Reptile & Amphibian Forums

HI
I am new to all of this. I have 2 baby Ball Pythons. First of all i was surprised to see that they had such distinct personalities. Second was that despite setting up my tank according to the most commonly agreed upon methods, and having at least 3 digital temp and humidity monitor probes set at critical locations, the snakes completely ignore where they "should" be and just hang out wherever they feel like. Not a complaint of course just an observation. Also never believe anything anyone at a pet store tells you. over the course of the last several days i've been lied to (or misinformed) more times than i can count. (uuuh yeah these basking lights are great for your nocturnal python. sheesh) i'm using a under tank heater BTW. now on to my first (of many to come questions)

during the day i plan to use a florescent(sp) bulb for lighting the tank, mostly as a cue to maintain a regular day/night schedule (it will be on a timer) but at night i want to be able to see my new friends and not disturb them, or me (the tank is in my bedroom fwiw)

my first choices
15"flourescent blacklight
but i've been told that a black light will cause my snakes to go blind

the red bulb sold in pet stores
i've been told that this will disturb the snakes sleep cycle it causes a lot of heat.

a low powered led
uneven lighting and still puts out white light

colored incandescents sold at home depot etc,
simply a regular bulb with a color coating but which color?

any ideas would be helpful
thanks
Mike

BTW i still refer to them as just the snakes because i haven't named them yet, i wont know the sexes till after i take them to the vet for their first check up. however names i'm considering; monty, brian (pronounced bwian), tim, biggus and dikkus, some of you may notice there is a theme here. any other suggestions for names appreciated.

sorry for the bump but would really appreciate some help here

black lights would not be my first choice. I would use a infra red heat bulb. They say snakes can not see the color red so bulbs made with true red glass will NOT disturb thier sleep cycles. Do not use the coated party bulbs they will bug your snake. I don't think black lights will blind your snake but they produce alot of uva's. Hope that helps...oh, remember that using any heat bulbs on your snake steals away your humidity to some extent so don't forget to mist them. Best wishes.

thanks for the info, i ended up getting up a moonlight bulb which simulates natural moonlight and has none of the nasty side effects. i wanted some light since in the wild it is rarely totally dark like in a typical house. snake seems to love it, and i can see it as he makes his rounds at night, surprising how active they are when we cant see them.
mike