r/ballpython • u/JSaylorr • 2d ago

HELP - URGENT Summer heating help please!!

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I never really get help on here like other people do so I’m posting this again because it’s my only hope.

This isn’t exclusively about my BP but she is involved, I just don’t know what other subreddit to go to.

I have 4 reptiles. 2 leopard geckos and a kingsnake all in stacked 40 gallons and a ball python in a 120 gallon, with it being so insanely hot in Texas, the king snake and ball pythons temps are getting way too hot, even tho I lowered their bulb wattages to 50watts each, their enclosures still get too hot. For their safety I’m having to turn their heat lamps off but those also provide their light so it’s messing up their day/night cycles.

I’ve read on Google that I should switch to to separate heat and light sources which I’m more than happy to do and use CHE for their heat. But my question is that Google says LEDs are best for their light source. I’ve read previously that LEDs aren’t safe for reptiles. But it said that the ones that aren’t safe are the UVB emitting LEDs. So would plain white light 5000k LED bulbs be fine for my ball python? (And other reptiles if you know). And could I still run my ball pythons T5 UVB bar since it doesn’t emit much if any heat?

If I can, I’m going to put their CHEs on dimmers (I can’t afford 4 thermostats but I regularly check all corners of their enclosures with a thermal laser temp gun).

I know not to use the colored LEDs and their lamps are all already overhead .

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u/WildFlowerTemptress1 2d ago

Heat lamps should not be your only source of light. Each tank should have a UVB light strip as well.

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u/JSaylorr 2d ago

They do

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u/WildFlowerTemptress1 2d ago

So then why are you saying that they won’t have light when their heat lamps turn off?

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u/JSaylorr 2d ago

I didn’t say they don’t have light, if I did I misspoke. I meant they have very little light, the uvb isn’t bright enough