Heating Issue

Ok here is the issue....I recently brought everything I needed for my snake and set up her viv and the guy at the pet store(not a petco or anything a reptile store) told me to he advises the heat lamps over the heating pads. I had read everywhere to have a heating pad and keep 2 seperate temps one higher than the other ect ect.....Well now instead I have a 50W bulb on during the day and then at night I switch to a infa red bulb. Its doing its job got a good temp but now I am leaving for vacation for 7 days at the end of July. My dad will be home but I am pushing my luck to ask him to remember to switch that daily. I know it wont happen. Should I dig up the money for the heaters and say screw the lamps or do you guys have a better solution?
Thanks for your help
Cory

Well if you can keep the room warm enough it should be ok to leave everything off - I have my snakes in my apartment with me - the apartment stays about 75 degrees and I only use other heating methods in the winter. How warm is the room the snake is in?
Although in general, I do prefer the heating pads to lights - at least for snakes. Lizards I prefer the lights.

Remember corn snakes are in the wild. This time of year, unless you run your AC at 60* it's okay to leave the heaters off. As a matter of fact, I don't run a heater with Gaia, Smokey and Queenie and just run it part time with the babies, Danu and Eluyanka. The temps stay about 75-76 during the day and drop to 70-72 at night. So far they are all acting normal.

I'd go with a single heating pad and a thermostat. Safe, more convenient, and more stable for temps.

Heat bulbs have a tendency to dry out the cage too much and in my opinion are too much of a fire risk. :shrugs: If you choose to go with them, you can put each of the bulbs on a timer to regulate their turning on and off while you are way. The only thing your dad would have to check then is if a bulb should happen to burn out. That is, of course, if you have two separate fixtures for each type of bulb.

D80