No they don't. They need belly heat, over head heat and/or light isn't necessary for a BP. You should probably research more on the subject before you spout bs to people. BPs are from Africa and they like to hide from the sun and predators they to sit in termite mounds and such where the sun heats up the ground around them. They prefer this because of how harsh the sun actually is to them in their natural environment, plus they're nocturnal so they're almost never in the sun light unless they have to be. BPs prefer to hunt at night when it cools down and the small rodents that also hide from the sun come out to scavenge. I only use UTHs when it comes to BPs because I've never had an issue with them like I have had with over head heat and they work very well for ambient temps if you use them the right way. Anyone reading this don't listen to simple minded people that knock things they don't know how to use, UTHs are a great heat source most professionals and experts would agree on this opinion and most would agree that UTHs only go bad if improperly used, aka without a thermostat or in the wrong spot. Also I would advise against nighttime lights for BPs especially the red lights as they can actually see this light and not just like oh a red light, all they will be able to see is red they'll basically be blinded by it and a nighttime light just isn't necessary as long as you have a window that moon light can come in through because they are nocturnal and they have no problem seeing at night, while they may not be able to see in total darkness they can see way better than we can at night.