Startup equipment and source

Okay, I'm starting to look into figuring out the cost of buying everything I need to raise a corn snake and I was wondering a couple things.

Firstly, does anyone know Big Apple Herpetological? www.bigappleherp.com
Good place to buy stuff? They came up first in the search and will accommodate my particular ordering needs.

Secondly, I'm looking at getting an acrylic cage from them.
Acrylic Cages

Either the 40L (36x18x13) or the 50T (36x18x17). Is there any compelling reason to get the taller tank?

Lastly, when it comes to keeping the temperatures constant, my basement suite can get very cold in the winter (Calgary, Alberta, harsh winters abound). I'm looking into moving this summer, but housing around here is pretty ridiculous right now so it may not happen. Would an UTH and a basking light be enough heat? What about keeping the cold side temp inside norms if apartment ambient can be as low as 55 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit?

How would you guys go about setting up heating on one of the enclosures I've picked out? That site recommended either Intellitemp or Dragon's Lair heat mats to go with their acrylic enclosures. Anyone able to say whether or not those are good brands?

Nova_C said:

Firstly, does anyone know Big Apple Herpetological?

Click to expand...

I've ordered from Big Apple before (I'll also probably be putting in an order this week too).

They have good prices; shipped the same day I ordered (last time); arrived in 2 days (NY to NC); decent packing; no complaints (that's why I'm ordering from them again).

Nova_C said:

Okay, I'm starting to look into figuring out the cost of buying everything I need to raise a corn snake and I was wondering a couple things.

Firstly, does anyone know Big Apple Herpetological? www.bigappleherp.com
Good place to buy stuff? They came up first in the search and will accommodate my particular ordering needs.

Secondly, I'm looking at getting an acrylic cage from them.
Acrylic Cages

Either the 40L (36x18x13) or the 50T (36x18x17). Is there any compelling reason to get the taller tank?

Lastly, when it comes to keeping the temperatures constant, my basement suite can get very cold in the winter (Calgary, Alberta, harsh winters abound). I'm looking into moving this summer, but housing around here is pretty ridiculous right now so it may not happen. Would an UTH and a basking light be enough heat? What about keeping the cold side temp inside norms if apartment ambient can be as low as 55 - 60 degrees Fahrenheit?

How would you guys go about setting up heating on one of the enclosures I've picked out? That site recommended either Intellitemp or Dragon's Lair heat mats to go with their acrylic enclosures. Anyone able to say whether or not those are good brands?

Click to expand...

I've never used big apple herp, but I've heard exclusively good things about them.

On your viv, I would skip the taller tank. While corns do enjoy climbing now and again, they are mainly terrestrial and will appreciate as much floor space as possible. Go with the 40L and provide a couple of low branches and some fake foliage to climb on. Your corn will be very content with that.

My only issue with heat lamps is I've heard that they really dry out the viv. If you're going to use one, you may have to spray everything down on a regular basis. In my personal opinion, I would start with a *good* UTH, and then evaluate how your temps are doing. I like the Cobra Heat Mats, because they're designed to get high temps. Remember that you'll need a rheostat/thermostat for any heat source. A lot of people on here use the Reptitemp 500R, and I've heard good things about it. It's also pretty inexpensive.

Good luck picking out your stuff!

Hi there!

I would suggest you have a look at this post, Lennycorn put a lot of good info which might help you and give you some idea what the key words are for the search function
http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showpost.php?p=338016&postcount=2

Have fun!

I love Big Apple Herp. Same day shipping, tons of e-mail order status updates, regular coupons and specials, excellent customer service- like if you have questions about equipment, you get a same-day detailed response.

I ordered a dual-probe thermometer from them, and loved it so much that I just ordered three more. (Quantity discount!) I also have their BAH thermostat which I am testing out- it seems like a good, basic thermostat, with an emergency shut off. It got dialed in very quickly, and is holding the temp in about a five degree span. (My other thermostats are a Herpstat which I dearly love- $110 I think- my first expensive proportional thermostat) and three Zoo Med 500Rs which are ok, but I might be liking the BAH better.

I don't know of anyone who's tried this, but I don't see why it wouldn't work- if your room temp is actually getting into the 50's. What about running two UTHs, a "normal" one on the warm side, set to 85F, and another, smaller in area or wattage or both on the cool side, set to 75F? That would be way easier than messing around with a light. You'd need two thermostats, but they aren't that expensive.

Nanci

Nanci

Nanci, I was considering exactly that.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Jenkva, I read through most of that and tried the search function, but didn't get anything about heating other than probe placement. Searching is an art form and I'm totally in the dark about caring for reptiles. Piranhas and my current stock of tiger barbs, otos and cories are the only experience I have with caring for pets. Thanks for the link, though.

So, if I was to go with two Thermostats and two heating mats, would I place them sort of centered so that the distance between them is the same as the distance from the edge of the enclosure to the edge of the mat? The mats are placed underneath the enclosure itself, not just under the substrate from what I understand. Are there any issues with weight resting on the cord?

Nova_C said:

So, if I was to go with two Thermostats and two heating mats, would I place them sort of centered so that the distance between them is the same as the distance from the edge of the enclosure to the edge of the mat? The mats are placed underneath the enclosure itself, not just under the substrate from what I understand. Are there any issues with weight resting on the cord?

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Most UTHs come with little sticky "feet" to raise the enclosure up 1/4 in off the table. This gives room for the cord to come out, and also helps air flow over the UTH. If you get one that doesn't have the feet, a small block of wood at each corner or a similar setup would work just as well.

Keep in mind, depending on the thickness of the acrylic, the UTH may have to go in the viv.

Personally, I would try to place your two UTHs at opposite ends. That way, the highest temperature will be the one at the "hot" UTH, and the lowest will be at the "cold" UTH. I'm pretty sure that the heat will disperse over the acrylic and create a nice warm middle.

If you're unsure of your setup, here's a suggestion: Try to get everything before you get your corn. Don't attach the UTHs to the viv just yet, but turn them on and set your thermostats. Then use a good thermometer (with a probe) to check the temperatures, and make any corrections.

That's what I'd do- one UTH at each opposite end.

You can buy little feet at home stores like Home Depot and Lowes. I found them in the section that has the slidey things for moving furniture. As seen in my thread "I've Been Working On My Cages." Paint stirring sticks work, too- I had a bunch laying around the house, and just recently replaced the ones under Addy with "real" feet. Lila will still be on paint sticks because her viv overhangs the ends of her cabinet, and I like to be able to slide that viv around, since the refrigerator door is right by it.

I just installed a dual-probe thermometer from BAH in Lila's viv last night. It is the coolest thing. She's the only one who will actually have a permanent thermometer in her cool hide- all the others are sharing thermostats, and get one dual thermometer per pair of cages.

My new cages are some kind of opaque plastic, and they hold heat REALLY well. Hey, I looked at the cage you are considering. I'd think really, really hard about an acryllic cage. Acryllic scratches _so_ easily. But if you do get that, I don't think it'd be a problem at all attaching the UTH on the outside bottom. A taller tank lets you put in bigger climbing branches and stuff. Everyone says corns don't _need_ the climbing height, but I think if they have the opportunity to climb, they will take advantage of it.

Nanci

Hmm, I'd forgotten about the scratching. I've worked with acrylic before and knew that but didn't consider it.

The nice thing is the pet store where I get my aquarium stuff is huge, privately owned, not a franchise and is run by people who really know their stuff. They also have a massive selection of glass aquariums.

Part of the reason I was going to go with Big Apple's cages, though, is they come prefitted with a screen. The pet store here has screens, but not nearly as many sizes as they have aquariums. Perhaps I'll get the enclosure locally (I was planning on getting the Aspen there anyway, it's quite a bit cheaper than Big Apple) and just order the heating equipment online.

We'll see how much more it costs to get a tall with a footprint that's at least 36 x 18. I don't think it'll be a problem.

I already have minor scratches on an acrylic window in a cage that doesn't even have a snake in it yet! I am going to see it the cleaning kit for an iPod will remove it. Could have been there when I got it, or I could have done it with a branch- but either way- you just can't let anything touch it, ever.

Nanci