of the enclosure. Big bucks! So here are the questions:

1. If someone has used any of these products, how do you like them?
2. Can one control the light output of the ReptiSun or ThermalZooPro with an external day cycle device? The latter is noted to be compatible with a thermostat since the heat lamps and fluorescent or LED sockets are supplied separate power.
3. Should the light fixture span the length of the enclosure, or does it not matter so much?
4. Are LED lamps more harsh on inhabitants' eyes than fluorescent or other options? If so, can that risk be mitigated?

[Homebody]

Should the light fixture span the length of the enclosure, or does it not matter so much?

Thank you, pal, for sending me on another trip down the reptile lighting rabbit hole. These trips always leave me dazed and confused. I won't hazard a guess as to your other questions, but, from what I've learned, just as important as the quality of the lighting is that your reptile can get out of the light. Even if you manage to create a perfect patch of sunshine (no easy trick), your snake will still need a place to take refuge from it. So, I wouldn't provide UVB lighting across the length of the enclosure. Personally, I don't use lighting, at all, in my snake's enclosure. From what I've learned, the benefits don't justify the risk and expense.

[Qoph]

Even if you manage to create a perfect patch of sunshine (no easy trick), your snake will still need a place to take refuge from it.

The plants and other scenery should provide hiding places. However, since your point is valid concerning snakes, I suppose the question becomes: if the light is in the middle, will the plants growing on either end of the enclosure get enough light? Plants tend to be less finicky than snakes, so I guess I could just try it.

[Homebody]

The plants and other scenery should provide hiding places. However, since your point is valid concerning snakes, I suppose the question becomes: if the light is in the middle, will the plants growing on either end of the enclosure get enough light? Plants tend to be less finicky than snakes, so I guess I could just try it.

You don't want my advice about plants. I struggle to keep even the hardiest plants alive. Good luck.

[Starscream]

Like Homebody said, it's important to give your animal refuge from the light. Especially for an enclosure that small, I'd stick with something 2/3 length the enclosure or smaller for UVB. For the plants, you can have an additional LED light that spans the entire enclosure.

Adequate hides and places to keep away from the lights -- ledges, branches, or other hardy pieces of climbable material -- are really important with ball pythons if you plan to use UVB. Ball pythons are plant destroyers, and the only thing I've managed to keep alive that survived my girl's 'stomping' around is good ol' golden pothos. So while plants are nice and pretty, I wouldn't plan on them being the cover until they get more established and you see how they fair against your snake's strength and weight.