Hi all, I’m a new snake mama & I was wondering what is the best source of heat for my Ball python? The reptile store said I needed a bulb & then when I went back for more supplies they said I need a mat and not a bulb… I’m very confused and I’m not finding a solid answer online. Please help. If I need a bulb what wattage? Should I do both bulb and mat? Thank you.
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The belly heat for ball pythons helps them digest best in my experience. You can still use the bulbs to reach the proper temps in the enclosure though. Or just offer them different experiences and enrichment that way.
Ball pythons by nature are pretty shy and tend to live in burrows. They typically creep out whole the sun is low to get the warmth they need from a spot that had heated up from the sun earlier. So they don’t typically bask like say a cornsnake might.
But when keeping them in out captive environments, that can change. Some do like to bask, but if your little guy seems to only get more active at night they would definitely benefit more from the heat pad because they can keep warm while hidden away all day.
But a heat pad will absolutely REQUIRE a thermostat. If left unregulated they can reach temps as high as 140f and can seriously injure your snake. Even if they don’t burn themselves on it, it can change the ambient air temps to something much too hot for them. So make sure to have a good thermostat probe placement between the pad and enclosure.
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Definitely incandescent bulbs imo. Heat-mats don’t heat very effectively, and won’t do anything to create a proper gradient. It also goes against their nature, as most reptiles like to dig to get away from heat. Mats only emit the longer length of infrared (irc) which don’t heat the body very effecitively, whereas incendescent bulbs emit shorter lengths (ira) on top of the longer lengths, which penetrates deeper into the body, heating them more effectively. Many incadescent bulbs also emit some level of UVA which helps stimulate certain behaviours, and can help with appetite. The change i saw in my boy when i changed from a CHE (also only irc) to a basking bulb was wild, he became much more active, and he went from only wanting pied rats of a specific size from a specific breeder, to eating anything i offered as long as he wasn’t deep in blue. He will also cryptic bask from time to time, which basically means that he’ll expose a small part of his body to the light and thus benefitting from the ira. Some BPs will full on bask, especially if also given UVB.
This video explains why incandescent bulbs are great in a way i really like!
Reptile HEAT BULB VS HEAT MAT. Simple explanation.
And these articles from zen-habitats are useful as well
Myths and Misconceptions About Heating for Reptiles – Zen Habitats
Understanding UV Light and Infrared in Reptile Husbandry | UVA/UVB/UVC – Zen Habitats
Would also recommend the facebook group Reptile Lighting if you’re interested in learning more! That’s where i get most of my heating/lighting info from.
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I have never liked using bulbs for a heat source, only light. Heat mats have been used for the entire 58 years I’ve been keeping reptiles. Many claim they can’t be used on enclosures that have a 1/2" PVC bottom and this is just false. If you get a quality heat mat, I prefer Ultratherm, they heat through the PVC just fine, but obviously much of the heat is lost going through this type of material. What I began doing years ago is placing the mat inside the enclosure on the bottom and then apply an 1/8" piece of acrylic over the heat mat. This type of install allows far more heat to be felt in the enclosure. Of course a thermostat should be used on all types of heat sources. The dial on the power cord is not a thermostat, it will not turn the heat off when it reaches a set level. If I must use a heat mat with one of these I remove it and plug the mat directly into a real thermostat. The heat mat provides that heat on the body that helps in digesting the rodent. If additional heat is required I highly recommend using a radiant heat panel mounted on the top of the enclosure. A ceramic heating element can also be used and both of these require them to be plugged into a real thermostat that will turn off all heat when temps reach a set level. I don’t like using any type of light source for heat, it doesn’t matter what color it is. Snakes, like most animals, do best with a day/night period. Night meaning no light of any kind. If you must use a light as a heat source be sure to use a thermostat and make sure the animal cannot get any part of it’s body to come in contact with the bulb. I have seen to many snakes burnt very bad because the owners didn’t install a barrier between the bulb and the animal. If you surround the bulb with a cage that you made, if you can’t place your hand on that barrier and leave it there for 2 to 3 minutes you need to move that barrier farther away from that bulb. Thanks for your time.
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Yup me too. 
Ultratherm heat mats are great!