Whats your Thoughts on Light Cycles?

[Shadrach]

Ok I feel like some people just shouldn't keep reptiles. Espically snakes and maybe I'm wrong but I find this statement just completely wrong. I came across this today and thought I'd post it here. It's not from this site but another but I want to get everyone's thoughts on this.

Ball pythons need no light cycle at all. Trust us. They're nocturnal creatures. Any light that may come in the room from the sun or anything is fine enough for them. But it's not like they need any light. Light would most likely bother them. Considering they usually sleep during the day and are up at night.

I think snakes even Ball Pythons need light at least 12 on and 12 off if possible this triggers their natural feeding response and seasonal changes to siginal breeding. This I firmly believe and have seen the effects with animals kept with no light and feeding response is slowed or totally lost until a light cycle is established again. So whats your thoughts on the subject? Anyone feel any truth to my thoughts?

[telefrag]

I do agree, that despite that they live most of their lives underground , they are active at night, and some type of day/night awareness is what tells them its okay to come to the surface to forage, or whatever.

All I ever have provided them is room level light from windows, or skylights in the snake rooms ive had.

Doesnt seem to of evern bothered them too much.

[NicoleRussell]

I answered this post on another forum---but to add something:
basically I would think anything mimicking nature---ie: seasonal ups and downs thermally, and light cycles which mimic the current season itself..would help with feedind responses in all animals. I supppose that whether we supply artifcial light would boil down to whether the room light is sufficent to tell the animal it's "time" to wake up.
One thing I an plainly see in my corns and my ball---they all know when the sun is going down based on the light in the room. They wake up at sunset or a little after every day.

[reptigirl04]

I guess that would depend on the lighting in the room and the ability of the light to enter the cage. My ball pythons are in aquarium cages and they have UTHs and no other lighting. My boa is in a vision cage so i have 12 hrs of light in his cage. My room is fairly bright, w/ window and i keep an over head light on all day. The aquariums allow alot of light, but the vision cage doesnt. I say it all depends on the light of the room/ and cage. Just my .02

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