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Lighting?

Lestette

Lestette

New member
Hi there. I know that most people say that lighting isn't necessary for snakes, but is it bad? I have a lamp by my snake because I'm in the same room as her for most of the day and I check up on her often (I'm new to this so I like to watch and see what she is doing without disturbing her) so the lamp really helps.
But having a light on her, is that bad? She seems to like to rest by it, so it seems to me like she likes it... But is it bad for her?
 
A light is ok as long as it is not the main source of heat and she isn't hiding all the time because of it. Do you also have under the tank heating?
 
It all depends on the type of lighting you use.....UV isn't strictly necessary and heat lamps can raise the temps too much.... A lot of people use florescent bulbs or LED... They can enhance the viv and don't give out heat... What are you using?
 
Another good choice would be a red bulb (not that great if you're trying to do work). Most reptiles can't see the color red, so they don't even know the light is on them!
 
RobbiesCornField said:
Another good choice would be a red bulb (not that great if you're trying to do work). Most reptiles can't see the color red, so they don't even know the light is on them!
Click to expand...

I prefer the bue ones. :poke: But I only use them for my leopard geckos along with UTH.
 
It's just a plain white light bulb. And no, she does not hide from it, she often stays by it to soak up rays I guess... It does give off heat though, is that bad?
The tank temp sits between 82-84 degrees, so it's not heating up the tank. I don't really have under tank heating though... Should I get that as well? She really seems to enjoy her "sun rays". Lol.

Also a question, for those of you who have tons of snakes... you don't buy heat pads for all of them, do you?? How do you heat them all?
 
I used a plain bulb but switch over to florescent bulbs (fish tank style) for the reason of space. With the plain bulb, I do believe it increases the heat.
So you will need a good themometer to check it. I was also concern that the snake would stare into the bulb and blind it self. But maybe that was me???

For people with loads of snake they either have a "snake room" and keep it in the mid eights or a rack system with a lenght of flexwatt running across all the tubs.
 
I do have a thermostat on that side of the tank and the temp stays regular at 82-84. Is that alright if the temp is regular and appropriate?
 
I think you mean you have a thermometer on that side?
I used a red heat lamp for a snake I kept temporarily and it worked better than I thought. I was able to keep a good temp by adjusting the distance of the light from the viv and the amount of area it shone on.
The problem I had with it was when the temp in the room changed it needed to be "re-adjusted". I also wasn't fond of the constant red light at night in that room.
One thing, make sure your thermometer isn't being heated by the light and giving you a false high reading. Try putting it just under the substrate and see if the temp is correct.
I really don't know if the light will damage your snake's eyes. My thought is that in the wild they are sometimes subject to a wide spectrum of light from the sun.
 
If that's your temp you're okay like that. As long as your snake has a choice of temps and hides of different temps it can regulate itself.
I would also wonder if the constant light will throw off the snake's circadian rythmn, but how would you know? Maybe a red one would be better, or a ceramic one with no light?
It just seems a lot easier with a UTH and thermostat.
 
Yes, I regulate temps VERY carefully for her. I'm home all the time so I'm always monitoring lol. And it's not constant light, I shut it off at night. There is heat coming from underneath the tank because the snakes tank is ontop of my frog terrarium, which is nice and warm. Her over night temp is 75-77, that is about right, right?
 
So your saying the temps drop at night to 75-77.
And your reading that from the thermometer that sit on top of the substrate.
 
I keep the same temps 24-7 and let my snake choose.
As long as it doesn't get too far below 80° at night it should be OK.
Remember, heat raises metabolism and that speeds digestion.
 
Alright... I thought their night temps were supposed to be a little cooler... My mistake. :) I will leave the light on for her then, she can choose what she would like then. :)

Thanks for the help!
 
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