Turning Temps Down At Night?

Pythons Ball Pythons
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Hi all! I need a little clarification if you don’t mind :slight_smile: I’m new to BP’s, I have my girl in a 4x2x2 Repti-Life enclosure which she absolutely loves, with a CHE on the hot side hooked up to a HabiStat pulse proportional stat keeping the hot side at between 32-34c during the day with a nice gradient down to the cool side (I also monitor temps with a heat gun). I was told by a more experienced keeper friend before I got my BP to turn the temp down at night by up to 10 degrees so I have been and have had no problems. However, after speaking to another keeper who’s been in the hobby for 15+ years I was told NOT to turn temps down at night as that’s why the cool side is there to begin with, and that the fact I’m using a CHE instead of a heat mat defeats any chance of my BP getting burnt anyway (unless she was to somehow get inside the guard, which she couldn’t).

I would like to hear your thoughts on this :slight_smile:

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I never cycle ball python temperatures for any reason.

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Thank you, I had been told it was to simulate the colder night time temps that they would get in the wild.

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Same, I don’t worry about night drops for BPs. Even during breeding season, I live in New England so the natural temp/barometric changes are enough. The natural habitat for BPs is so close to the equator that there isn’t much of a nightly drop anyway. A 4x2x2 enclosure is practically a mansion for a BP and offers plenty of temp gradient for you.

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ok so here’s the thing we all have different ways of doing things and they work for us. If you have been doing this for the entire time that you have had your collection, then changing it could cause you a an issue later. I say could because it may or may not change anything. If it is working for you, then you have a choice continue to drop temps or stop and see what happens.

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Plenty of people do drop their temperatures somewhat at night. Plenty of others don’t. I would hazard a guess that as long as the drop isn’t too drastic if you do choose to drop, or the snake has the opportunity to move away from that basking temperature if you keep it constant, that either approach will work.

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I have kept mine both ways, but 10 degrees seems like a really big night drop.

When I have done a night drop in the past it has been for breeding purposes (which I found in subsequent years was not necessary) but only 1-2 degrees. If you are not breeding and keeping as a pet I would not recommend a night drop. I my opinion, I think that a night drop (especially at 10 degrees) increases your risk of a respiratory infection. I am not saying that your definitely going to get an RI, I am saying that you are increasing your risk.

As someone else mentioned, with a large enclosure like that you should have plenty of gradient.

I think I would ask myself, “How is my animal benefitting from a 10 degree night drop?”

If you can’t think of anything, then I would not do it.

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