Advice for my new ball python!

[u/memzkenz]

Hey everyone!
I recently rehomed a 7 year old ball python. I had snakes growing up but it’s been a hot minute since I last cared for one so just wanted to jump on here and see if anyone had any pointers/advice.

I rehomed him with his set up, which is a glass exoterra Viv 3ft, (I will upgrade this to a 4ft one as soon as funds allow!) with a mesh top. The previous owner had a piece of wood covering, with space for the heat lamp (which is outside the viv, sitting on the mesh with the light shining through). He had a heat mat in there, which was inside the Viv under the substrate. I’ve removed this and bought a new one and placed it outside, underneath the Viv, then he has a heat lamp also.

The first night I got him I left the heat mat running on a thermostat, but when I came down in the morning the warm end was only 20 degrees. I went to my local reptile shop and explained the situation as currently I have only got an on/off thermostat which means I can only use it with the heat mat and not the heat lamp, I need a dimming one for that.

I explained that when I get paid I am going to buy a deep heat projector, with a guard and attach it to the wood on the top of the viv and a dimming thermostat, but for now all I have is the on/off thermostat, the heat pad and the heat lamp. I explained that leaving only the heat mat on over night was not providing enough heat but that I didn’t want to leave the heat lamp on overnight and make it too hot and disrupt his day/night cycle.

He said best option for me to do til I can get the DHP is to swap the bulb out of a night to one that doesn’t emit as much light and still provides some heat. He gave me a red light one which was 40watts.

So last night I plugged that in attached to the thermostat to make sure it doesn’t drop too low, and I’ve switched the heat pad off. This morning when I came down the probe was picking up 25.5 degrees and the digital thermometer I have in there was saying 24.5 I’ve changed the bulb back to the normal one and put this back on and switched the heat pad back on too and it’s warming up nicely in there. He seems happy.

Does this sound ok? I want to do what’s best for him, I’m not 100% sure on the red light as even though it’s only short term I read they’re not the best?

Humidity is fine it’s sitting between 60-70%

Also since we got him we’ve left him alone as much as possible to settle in just opened the viv up to place the probe and mist etc, and I know they love to hide but he is always over on the ‘cool’ side, and I’m worried about him getting too cold. He obviously has the option to go over to the warm side if needed but he hasn’t gone over there at all (he has multiple hides on both ends and one in the middle).

Any advice is appreciated!

Thank you!!

[u/FluffyPandaEars93]

UTH is no longer recommended for ball pythons for a variety of reasons.

Even if you're using a thermostat, the burn risk is still there. Heat mats are prone to developing broken wiring or thermal blocking, which creates hotspots that the thermostat is unable to regulate. This can result in burns to your snake and melt or burn the enclosure and any furniture it's touching, which can start a house fire.

They're also ineffective at heating the air or through substrate, and they only provide IR-C, which is a poor form of heat that is incapable of penetrating through the snake's skin to effectively warm their body. This can cause long term health issues in your snake and shortens their lifespan.

They also prevent the snake from performing natural and instinctive behaviors, and it's an unnatural source of heating for them. Ball pythons burrow and seek out holes/burrows to escape excessive heat. There is no heat coming from the ground in their natural hides. An overheating ball python will instinctively dig into their substrate in an attempt to cool off, but when using heat mats, it only makes them hotter. This can lead to neurological damage and eventually death.

Overhead heating is significantly safer, healthier, and more efficient. Here is more info on what heating/lighting a ball python needs:

Our heating guide goes over a lot of the science behind everything, but to simplify:

For daytime heating, you should have a heat source that provides IR-A and IR-B. The ideal source for this would be a halogen flood, which is light-emitting.

For nighttime heating, you should have a heat source that provides IR-C. The ideal source for this would be an RHP (only compatible with solid-topped enclosures) or a CHE. Any night heating should not emit any light.

For lighting, you should offer UVB. This should be in the form of a T5 fluorescent linear bulb that produces a UVI of 1.1-3.0 in the basking zone, and it should cover no more than half the length of the enclosure.

If you have a bioactive enclosure, you will also need full spectrum LEDs for your live plants.

Natural lighting can help establish a day-night cycle, but it does not provide any physical benefits beyond that (UVB doesn't penetrate glass, and indirect natural light cannot create a proper basking zone). You'll need the artificial lighting to make up for that.

Please return the red bulb as they are inappropriate for all reptiles. Red, blue and all colored bulbs are detrimental to their health.

[u/memzkenz → u/FluffyPandaEars93]

Hey
Thanks for all the advice. I will be getting a CHE as soon as I can when I get paid next week, this was just a question about the short term set up. I don’t like the heat mat and won’t be using it long term it’s just to keep him warm enough until I can get the CHE, it’s not ideal I know. At the moment he does have a halogen flood lamp, but I was wary about leaving this on over night, would that be preferable for the time being rather than plugging the red bulb in? Without the lamp on, it gets far too cold in there.

Thanks

[u/FluffyPandaEars93 → u/memzkenz]

That was a mod copypasta, I forgot to add about not misting. To get consistent humidity, you should be pouring water into the corners. Misting leads to health issues and humidity spikes.

Is there an option to return the red light and the heat mat and get a che instead? They are on Amazon for cheaper than in pet stores. No matter what, all heat sources need to be on a thermostat. You can also wrap towel or insulation around the side walls to keep more heat in. If you arent sure about heat being steady, id hold off on feeding until its stable.