All About Heating for Ball Pythons
This guide was created for /r/ballpython by /u/DaddyLongTits and is subject to revision.
The problem of how to approach heating for reptiles is a commonly discussed topic and sometimes very hotly debated within the scope of Python regius husbandry. Heat pads, lamps, panels and projectors all have advantages and drawbacks; indeed some of these are either misused or perhaps unnecessary altogether.
This guide is meant to serve as a more in-depth supplement to the information found in the /r/ballpython Basic Care Guide and compiles information from studies, from observations in the field and in captivity, and from figures in the herpetoculture community. The purpose is to give the reader the information relevant to making the right decision for their ball python in their specific situation.
Contents (click to jump to each topic)
Sunlight as a Standard For Heat
“But ball pythons are nocturnal, why do we need to replicate sunlight?”
The Basics of the Infrared Spectrum
Overhead Heating vs. Under-tank Heating (UTH)
Important Considerations for Ball Python Heating
Sunlight as a Standard For Heat
As I’m sure you’ve noticed, the Sun is the single most important factor contributing to the evolution and support of life on Earth; without it, we simply could not go on existing. All life is predicated on the energy supplied by the Sun whether directly or indirectly, and reptiles are one of the best examples of this. So it stands to reason that simulating the energy that they have evolved to utilize for hundreds of millions of years is a prudent thing to do when caring for them in captivity. We’ll break down what sunlight is and how to design a heating approach; but first, why even bother for ball pythons in the first place?
“But ball pythons are nocturnal, why do we need to replicate sunlight?”
When suggesting heating and lighting for ball pythons, the question is often asked or alluded to as to why we should be concerning ourselves with luminous or overhead heat sources when they are night-dwelling critters or spend the majority of their time down a burrow or termite mound. It’s a good question and one that can be explained readily when looking into the natural history of these snakes and reptiles as a whole.
Firstly, being nocturnal or crepuscular simply means that they are largely inactive during the day. It does not mean that they never venture into daylight, or that they are somehow “photophobic” or that daylight poses some mystical danger to them. As a matter of fact, ball pythons have been observed climbing and resting in trees in broad daylight in the wild. You wouldn’t have to look far for similar examples of this happening in captivity, either. Their eyes also contain photoreceptor cones that allow for the detection of ultraviolet light as a visual pigment. A question I think is helpful in light of this: Why would an animal exhibit these behaviors and have the ability to detect ultraviolet if it supposedly had no use for sunlight or never exposed itself to it?
Examining another common behavior among reptiles, called cryptic basking, shows that they can still utilize sunlight and also comply with the nocturnal designation that humans have assigned them. It’s a very interesting behavior and one that is often overlooked: snakes will sit covered by foliage, or under other debris only exposing a small section of their body. Shown right, my own Monty was about 16” from the UVB light and heat source and sat there for several hours, there’s two hiding spots in the area she could use if she wanted but instead opts to sit amongst the plants, at least a several times weekly. They are very much camouflaged, very much inactive, but still very much taking advantage of the Sun’s energy. Again, this is a behavior observed in captive ball pythons, and again I pose a question: Why would they risk exposing themselves to predators if they weren’t taking advantage of the Sun’s radiation? Why not sit down in a burrow or hide all the time, where it’s much safer?
All these behavioral tendencies and biological characteristics point to an animal that, like many night-dwelling reptiles, still occasionally bask and use the energy so graciously provided to us by our closest star. Some argue that ball pythons spend the vast majority of their time in burrows and termite mounds, and while this is true, that may account for something like 90% of their behavior set. The question remains: Why deny them the ability to act out that other 10% of their behavior set? They often choose to bask when given the option to do so, and there is no good reason to deny them this. This guide, and increasing consensus within the hobby, advocates for a comprehensive and holistic approach to husbandry, in allowing the snake to act out all of it’s natural inclinations, not just the majority of them.
The Basics of the Infrared Spectrum
You may have seen a similar graphic below in your high school physics textbook: this is the electromagnetic spectrum. The bottom part of the picture is more relevant to our discussion than the top. Why? The atmosphere filters out almost all wavelengths shorter than ultraviolet-B (280-315 nm) and longer than near and mid-infrared (up to about 2500 nm). As you might have guessed, we’re more concerned with infrared right now because that’s relating to how we go about heating our pythons.
So we have the Sun sending us a “package” of various wavelengths of radiation, much of which is filtered out by ozone and water vapor (to our relief!). The near and mid-infrared part of this radiation passes through however, we cannot see most of it as it’s above the visible spectrum, but we can feel it in the form of heat. When you go out on a cold but sunny day, you would probably have noticed that the warmth from the sun penetrates through your clothing to warm your body. This is the shorter wavelength infrared you’re feeling. Compare that to just the central heating of a building: you’re warm sure, but not all the way to your bones like you are when sitting in sunlight. This type of infrared radiation is most appropriate for creating effective basking zones.
As a byproduct of near and mid-infrared radiation hitting the surface of the Earth, far-infrared radiation is reflected back into the atmosphere (illustrated right). This is where you see snakes sitting on warm surfaces like asphalt just after sundown, they are warming their body through conduction, as opposed to direct radiation from the Sun. (more on this below).
Looking at the graphic below, you can see that near-infrared (IR-A) has no problem penetrating deep into tissue. This heats the vascular system and allows the blood to be a more effective thermal vector, and activates ATP synthesis in the cell’s mitochondria. It’s actually for this reason (in part) that IR-A therapy is becoming increasingly popular as a safe treatment for a range of ailments in humans. In contrast, far-infrared (IR-C) barely penetrates the upper layers of the epidermis. Now imagine how ineffective it would be if you were covered in scales like our snakes are!
The main take-away that I’d like people to have when reading this is heat isn’t all created the same. It’s very common to see the husbandry approach of “the temperature readings are within range for the species, therefore all is good.” A ceramic heat emitter and halogen both set to emit the same temperatures are not heating the same. Adopting a wider perspective as to how heat is naturally generated and how snakes have evolved different strategies of using it is the main goal of this guide, and hopefully employing some of these methods will lead to healthier ball pythons exhibiting more natural behaviors.
Overhead Heating vs. Under-tank Heating (UTH)
UTH is likely the most popular method of heating used for snakes, especially among breeders. Not only is this due to their availability, but you also may hear that “belly heat is required for proper digestion.” This is something of a misconception. When you consider how heat is produced in nature and how our ball pythons have evolved to utilize it, it just doesn’t make much sense how we attempt to emulate this in captivity. They don’t hang out on top of geothermal vents, and the burrows they inhabit during the day are a rather stable and cool temperature year round. I assume that this "belly heat" came about from observing how snakes gravitate towards laying on asphalt and other materials to capture the heat they radiate.
So why do they do this? They certainly aren’t waiting for a chicken to cross the road for an easy meal. An animal that heats itself through surface contact is called “thigmothermic,” and indeed snakes fall into this category. As we know, ball pythons are primarily active during the twilight hours and at night. Temperatures can begin to drop dramatically after sundown, and the snake is looking to “charge up” so they can effectively hunt and do other snake things. How convenient it must be that rocks, roadways, and other materials function as thermal batteries for ectotherms to take advantage of. Being thigmothermic does not mean that surface contact is the only way, or the most effective way, that a snake can heat itself, it simply means that they are using the most available source of heat to them at the time when they are most active. Reptiles often go back and forth between thigmothermy and heliothermy, which is the method of heating by direct sunlight exposure.
Ironically, overhead heating simulates this better than under-tank does. In much the same way the sun heats up rocks and branches, halogens and deep heat projectors produce that near and mid-infrared and release that energy as far-infrared into the night. The snake now has multiple avenues that it can choose to thermoregulate: will they choose to bask during the daytime hours (choosing “heliothermy”), or will they wait until the lights go out to absorb some residual heat for their night-time romp around the enclosure (“thigmothermy”)? This approach to heating allows them to regulate their temperature similarly to how they have evolved to do so in the wild. Overhead heating does not mean that you are forcing your snake to be in the open to regulate their temperature! You can still maintain proper temperatures within a hide while also allowing for different thermoregulatory strategies.
Important Considerations for Ball Python Heating
So, we’ve established some information that is pertinent to the task of heating our ball pythons’ enclosures. Things like wattages, types and number of fixtures, and other choices, will all be predicated in some part by your snake’s individual needs, the enclosure, and even factors like room temperature.
- Care History: It’s possible that a snake who, for example, has lived in a tub with no access to light or basking opportunity may be stressed when suddenly provided with this in a new setup. Care must be taken to transition them in these cases, and they may not immediately recognize new thermoregulatory opportunities.
- Hypopigmentation: Of the various flavors of ball python morph out there, many are hypopigmented or lacking melanin. Melanin is known to play a big role in blocking and preventing overexposure to ultraviolet. There aren’t any studies that I’m aware of regarding how infrared plays into this, but it’s worth considering.
- Snake size: This is very important when considering the coverage that your basking zone should have. The basking area should cover the snake completely when it’s coiled up, as a single spot of heat can be dangerous for a snake trying to thermoregulate. Multiple smaller wattage bulbs may be preferential to one big one, to cover a larger area. Also account for the snake’s girth when dialing in basking zone temps.
- Enclosure size: The enclosure’s size will be a limiting factor in many cases. If the enclosure is too short, for example, that limits you to space saving fixtures like radiant heat panels (all the more reason for a larger enclosure, right?). If the enclosure is on the larger end, you may need larger wattage bulbs to get the required temps.
- Enclosure type: Enclosures are made of varying materials, PVC and wood tends to hold heat better, while glass tends to allow it to escape. Also, certain enclosure types lend them to in-enclosure fixture mounting, certain bulbs like CHE’s work best when mounted inside as opposed to putting them in a dome on top of the enclosure.
- Enclosure modifications: Any modifications made, especially to glass vivariums, can impact how heat is retained. Insulation board backgrounds and blocking off the top screen come to mind.
- Enclosure furnishings and substrate: Distance from the fixture to the basking area and warm side hides are obviously tantamount. Too far and the fixture won’t be able to do its job, too close and you won’t get good basking coverage or the bulb will be too intense.
- Room temperature and ventilation: Consider the room temperature to be like the base temperature you have to work with. If your room temp runs warm (>75F/24C) for example, you likely won’t even need supplemental heat sources. Ventilation and airflow are also worth considering.
- Lighting: Some lighting fixtures add a relatively superficial amount of heat, but this is worth paying attention to.
Fixtures to Avoid
Just to get these out of the way, there are certain heating implements that are downright bad and just have no viable use in the hobby. Be careful, just because they are sold in pet stores doesn’t mean that they are safe or recommended.
- Heat rocks: Not only do they pose the risk of malfunction and grilling the snake, they heat unevenly and unnaturally, and thus cannot be used safely with a thermostat.
- Colored “nocturnal” style bulbs: One of the big beginner mistakes is using these for 24/7 heating. Not only do they produce light that the snakes can see, disrupting their circadian rhythm, they are also less than ideal for daytime heating due to the lack of IR-A and B output.
- Any device that isn’t regulated by a thermostat: Any device producing heat in the enclosure should be regulated. Heat lamps, pads, ceramic heat emitters; whatever it is, use a quality thermostat and to the manufacturer’s specifications. If you aren’t using it how the manufacturer intended, it’s unsafe.
- Halogen spots: Spotlights produce a narrow beam of intense heat. Halogen floods produce a much wider and less intense beam. Spots are to be avoided unless you’ve got a very tall enclosure that calls for the more intense beam to be effective.
- Mercury Vapor Bulbs: These cannot be regulated via thermostat, and are often either too powerful for standard enclosure sizes or are low-quality and produce dangerous short-wave UV. I would leave these to more experienced hobbyists using Solarmeters to read the UV output, but in most cases these will be overkill.
Heat Fixture Comparisons
Not all heat is created equally, but using a “complementary” approach to heating is a good way to bolster the advantages and mitigate the drawbacks of each fixture. Again, the main goal of this guide is to give you the knowledge needed to create a heating approach for your snake and enclosure.
Primary Heat Sources
Ideally, either of these should be used as your main source of heat at minimum.
- Halogen floods
- Output: ~40% IR-A, ~40% IR-B, ~10% IR-C, emits visible light.
- Pros: Most closely mimics sunlight, most bioavailable. All around, probably the best you can get in terms of replicating sunlight.
- Cons: Requires a high-quality dimming thermostat like Herpstat, and may need several bulbs to properly heat an adult python. Cannot be used at night.
- Uses: Daytime heating to create a basking zone that emulates sunlight. If you require ambient or night-time heating, a CHE or RHP would be a good pairing for supplemental heat.
- Deep heat projectors (DHP)
- Output: ~10% IR-A, ~50% IR-B, ~45% IR-C, no visible light
- Pros: Infrared output is almost as good as a halogen, Arcadia produces a quality product. Can function as a standalone day and night-time heat source.
- Cons: Not as bioavailable as a halogen, infrared output is less natural for night-time heating.
- Uses: Good as a runner-up to the halogen, especially for hypopigmented morphs.
Supplemental Heat Sources
These are best used to complement the above primary heating implements. Ideally, none of these should be used as the sole source of heat due to infrared output.
- Ceramic heat emitters (CHE)
- Output: ~100% IR-C, superficial amounts of IR-B, no visible light
- Pros: Cheap, not difficult to utilize, can be found in most stores and easily online.
- Cons: Allegedly dries out the enclosure more than other heat sources. Ideally should be mounted inside the enclosure, but domes may be used. They can run into issues cooling too fast if using an on/off thermostat. Less area of heating than an RHP.
- Uses: Great secondary heat source when paired with a halogen or DHP. Useful at night-time or just bumping up average temps, especially in smaller enclosures with enough height or rooms with higher ambient temperatures.
- Radiant heat panels (RHP)
- Output: Mostly IR-C, but exact outputs are unknown, no visible light.
- Pros: Form factor! These things are super thin. They also heat in a wide surface area and won’t outright burn your snake if they touch it. Easy to implement in a tub as well.
- Cons: Suppliers are limited, with either quality or customer service often being an issue.
- Uses: Fantastic secondary heat source when paired with a halogen or DHP. Useful at night-time or just bumping up average temps, especially in larger or shallower enclosures or rooms with lower ambient temperatures.
- Heat pads/tape/cables (UTH)
- Output: 100% IR-C, no visible light
- Pros: Form factor, any online vendor or pet store will carry them.
- Cons: UTH is less natural and does not impact ambient temps. UTH poses a burn risk for heavier-bodied snakes.
- Uses: Can be useful in quarantine and temporary situations, and can be left on 24/7. Obviously some heating method is better than nothing! Pair with halogen or DHP if possible.
- Space Heaters
- Output: 100% IR-C, no visible light
- Pros: More economic for larger collections, heating the entire room can be more stable than just the enclosure.
- Cons: A good unit can be expensive, and obviously heating the entire room isn’t an option for some people.
- Uses: Heating a reptile room in an economic way, pair with halogens or DHPs.
Implementing Heat Fixtures
So we’ve laid out the basic information behind heating, I feel it would be helpful to go over some possible layouts for the setup! The common thread you’ll notice here is that all heat is directed from the top-down, and the basking zone will be usable for a coiled snake. I recommend planning out your enclosure on grid paper before making anything final.
To the left you’ll see an overhead view of various possible layouts for heating and lighting. Focussing on the heating, you can see that some utilize multiple halogen floods of (preferably) smaller wattages to create a wide basking zone.
Below, a section of one of /u/_ataraxia’s enclosures. The secondary bulb is a DHP, also shown is an Arcadia UVB, and heating is regulated via Herpstat.. Click here for the full set up.
Left showing placement of the thermostat probe under the halogen. It’s important that the probe is in a non-confounding position; if placed directly on the basking zone, the snake could disrupt the reading by sitting on top of it, leading to temperature swings. This is where multiple thermometer types come in handy. A probe thermometer can be secured inside the hide for that reading, while a temperature gun would be appropriate for measuring the basking surface on top of the hide to ensure it’s not getting too hot. Simply adjust the thermostat setting to reach the desired temperature at the basking zone.
Shown right is the basking area. These are Reptile Basics hide boxes modified with a tile roof. The tile acts as a thermal battery, capturing that IR-A from the halogen and releasing it overnight. Personally one of my favorite “hacks” for reptiles and I regularly find my girl using hers.
Take note of the varying levels of light as a result of the plants, Jasper here can choose his levels of exposure to both the heat and light. He has an area where he can bask in the open, cryptically, and two hides in this area of slightly different temperatures.
A great example of a heating setup for a larger enclosure from Not Just a Pet Rock’s guide section shown right. (4) 50w halogen floods operate in pairs to simulate the movement of the sun, and a RHP handles the ambient temperatures. Operated by two Herpstat EZ2s.
This is not to say that any one of these setups is perfect for your particular instance. Brainstorm, think about how you’d like to approach your particular situation, and mind how you’re going about encouraging positive natural behavior in your snake. Please post your ideas in places like /r/ballpython, Not Just a Pet Rock, and Advancing Herpetological Husbandry. We might all learn something new or get ideas for our own setups!
Product Recommendations
Not to be a tease, but someone has already done the work for us! Check out the /r/ballpython Shopping List here.
I do recommend a variety of digital thermometer types to get the most accurate visual of the enclosure temperature gradient (these can all be found on Amazon and other online vendors): Mapping it out on graph paper can be useful if you want to create a really good picture of the thermal gradients within the enclosure.
Probed thermometers are useful for getting a constant readout on hide temperature. The hygrometer combo is also great for measuring the humidity within the hides.
A pair of Acurite thermo/hygrometer combos would be best placed on the warm and cool sides of the enclosure, to read ambient temperature/humidity (some models even give you a high/low reading for the past 24hrs, how nifty!).
Infrared temperature guns are handy for getting an instantaneous surface temperature reading, good especially for basking temperatures and going around the house pretending you’re Han Solo. Get yourself a holster for it if you wanna reach maximum reptile-nerd status. I use these to measure frozen-thawed feeder temperatures as well.
Resources and Citations (Videos - Social Media - Articles- Studies)
What is Belly Heat? - Reptiles & Research
Best Reptile Heating Methods & Infra Red Radiation -- R&R
AHH Discussion - Are All Natural Behaviours Necessary in Captivity?
The Best Heater for Reptiles - How to Heat Reptile Enclosures 2020 -- JTB Reptiles
Advancing Herpetological Husbandry
Examples of Basking in Ball Pythons - NJAPR
Brames, Henry. Poster "Reptile Lighting is a Process, not a Bulb."
Kurtycz, Laura M. “Choice and Control for Animals in Captivity.” | The Psychologist, Nov. 2015,
Read, Cat. “A Comprehensive Look at the Benefits of Lighting for Reptiles.” Reptiles as Pets, 2016
“Interaction of EMR with Earth's Atmosphere and Surfaces.” EMR and the Earth, Humboldt State University, 2019
“Methods of Heat Transfer.” The Physics Classroom,
Brames, Henry. "Aspects of Light and Reptilian Immunity." (page 21)