New home for my little guy

Hey all hope i don't come across as a annoying newbie but i am just about to take the plunge and buy a new home for my cornsnake Irwin.

At the moment he is in one of the big tubs that you keep them in when they are young but now he is getting bigger i am going to purchase his tank.

I went to a reptile shop today to do some looking around and ask some questions but before i buy anything from them i wanted to run it by you first as afterall you guys and girls are alot more helpful and knowledgable than them.

The tank size i am looking at is 30 x 18 x 18 the woman said 24 x 18 x 18 is suitable enough but i prefer the bigger one as i can get a nice big branch to run the length of the tank and i thought i could get 2 hides in both ends and i thought it also might be better being bigger as if the lights on one side the other side is further away and will be more ideal for the cool side.What do you guys think 24 or 30?

Now for the thermostat the woman said they do a normal thermostat and a dimmer thermostat and said that the normal is all you need for a cornsnake and i should only worry about the dimmer thermostat if i was housing a different type of reptile.Do any of you guys or girls have a dimmer thermostat? i thought they were pretty cool but if they bad or not needed for a cornsnake i wasn't going to get one.

Now the bulb should i put it in the top of one of the corners so one side gets warm and the other stays cooler.It's just i see in the shop they had them in the middle and i thought surely if it's bang in the middle it will warm up the whole tank and you are not really going to get a cool side.How do you guys and girls have your bulbs?

And lastly should you have a guard around the bulb so the snake don't get burned as in the shop i did not see any guards?

Thanks so much for your help all and sorry if they seem stupid questions i just want the best for my little Irwin.

Jamie x x

Well I think the 30x18x18 is a 20 gallon long right? If so than I would go with that. I would also go with the normal thermostat rather than a rheostat (dimmer) because with a normal one it adjusts the temperature correctly when your house changes temp. With the dimmer one you will have to keep an eye on the temp and adjust it as the temp in your house changes. I use the Reptotherm 500R and it works great, plus its nice to know you don't have to worry about the temperature if you are gone for a few days.

---Kenny

Thanks dogstar.

Do i need to get a cover for my bulb?

20L is 30x12x12.

You're heating him with a UTH, though, not a bulb, aren't you?

Nanci

I don't know of a standard aquarium size that is 30x18x18

Well the setup the woman in the shop was showing me was with a bulb and a thermostat is this not any good then?

judging by reading the posts bulbs seem a bad idea and that uth is the way to go.This is my problem.

Here's the tank i want to get http://www.livefoods.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=580

As you can see the bottom is wood and therefore i dont think the uth would work outside and would have to be put inside.I have a thermostat but am still thinking i need to cover the heatmat inside the tank with something so that the snake can't get on it directly.I have spoke to a uk member about this and he used a bathroom type tile to cover it i just wondered if any of you have had similar situations and if so what you used.

Many thanks

Jamie

jks1984 said:

Thanks dogstar.

Do i need to get a cover for my bulb?

Click to expand...

Well if you are using a Under Tank Heater than you wouldn't need to use a heat lamp (they dry out the air). If you want to get some lighting for your viv then I suggest using a basic fish tank light. The thermostat should be hooked up to the UTH to control its temperature, with a fish tank light you wouldn't have to worry about the heat. But in any case to answer your question directly: you can set the lamp right on the screen lid (assuming that is what you are using) on the outside of the viv.


---Kenny

Many people use Flexwatt for the inside of the viv (although I have never used it) there are also different kinds of heat mats you can buy that can go inside the tank as well. I think I have heard of people using a tile on a normal UTH but from what I remember it was discouraged for some reason I cannot remember.


---Kenny

If you go the bulb route, I'd put it off towards the side, not in the middle and I'd definitely cover it. That's a nice looking tank, my corns would be jealous.

That viv looks like what George (Pet Corn Snake) has. I believe he has a UTH inside it. Some UTHs are ok to go inside the viv- the one Big Apple Herp sells, for instance, which doesn't do you any good in UK, but there must be an equivalent there. Can you find Ultratherm pads there? They can go inside. They are made in Scotland. I have those on my two new cages (on the outside) and am happy with them so far. On a thermostat.

Nanci

These are the type of heatmats i have ordered.

http://www.eurorep.net/habistat/

Do you think it would be ok to put that straight in the viv or do i need to put something on top of the heat mat so the snake can't actually sit on it.

Many thanks

Jamie

Hi,

I've got the same heat mat that you've ordered. It's been reliable so far. Although make sure you use a thermostat with it as the temps get to over 100f without one. I also use the same brand of thermostat:

Habistat temperature thermostat

Using it inside the viv like you intend to, I make sure my temperature probe is right on the mat and the stat regulates the temp to 85 give or take 1 or 2.

Now I've said it, I hope I interpreted the thread I got that info from right.... I'd better double check.

Thanks Kells