I just bought my snake tonight..and I already need help

undefinedundefinedundefined Hello everyone..my name is Desirea and I just bought my new baby corn snake tonight..I named it Maize..I'm not sure if it's male or female so I gave it a name to go with either or...anyway..I have a tank that is not very long...but it is pretty high..it's a very oddly shaped tank..I found a 10 gal. lid to cover the top but I still had to buy clips to make it fit right..well my question is..I bought a tank heat mat and stuck it to the right side of the tank..and I also have a basking light which is sitting right on the top of the lid to the tank..I tried the heat mat but it wasn't warming up the tank very well..so now I have the basking 50 watt light on instead...should I have both on at the same time or which one is the better choice?? I had to stick the matt to the side of the tank because the tank had a glass bottom and I read that the snake could burn itself if the bottom of the glass became to hot due to the heat matt..I have a thermometer on the outside of the tank right in the middle...the matt being on the right side and the light being on top on the far left..the thermometer is currently reading 75 degrees...is that okay? should it be warmer?? should I move the matt to the left where the hiding cave is? I'm sorry to be asking all this but I want the best for my new snake and would feel terrible if it became sick to something I was doing...hope to hear from someone soon..thanks.. :shrugs:

Okay, first off you need a proper thermometer. One stuck to the outside of the tank doesn't do any good. You need a digital thermometer with a probe. Walmart sells them in the hardware section., $9 and up. It's an indoor/outdoor digital thermometer.

The heat mat is all you really need, but you need to stick it to the bottom, or duct tape it if you want to move it later to another tank. You can also stick it to a piece of ceramic tile or glass so it canbe moved later. The snake won't get buirned if you regulate the heat mat with a lamp dimmer or a thermostat. Walmart also has lamp dimmers in the hardware section for about $9, it looks like an extensiion cord with a control on the end. Or the best option would be a thermostat. Cheapest is reptilesupply.com, ZooMed 500R for 19.99 plus shipping.

Put heat mat under tank, put thermometer probe directly on the glass above the heat mat. Use the lamp dimmer or the thermostat to adjust the temperature over the mat to 85 degrees.

You need the probe to measure the temp at the snake's level, the one on the outside doesn't tell you anything useful. If it reads 75 then it is probably much warmer inside where the snake lives.

You also need 2 hides, one on the warm side and one on the cool side so the snake can choose which temperature he prefers and still feel secure. A cardboard box or toilet paper tube works well if you don't want to buy a fancy store bought hide.

Since you already got some good advice above, I'll just comment on the name...

I didn't know if my first was a male/female either, but I had my suspicions that she's female so I named her Maizie, too..."maize" as in corn. You'll find that there are lots of Maize/Maizie's on this forum...

(Hmm...which gives me an idea...!) Be sure to post photos of the dear! Congrats!

Congratulations on your new corn. You will find a lot of very good advice around here. I would recommend checking out Kathy Love's Corn Snakes: The Comprehensive Owner's Guide and Don Soderberg's Corn Snakes in Captivity. Both are excellent books and will teach you a lot about taking care of your new pet.


Good Luck,
Joanna

Okay well first off make sure that lid is on there really securely, even if you think she/he can't get out they can. Second, put that UNDERTANK heater under the tank on the glass, yes it can burn the snake if unregulated trust me, they can easily get up to 120F. Get that thermostat/rheostat from walmart or if you want to try and make your own there is a great thread on this forum about it. Search for it, its called How To Build Your Own Rheostat for $7, or something similar to that. Its really easy to do even if you aren't mechanically inclined. Make sure there are the two hides and a water dish. Personally I'm not to hip on the light thing, some people like them but knowing that corns are nocturnal it doesn't make sense to put an artificial sun over their house. PLus, I just got done reading a thread about some guys snake going blind possibly due to a UV light, I wouldn't take the chance. If you have that undertank heater in the right spot and the temp is about 80- (85 during feeding) that will always be enough heat. Good luck and research more until you can recite all there is that needs to be known to people.

I posted this response in the wrong thread before..sorry everyone..

Well I can't get to Wal-mart right now since I am working and I am a bit busy..but I have moved the gauge thermometer that was on the outside of the tank to the inside and under the basking light I have warming the tank..I'll try and buy the digital thermometer with the probe and a dimmer as soon as I can..but how does the dimmer work? and also..after reading all the warning signs on the back of the heat mat I'm extremely nervous to put it under the tank since my tank has a glass bottom and not one of those hard bottoms..I just don't want to end up cooking my corn (a bit of humor there..)..also I will try and buy a small second hide for the cooler end of the tank..right now the heat matt is still stuck on the right side..is it safe to peel it off or will it break now that I put it on?? I'm sorry for all the questions but I just feel this is very important things I need to know..thank you everyone for your advice and help.. Also thank you for telling me about the incident with the snake going blind..I will definitely remove the basking light as soon as I get the chance to..thank you again..

The undertank heat mat is OK to put on or near a glass bottomed tank. But you are right to be a bit concerned about its heat output. That's why the dimmer is recommended.

The dimmer I have is one from IKEA, which is a "tabletop lamp dimmer", but you can find extension cords with dimmers if you are lucky. You plug the dimmer into the wall, and then the UTH (pretending for a minute that it's a tabletop lamp) into the dimmer. There will be two cords coming out of the plug--one for the UTH and one which ends in plastic lozenge which has a slider on it. Push the slider up: lamp is bright. Push the slider down: lamp is dimmed out. You use the dimmer (also called a rheostat) to limit the amount of electricity getting to the UTH. Less electricity, less heat.

My set up is this: I used clear packing tape to attach the UTH to the outside bottom of the tank, and I made sure I was only taping at the edges. Putting the tank rightside up now, I put the probe of the digital thermometer on the glass where the UTH is. I run the cord for the thermometer out the top of the tank and leave the read-out screen thingie on the bookshelf next to the tank. Then I put aspen shavings in on top of the thermometer probe, and hides, and a water dish, etc.

Next to the tank are the dimmer control and the thermometer readout. I have UTH "dimmed" by quite a bit, and it comfortably stays between 80 and 85 (probably nearer to the 80 to 83 side of things). Since yo already have the sticky on thermometer, you can move it to the inside of the other side of the tank, down near the bedding. It won't be horribly accurate, but you can keep an eye on the cool side to make sure it's not TOO cold. At some point, you may want to get another therm to watch the cool side temps (in the 70 range).

Originally, I bought a lamp, intending to use it for the cool side, but my snake is small enough that he lives in a small tank, and the temps on the cool side didn't drop that much at night. (I ended up getting another dimmer and thermometer and setting the lamp up for my daughter's tree frogs, because her room gets c-o-l-d at night. Now they won't stop croaking. Sheesh.)

I hope that answered your question about what a dimmer is and how to use it. Good luck with your snake.

SaulsMom

Thank you :0)

I'll buy the dimmer as soon as I can..I'll probably try and go tomorrow since I have to get up early anyway..now the heating pad manual said it could take up to 5 hours for it to heat up..would the snake be okay until then? Thank you again for all the advice :0)

Your snake will be better off too cool, rather than too hot. So unplug the UTH until you get it regulated.

Next...follow the link in my signature. The FAQ can answer the vast majority of your beginner questions, and put you on a solid path towards taking good care of your new corn. Obviously, you will still have some questions, so...Ask Away! That's what we are here for.

Lastly...Welcome Aboard!!

Oh yea...POST PICTURES! It's a requirement....

tyflier said:

Your snake will be better off too cool, rather than too hot. So unplug the UTH until you get it regulated.

Next...follow the link in my signature. The FAQ can answer the vast majority of your beginner questions, and put you on a solid path towards taking good care of your new corn. Obviously, you will still have some questions, so...Ask Away! That's what we are here for.

Lastly...Welcome Aboard!!

Oh yea...POST PICTURES! It's a requirement....

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I have to agree, also where are the pics? haha

If you're concerned about heat from the heat mat you can tape several layers of newspaper on the bottom of the tank over the heat mat and then put the substrate over that. The snake will be unable to lie directly over the mat even if it burrows under the substrate. I would use scotch tape as it will not stick to the snake if it gets a little loose. The substrate tends to stick to any loose areas of the tape. I've never had a problem with scotch tape not remaining firmly stuck to the glass bottom. It should be fine for the evening.

Well tomorrow I will get the dimmer and he is being fed for the first time..

Well I have quite a few things to do tomorrow...but I am most worried because I have to feed him for the first time..how long should I soak the pinkie in hot water for so that it won't be to hot for him but yet it'll be soft enough for him to eat?? I don't have any tongs so is he going to eat it if I just lay it next to him in his feeding tank?? Well tell me what you guys think..thanks again especially for that link..it was very helpful :0)

Feeding

Yeah you deff need to get the heat/hide thing sorted out pretty quick. Its essential to snake care. Make sure you stick the little plastic legs that came with the heat mat on the bottom of your tank (in each corner) before you put the heat pad on the bottom though. This allows air to circulate through so it doesn't burn stuff. And yes its totally fine to pull off the heat pad and restick it. I pulled mine off about a month ago and swapped it to a better tank. It worked just fine. As for feeding I went and brough a lil manicure kit from the $1 store. It it is a tweezers and nail scissors. I use the nail scissors to cut some small slits in the back on the mouse (which is meant to help with digestion but it is an argued topic) and then the tweezers to pick it up and put it in the st eralite tub I have for feeding. If using anything other than papertowels you should feed your snake in a separate tank/box/tub. They all work. My guy is not fussy at all about how i fed him. I can just throw in a mouse and he'll take it but when there small i never had a problem with wiggling it from its tail/butt with my fingers. Once he took it i let go. That simple. I never came close to being bitten. You need to defrost the mouse until it feels warm in your hand. Mine are in little ziplock bags so they dont get all wet. I usually throw them in a cup of hot water and hold them under with something and then change the water just before i take the mouse to my snake cos it goes cold surprisingly fast. Remember to be careful putting your snake back in his tank and dnt handle it for 48hrs. Please get your temps sorted and accurate before feeding him. Its essential to their digestion and he could deff regurge his meal if there not right. Good luck.

About 10 minutes in hjot tap water should do the trick for a pinky. When you move up in size, it will take a little longer.

Some snakes will eat whether the pinky is moving or not, some need a little enticement. If the snake doesn't take the pinky right away, try covering the feeding bin with a towel or something, and leaving the two of them alone for a couple hours. Sometimes having nothing but the pinky to concentrate on will help them to eat if they seem reluctant.

I think you might be better off waiting to feed until the temps are straightened out and the snake has settled in for a few days. Won't hurt him to wait a little longer.

Just my opinion though.

Maize411 said:

Well I have quite a few things to do tomorrow...but I am most worried because I have to feed him for the first time..how long should I soak the pinkie in hot water for so that it won't be to hot for him but yet it'll be soft enough for him to eat?? I don't have any tongs so is he going to eat it if I just lay it next to him in his feeding tank?? Well tell me what you guys think..thanks again especially for that link..it was very helpful :0)

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I wouldn't worry about feeding your lil guy until about 5 or so days. Just hold off the temptation of holding your snake until then. I personally do not feed my snakes with a pair of tongs unless they are the monsters. :grin01:
I usually will put my snakes in the same container as the mouse and then feed them. I always feed my snakes in a separate container. This way they do not associate my hand going into the cage with food.

I also recommend a couple of things as well.
1. Reading this FAQ section, I highly Recommend this post.
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28341

2. Buying Kathy Love's Corn Snake book.

The journey for the right temperature...

Well I went to "Home Depot" and the only plug in type thermostat they had was a ductfan thermostat which they assured me should work with my heating pad..I also bought another thermometer so now I have one on the cooler side and the warmer side, I also bought a log hide for the warmer side so now she has two hides..however..this new thermostat does not seem to be working well..I turn it on to it's coolest possible setting and all I see is the temp rise where the heat pad is..so I am being forced to go to the tank every few minutes to turn this thing on and off to keep it at a good 84-85 degrees...I'm trying to keep it at this temp because I also just fed her for the first time today..I'm happy to report she ate the pinkie with no coaxing or need of tongs..thank goodness..I think I might have warmed it up to much though because when I was getting it out of the baggie...it broke in half..not a pleasant sight..but I just set both pieces into the feeding tank and she ate both of them with no complaints..I just went on ebay and bought a Zoomed ReptiTherm Rheostat deluxe 500..which is supposedly made just for the kind of heating pad I have..so I hope this thing comes soon so I can return the ductfan thermostat to home depot..I will keep you all updates and I'm in the process of trying to get some pics together so just wait a little longer and thanks again everyone..by the way..the cooler side right now is about 74 degrees...is that okay?? well thanks for the advice everyone :0) :wavey:

If the thermostat won't dial in to the right temp range then return it, they sold you the wrong product. I don't think any thermostat sold at home depot would work. You could use a lamp dimmer or rheostat from there, but not a thermostat designed for a completely different appliance.

Does the thermostat have a probe on a wire that you can put inside tghe tank? If not it won't work.

not from what I see..

The thermostat I got doesn't seem to have any probe..just a plug to plug into the wall, an outlet on the box to plug the heating pad into and a dial that was supposed to control it...but it seems the heating pad is just ignoring the setup of the thermostat and just continues to climb..I bought the ReptiTherm Rheostat deluxe on ebay brand new so that should do the trick..until then I'm just going to have to do my best with keeping the warm corner as warmly controled as I can..as for the cool side though..how low should I let it get before I start to worry?? just a question..

Maize411 said:

The thermostat I got doesn't seem to have any probe..just a plug to plug into the wall, an outlet on the box to plug the heating pad into and a dial that was supposed to control it...but it seems the heating pad is just ignoring the setup of the thermostat and just continues to climb..I bought the ReptiTherm Rheostat deluxe on ebay brand new so that should do the trick..until then I'm just going to have to do my best with keeping the warm corner as warmly controled as I can..as for the cool side though..how low should I let it get before I start to worry?? just a question..

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If it is a thermostat with no probe, then the reason it isn't working is because there is nothing to tell the thermostat that your "high limit" has been achieved and it is time to shut down. Without a probe in contact with the heat mat, your thermostat is probably reading the ambient air temperature, which is much lower than the UTH temperature, and therefor is not shutting down, because the desired temperature has not been reached.

A rheostat operates differently. With a rheostat, you are adjusting the maount of energy used, and so the UTh will run constantly, but under a low wattage. It may take some trial and error to get the rheostat properly adjusted to maintain your proper temps.

As for the "cool side" low...about 70*F is good...