Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Well.. ok My fiance agreed that I can get one. So now Im on a mission, I'm vbery excited!!!

We have a 10 gal tank, which I've read on many sites is good for the first year of a BP.

My question is, which size porcelain clamp lamp (5.5, 8.5 or 10 inch) should I get and which bulb (name & watts) would give me the correct temp in the basking area? I remember having to buy many different bulbs to get my beardies temps right lol. Would like to save the hassle if possible.

Thanks for your time

For a ball python I would suggest staying away from a bulb all together. What you really want to do is provide belly heat with an under tank heater. I would suggest using a foot long piece of 3" Flexwatt under one end of the tank. Make sure not to lay the tank directly on the heat tape raise it up like an 1/8 inch to allow airflow over the heat tape, this will prevent overheating. Either that or run the heat tape through a thermostat or rheostat to control the temp.

George Knaack
GLK HERP

Hello George,

Ive looked at the websites, lllreptile, petco and petsmart for "Flexwatt" but can't seem to find it. Can you tell me more about it and where to find it?

Also, would a zoo med UTH work the same?

Im a woman on a mission and want everything right the FIRST try

thanks

Flexwatt is just a heat tape. You will not find it at a petstore. Many people will sell it at reptile shows and it is pretty inexpensive. The heat pads you can buy in a petstore are alright but they have an adhesive which makes it difficult to have airflow so I would recomend a rheostat for them. I actually have one pastel ball python in the basic ten gallon setup currently. But with the hamster igloo hide and the water bowl it does not give him a ton of space. I put a piece of bamboo along the walls of the tank so he can climb as well. He recently outgrew his coconut hide and I will be moving him out of the somewhat "childish" setup soon because I really like to give my snakes a hide in the warm and cool ends of the enclosure. also, keep in ming this male I have was born in July and is eating small adult rats so the space he is in is by no means generous. Something to keep in mind when buying new enclosures...bigger is better as long as you can heat it, clean it, and give multiple hides.

Would also like to point out that this snake is eating only one meal weekly and sometimes less if the meal is large. So a 10 gallon will be fine for almost a year but I like bigger.

If you take a look on the classifieds under Cage/Heat/Light/Supplies you will find a number of suppliers. You can use the Zoo Med but for the price I would still recommend the Flexwatt. Just make sure you order it already wired up or other wise you may end up with pieces that you have to wire. If you want e-mail me directly or give me a call and I can give you a number for someone that sells it wired up for a good price.

George
glkherp@tbcnet.com
815-784-3805