Ball Python lighting?

Question

My friend offered me his ball python. I asked him about lighting, and he said that he only used a light for a little while. He doesnt use it anymore. Is that ok? If not,, what type of lighting do I need for him? Thank you

Answer 1

hi there
no snakes don't need much lighting as long as you have a heat source not a heat rock it causes too many burns in reptiles use a basking light in red,blue,white reptiles don't see red so u can keep it on all the time or under the tank heater they do need humidity and heat around 85-90 on the hot side and 75-85 on the cool...please don't guess please use a thermometer

Answer 2

Climatic Considerations

Tropical snakes kept in captivity (boa constrictors, pythons, etc.) require relatively warm temperatures and high humidity. Daytime temperatures should range between 80° F and 85° F. Nighttime temperatures can fall between 70-75° F without creating problems for most snakes. Native American snakes do well when maintained at 70-80° F.

Large enclosures can be maintained with heat lamps or heaters equipped with thermostats, whereas small enclosures may be adequately heated by placing a heating pad directly underneath them. Exposed heat sources must be shielded to protect snakes from serious burns as they attempt to warm themselves by coiling next to them.

Large and small enclosures should also provide the snake a focal (spot) source of warmth. This warmth increases activity and rate of digestion.
The heat sources should be checked frequently for malfunction. Your snake should also be checked periodically for evidence of burns because they generally do not move away from a heat-generating source even if they are severely burned.



Lighting

Ideally, captive reptiles should be housed in such a way that they can be exposed to and benefit from direct, unfiltered sunlight during the day. Unfortunately, this is not always practical or possible. The next best solution is to use an artificial ultraviolet light source rather than fluorescent or incandescent light bulbs. One or more full spectrum lights such as Vitalites should be used during the daylight hours. We recommend 10-12 hours of daylight and 12-14 hours of darkness, with a gradual increase in the number of hours of light in the spring and a decrease in the fall and winter months.

Answer 3

Hi there!

As a Royal (Ball) Python breeder and owner, I hope I can help you with this one.

Provide your ball python with a basking spot of 88-92 °F and an ambient (background) temperature of 78-80 °F. The ambient temperature should not fall below 75 °F. It is vitally important to KNOW the temperatures at which you are keeping your snake(s). DO NOT GUESS!! A great way to monitor temps is to use a digital indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. Stick the thermometer to the inside of the cage on the cool end and place the probe on the warm end, and you'll have both sides covered at once.

There are several ways to go about heating the enclosure: undercage heating pads, ceramic heat emitters, basking bulbs (both regular daytime & red "night" bulbs) are just a few. With heat emitters & bulbs it is necessary to really keep an eye on the humidity within the enclosure, especially if combined with a screen top, as both will dry the air quickly. Use thermostats, rheostats and/or timers to control your heat source. Do not use hot rocks with snakes as they often heat unevenly over too small of a surface area & can cause serious burns. TRUST ME ON THIS! I had a rescue come through my facility that had severe burns on his belly...sadly, even with the excellent care of my reptile vet, we were not able to save the poor old fellow.

Supplemental (UV) lighting is not necessary for Ball pythons, but if used should run on a 12/12 cycle, meaning 12 hours on & 12 hours off. Continuous bright, overhead lighting is stressful to snakes, especially a nocturnal serpent such as this one

I think I should also add a bit about humidity here too, seeing as you're new to BP's...Providing proper humidity for ball pythons is important, but too much humidity can be as problematic as too little. First off, let's establish "humidity" as the amount of moisture in the air. To provide your snake with a humidity level of 50% - 60%, you have a couple of options.:

1. Use cypress mulch or a similar substrate that can be misted & is mold-resistant. Cypress is good for this as it turns a tan color when dry & a rich brown when wet, giving a visual cue as to when it needs to be dampened again. DO NOT USE CEDAR or any other "strong smelling" substrate. I personally find that T-Rex's "Snow" bedding for ball pythons to be the best one on the market, as it's geared specifically for b.p.'s.

2. Make a "humidity box" for your snake. This consists of packing a plastic container with damp sphagnum moss (think well-wrung-out wash cloth to gauge moisture), cutting a hole in the top or side & placing it in your python's enclosure so that it can access the box as it pleases. This is an incredibly important "add-in" for your snake - I can't stress this enough.

One of the biggest problems we breeders observe in captive ball pythons is respiratory distress caused by the combination of low ambient humidity, improper ambient temperatures, and a screen-top enclosure which basically allows the environment within the snake's cage to be affected by any external influences in the room in which the snake is kept. Keep in mind that if you have a screen top on the enclosure you will probably want to cover it most or all of the way with plastic, a towel or some other means of keeping moisture from escaping. I have a large supply of thick towels in my facility for just this purpose. This is also where having proper, reliable ambient temperatures (back to that thermometer!) is important, as warm air holds more moisture than cool air. You want the enclosure to be humid, not WET. A soggy cage can eventually lead to bacterial & fungal infections and consequently, death.

Anyway...sorry to rattle on here, I hope this helps you out. Be sure to research your new pet...there's lots of info out there on the net, as ball pythons are currently a very popular pet. Please keep in mind that your friend gave you a pet that will live for at least 40 - 50 years, and perhaps even longer with excellent care. (Bet you didn't know you were making such a long-term commitment, LOL!)

Answer 4

This is a highly debated topic in the herp world, depends on who you ask. In my opinion no, take into account that they spend 90% of there life in termite mounds and in burrows in the ground. There exposure to the sun is minimal at best. They are also nocturnal so they normally only hunt for food at night. So take this as you will if you want to use UV it will not harm him, if you choose not to he will still live a long happy life. Oh and if you do use choose to use UV it needs to be during the day on a 12 hour light cycle, not what the person before me said.

Answer 5

you only need uva lighting which is the incandescent heat bulbs. it really depends on the size of your tank and how hot you keep your house, balls like a gradient heat range of about 90 on the hot side and 82 on the cool side during day and about 10 degrees each way in the night time. please dont use a damn heat rock they burn the sh!t out of snakes. there heat receptors are inside there body not on the surface when there heat receptors say its too damn hot its too late burnt belly. i use a 100 watt day bulb and 75 watt night bulb for a 29 gallon tank with a under tand heater for my balls (pythons)

Answer 6

Snakes do not need artificial lighting, unless you keep them in a room with no windows. Most snakes are nocturnal / crepescular (active at night / dawn & dusk) so they don't benefit from bright lights.

Answer 7

From what I understand snakes do not need much UV light to metabolise vitamin D(the reason lizards need a lamp). I have only ever needed a heat source, for snakes, so you don't really need a light if you have a heat stone.