#the night bulbs for my reptiles give ambient red light so there's that

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Setting up your Enclosure: Heating

Arguably the most important aspect of reptile keeping is choosing your heat fixtures and temperature controllers. Snakes are ectothermic, so they rely on outside temperature to influence their own body heat.

This guide will go through heat fixture options, as well as the proper heat controlling devices, to ensure you can give your ball python the best care.

Remember, ball pythons should have access to a heat gradient! Hotspot: 88-92°F Warm Ambient: ~86°F Cool ambient: 78-80°F Minimum Temperature: 75°F Understanding the difference between the hotspot and ambient temperatures is critical to this guide! Please visit this link for more information on how to measure the temperatures.

Under Tank Heaters: Under Tank Heaters (UTH) are thin sheets of plastic and circuitry that are placed underneath the enclosure to permeate up through the substrate and into the habitat. They are appropriate for both tubs and tanks as well as most PVC enclosures. To function as the sole heat source the room temperature must be 75 degrees (F) or higher. If your room temperature is lower you will need an additional heat fixture. For enclosures with thick substrate (over 2 inches), a UTH will not be your best option.

Sizing: UTH must be approximately 1/3-1/2 of the entire “footprint” of the enclosure. The footprint is the floor of the cage. For example, if your habitat is 4 feet long and 1 foot wide, you must purchase a UTH that is 1-2 feet long with a width of 1 foot.

Temperature control: Thermostats are ideal.

Brands: Heat tape: Heat tape is the most commonly used fixture for ball pythons. It’s cheap and easy to use. It comes in custom sized lengths and varying widths. THG and Flexwatt are the two brands available. More failures have been reported with THG heat tape over Flexwatt. THG also comes from Reptile Basics which has had terrible customer service (http://40-snakes-in-a-trenchcoat.tumblr.com/post/148706924563/update-on-reptile-basics-rant) however, they will wire the heat mat for you which is probably a better choice for new owners. Flexwatt is supposed to be better quality, but you have to wire it yourself (easy if you’re crafty). Flexwatt can be purchased from Bean Farm.

Ultratherm: Also from Reptile Basics, it’s essentially the same thing as the heat tape, but with a UL listing (licensing is given when the company pays a fee and conforms to certain standards). Supposed to be long lasting. Low wattage at 7 watts. Does not heat up passed 95 degrees, which may not be high enough for your enclosure. Durable.

ZooMed: Easy to find at your general pet stores. Not well-liked as they often easily break. Somewhat expensive for their size and quality. Also come with an adhesive to attach to the enclosure. Once this brand is adhered it cannot be removed! Removal may result in separating the circuits within the UTH, risking unstable temperatures, electric shock, or fire.

Radiant Heat Panel: By far my favorite heat fixture, a Radiant Heat Panel (RHP) is mounted to the top of an enclosure and spreads heat down and outward. Most similar to heat from the sun, it increases the temperature from emitting infrared waves which better penetrates the enclosure than a lamp. Great for heating larger spaces.

Size: This fixture must be placed at least 6 inches above the tallest furnishing to avoid burns. The wattage will depend on your enclosure size and shape. To determine which is best for you, please get in contact with the company you wish to purchase through.

Temperature control: thermostat or rheostat

Brands: There are three commercially available RHP brands. RHPs all, essentially, work the same. There may be minor differences in quality of material, but for the most part they are all fire resistant, safe to touch, and do not leech chemicals. Pro-products does boast the longest lasting, safest, and most efficient RHP on the market. Option A) PVC Cages Option B) Pro-Products Option C) Reptile Basics

Ceramic Heat Emitter: A Ceramic Heat Emitter (CHE) is a “bulb” that emits only heat. Similar to the RHP, it emits infrared waves, making it an effective heater. This will require a separately sold lamp fixture with a ceramic top, as opposed to plastic which will melt. The bulbs will also need to be replaced periodically. This product can be used on the inside of an enclosure, or simply placed on a metal screen if you are using a tank. If placed in the enclosure, it MUST be used with some kind of protective caging to prevent your animal from coming into contact with the bulb- it will burn your pet if they have access to it.

Size: The most commonly recommended bulb size for smaller enclosures (approximately 10-20 gallons) is the 60W. Larger enclosures, such as a 40 gallon breeder or 110 qt tub, will require 100 W. Adult enclosures, such as 4 ft long PVC cages will require 150 W. As this type of heat fixture requires a rheostat, it may be a good idea to purchase the next higher bulb size, and scale the temperature down.

Temperature control: Rheostats are preferable.

Brands: I have no preferable brands, though it would be a good idea to check the reviews on amazon and other sites to compare how long lasting different bulbs are.

Red heat lamp: This is a type of incandescent bulb that emits both heat and red light. Although the most common heat fixture sold at pet stores, the red heat lamp is not a good choice for reptiles. Red light is the least disrupting light in the spectrum for human eyes, however, can be easily seen by reptiles. Having this heating element on 24/7 will disrupt your animal’s circadian rhythm, causing stress.  Ball pythons, in particular, are very sensitive to being under lighted conditions. They are a shy, nocturnal snake that prefer dark spaces. As ball pythons require a constant temperature day and night year round, this heating fixture would be a poor choice. Do not buy a red light lamp.

Heat cord/rope: It’s overpriced, never offers a completely stable temperature, and has had a lot of failures. I personally have yet to hear one positive experience with heat cord/rope.

Heat Rock: DO NOT USE! Heat rocks are practically a scam run by pet shops. Their temperatures cannot be controlled and they are almost guaranteed to burn or kill your pet!

Heat controlling tools: These tools are required when using a heat source. This is not an option! These help to keep your temperatures at a stable spot and prevent the heat source from getting hot enough to burn your snake.

Thermostats: Thermostats are awesome. They automatically adjust the temperature as needed for your enclosure. Some even have safety features to prevent fires or overheating.

Herpstat: Herpstat is the most popular and reliable thermostat to control your heat fixture. They boast the most safety features of all the thermostats, with the lowest failure rate. Models with proportional heating make your heat source last longer; has alarms when high/low temperatures are reached, a probe is unplugged,  alerting you to an error; memory is retained if power is lost; auto-shut off if high/low temps are exceeded or sensor is disconnected/fails  (depending on which model you buy).

Vivarium Electronics: Another commonly used thermostat. Benefits include: memory is retained if power is lost; Models with proportional heating make your heat source last longer; Has high/low temperature history and high/low temp alarms, depending on the model purchased. More frequent failure rates than herpstat.

Jumpstart by Hydrofarm: Cheapest; 4-5 degree temperature fluctuations; on/off heat may burn your heat source out faster because of this setting; has a safety feature to shutoff when probe hits 108 degrees. More frequent failure rates than VE.

Rheostat: Rheostats are manual heat controllers, meaning as your room temperature changes, you must adjust the temperature yourself. For example, if your room gets warmer, you have to be aware and turn the heat down using the dial. Again I have no brand recommendations as they are all similar, so use sites like amazon to determine which is the best quality and is most safe.

Best of luck to you in finding the appropriate tools to heat your ball python enclosure. If you have any questions, please do not reply to this post, but use my ask box or submissions. Thanks!