Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i have always used heat pads, and i just put a lamp on my new python. im using a 50w infrared heat bulb by exoterra. it says on the package that it wont disrupt its day/night cycle, but i heard that unless the wattage of the bulb is very low, they can still pick up this light. can the snake can pick up this light in a 50 w bulb? should i turn it off at night and use a heat pad, or just leave the light on 24/7 with no heat pad?. any info is appreciated. thanks.

Supposedly, infrared light is supposed to be nearly invisible to reptiles. Since I'm not a python, I couldn't be sure, but I tend to trust that infrared light is not a detriment to a snake's well-being. You can keep using it if it keeps the cage temps where they should be. You can also just use the heat pad at night if you want.

Your goal should be to provide proper temps. With bigger snakes like most pythons and boas, overhead heat can work well because it can heat a wide area (big snakes need a wide area of heat) and still allow for a temperature gradient.

Ceramic elements work amazingly well, but the bulb surface gets so hot that you need to make sure the snake (or you) can't get burned on it accidently. I like ceramics because snakes seem to come alive when you use them, and they don't give off light.

The radiant heat panel is another option, especially for bigger snakes. With RHPs the surface doesn't get so hot. Look at www.beanfarm.com and www.pro-products.com for more info.

like i said, this is the first time i used a heat pad. yesterday it was perfect, but today i noticed that if the room temp dropped a few degrees, the cage temp dropped like 8, so i put a uth on the underneath left side and i have the heat light pointed at the side instead of on top so as the room temp changes, i can just slide the cage closer or farther away from the light to keep the right temps. i was going to get a ceramic heater but the python is still small, its in a 10 gallon, and the only ones i saw at the store were for 30-40 gallon... i dont wanna cook the snake, but maybe when hes ready for a bigger cage (soon) i will look into one of those.

Although moving the cage away from the light is a way of controlling temps, you should use a lamp dimmer. They sell a plug-in model (tabletop type) that works well with no wiring needed by you.

You can also use a second lamp dimmer for the heat pad to keep it from getting too hot.

And of course, a thermostat is best for the light bulb during Summer when the room may get warm. Excessive heat is bad even for snakes from very hot areas.

i have a rheostat that has 2 outlets on it.... i think its meant for heat pads. is that safe to use on a heat lamp and a heat pad at the same time, or would that be not cool? would that be the same as using a dimmer?

You can use it as long as you don't exceed the wattage rating.

For example, say the rheostat (dimmer) is rated at 150 watts. If your light bulb is 75 watts and the heat pad is 12 watts, that is 87 watts of power needed and is less than 150 watts. You would be fine.