How would you handle this?

The consensus seems to be that belly heat is more important to the general health of a corn snake than ambient temperature. This leads me to a conundrum...

I live in the high desert, at the base of the Serra Nevada Mountains in Eastern California. In the winter, the average daytime temperature is ~50*F. In the summer, the average daytime temperature is ~105*F. In reality, I can keep my vivarium at a constant day/night temperature of 70-80 with no additional heat sources, because of the ambient temperature of my room where the viv is, and viewing lights.

So my question is: How do I go about providing my snake with belly heat without creating a situation in which the temperature of the viv is uncomfortable at best and dangerous to my snake at worst?

If I use my UTH, even now, in the dead of winter, the temperature in the tank reaches 85 and up very quickly, and the temps of the glass become dangerously hot within a matter of minutes. In the summer...adding heat to the bottom of the tank when the ambient temperature is approaching mid-90's seems dangerous.

What is the opinion on this situation? :shrugs:

Well, it sounds like you shouldn't use any heat then.

Belly heat is generally considered better when the heat is needed; but if the ambient temp is warm enough then don't use any heat. I live in TX and during the summer (more like from late March to early Oct) I turn the heat off as my house stays warm enough as it is.

Well, it sounds like you shouldn't use any heat then.

Click to expand...

I was hoping someone was going to say that. The idea of using A/C to cool down my house, followed by a UTH to raise the temperature back up is far from appealing...

Is your UTH on a thermostat or rheostat?

Nanci

Do you have a rheostat on your UTH? I'm in michigan and I know that ambient temps can fluctuate. I'm lucky in that I live an apartment and don't have to pay for heat so I'm able to keep my ambient temp at around 72(too warm for me, but do it for the babies!.lol). In the summer I do use the A/C but it also stays at about 72. I have a feeling if you use a rheostat you could maybe regulate the temp of your viv a bit better, if your not already using one.....good luck!

Sorry Nanci, I think we must have been posting at the same time with the same thought!(must be the name. LOL)

I lived in Arizona, which gets pretty dang hot. I still used a UTH and the snake did go to that side. A theromstat will only turn on if it needs be. Personally, I never kept my house that warm in the winter or the summer.

My daughter is prone to illness, which is why I keep the temps in the mid 70's during the winter.

I don't have a thermostat on my UTH. They didn't have one at the shop when I purchased my setup, so I was self-regulating with dual-layer astro-turf(the snake never burrowed under the turf) and unplugging it every couple of hours, and when I was at work.

I just bought a low wattage (3watts) Cobra Heat Mat. I went to a reptile shop that I just found out about three towns away. The lady working there has a corn snake and she's been using this same one for a couple years. I stuck it low on the side of the viv, which, according to her and the "directions" will help it to heat the substrate and the "furniture" in the viv, without raising the ambient temperature. So it will provide belly heat by heating up the top layer of the substrate(aspen) and the external surfaces of all the hides and artificial foliage on the warm side, but doesn't risk a burn to the animal from burrowing and resting on top of a UTH, because it is attached to the side of the tank. My snake can laze about on the warm substrate next to that wall for additional warmth, or burrow without being burned, as well as thermoregulate by going to the other side of the tank as usual.

Hopefully, this will help to solve my problems. The new heat pad also has a built in thermostat of sorts, where it shuts off automatically once it reaches 5-10 degrees hotter than the ambient temperature of the area it is located. So it *should* shut off automatically at around 80*F...right where it is supposed to. I'll have to watch it in the summer, though...

Here's how I would handle the situation:

I assume the cage is a glass aquarium. I would lift the aquarium about an inch off the table with pieces of wood or something and slide a UTH underneath*(see below). So the UTH is just laying on the table.

I would then buy a thermostat and attach the probe to bottom glass of the aquarium on the inside, where the snake might sit.

Set the thermostat to 85 degrees and sit back and relax. The thermostat will keep the warm end right at 85 degrees even if the temperature in the cage rises or drops. If the ambient cage air temp in the cage starts getting above 85, the thermostat should turn the UTH off. There is no risk of burning your snake because bottom glass never gets hotter than 85 degrees.

*The air gap between the UTH and the tank will create a lag time between heating and cooling of the cage, which will allow the thermostat to work better. If the UTH is stuck right to the glass where the temperature probe is located, the thermostat will constantly be switching the UTH on and off and the temperature will swing above and below 85 degrees all the time.