So after all this talking about what to use and how to use it, let's talk about why. Why do Ball Pythons require belly heat? Why do Ball Pythons require heat at all? The answer is brief and simple. Ball Pythons require heat in order to live. Since Ball Pythons cannot maintain heat on their own as cold blooded animals they require an outside heat source to keep their bodies at the correct temperatures. If the heat is too low your Ball Python will not be able to digest its food, and will become ill and possibly die. Without food your Ball Python will not be able to have access to the required proteins, energy and essential building blocks for growth and life in general. Now the reason we spoke about heat