Setup for corn snake

I'm planning on gettin a red albino corn snake , but i don't totally understand the heating issue,

what do I need to keep it warm enough?
should I use a heat pad? if so will I also need to use a basking light? If so do I use it on the same side as the heating pad?
or should i use one or the other
I'd like the idea of having a warm side and cold side of the tank but dont know how to acheive this.
I'll be using a glass aquarium it measures 30"long 13" wide 18"high.
I understand that this probly has to do with trial and error but i dont wanna make the snake suffer in the process so any help on setting up a enviorment for a corn snake would greatly be appreceiated.
thanks

Hi!

For heating, you could use a heat mat which goes under one side of the tank. You would need a thermostat which would control the temperature of the heat mat (you need the hot side at approx 30*c) If you use a bulb too, you would put it over the side with the heat mat. Having heat sources on one side will create a temp gradient...so you will have a hot and cool side to the viv.

One thing though, if you use a daylight bulb (ie like a normal one you would have in your livingroom) then it has to be switched off so your snake gets a sense of day and night. Alternatively you could use a red bulb which can be left on all the time (and looks pretty cool too!).

Also, I used to keep some of mine on glass vivs and I would like to point out that the glass on the floor above the heat mat can get very hot so have some form of barrier between the mat and the tank (like a square of cork or something).

Good luck!

PS NEVER use heat rocks!

i use both a lamp and a heatmat, both at the same end to create a temparature gradient from one end of the tank to the other.
the heatmat is just 7watts, and is underneath the bottom of the tank. i have an inch of substrate in the tank so the heatmat warms the substrate only and not the air itself.
the bulb, well atm i`m on a 40watt bulb which creates an air temp at the hot end of about 80-85 depending on room temp at the time. the bulb is a blue herp lamp.. looks pretty cool but i dare say the red ones rachel mentioned are better. (always pays to agree with rachel imo lest she tries to "house train" you )
my tank is 36x12x15 so pretty similar in size to yours so i guess a similar setup would work for you.

maybe i should have mentioned earlier that i was inteding on using either newspaper or some time of litter made for reptiles ,, with this in mind is the above info still apply?

the problem with paper as a substrate, as i see it, would be that the glass floor of the tank will be accessible to your snake, leading to potential burns should snakey decide to burrow at the hot end.
the general consensus around here is that Aspen is the best substrate for snakes.

blito said:

(always pays to agree with rachel imo lest she tries to "house train" you )

Click to expand...

Lmao! See you're learning

Actually, I have never heard of the reptile bulb you speak about...I just buy red pygmy bulds (15w) from the Nickel n Dime store (15p each!). Blue does sound cool though...the red light does make my living room look a bit like a scene from Amsterdam!

As for substrate, you should be fine with whatever you use in regards to heat source but as mentioned before, glass will heat up alot so make sure you get a thermostat and measure the temp from the tank floor.

blue is pretty cool, although the light it emits is rather like an ultra-violet in that every thing tends to look whiter than white!
they also come in green which, for some species looks cooler than cool,and red.

ok let me point out i'm not so much concerned about the tank looking "cool" but more concerned abot mimiking nature as much as possable.
so my next question is should i use a light hood or just one of those lights that clamp on the outside of the tank? my goal is to make the tank warm enough without gettin too fancy.
what i want is... something easy affordable and efficiant.. i dont wanna be cheap bout things but i dont wanna get too extravagant. the problem is , is that i dont really know what i need anyone have any ideas? better yet is there any sites that explain a tank setup in detail...
thanks in advance for he help..

ok the basics of tank design..
this will suit a corn right up to adulthood..
tank size - 36x12*15 (inches)
hood - tight fitting "escape proof" vivarium lid with ventilation holes.
Heating - small undertank heat mat at one end. 40 or 60watt lamp overhead at same height. if using external lamps then more watts is needed. if using internal lamps then a mesh guard to fit over the lamp is a good idea. Lamp is best switched off at night.
substrate - Aspen is considered best, or paper towels, shredded towels, or dried corn (although thats a bone of contention atm as some of us use it ok and others amongst us swear its evil) Avoid using pine or cedar chippings as they contain unpleasant oils, and avoid using anything with sharp edges. Whatever substrate you use, you want it deep enough at the hot end to avoid your snake coming into contact with the bottom of the viv which can get quite hot thanks to the heat mat.
Hides - 2 or 3 hides positioned 1 in each heat zone.
Water - 1 bowl towards the cool end, perhaps another in the hot end to raise humidity if the air in your home is dry.

thats more or less it..
the rest is up to you.. dont be too bothered about the "natural" look - your corn wont be! if the basic care requirements are met then looks are just personal taste and should be tailored to suit your own. Many people here have large collections of snakes and their enclosures look dull and basic but meet all the requirements of the snakes just as well as my own "display" tank, which looks very nice but is no better than anyone elses..

first off thanks
but I'm having trouble understanding or may be reading this part wrong.

"Heating - small undertank heat mat at one end. 40 or 60watt lamp overhead at same height."

also do i need timers or thermostats , theromiters?

bty when i said i wanted to replicate nature as much as possable i meant heat, lights and so forth.
anyway thanks again

thermostatic control of the heatlamp is a good idea but not essential.
My 40w lamp is suspended from the tank lid, and creates a hot end air temp of 80-85 - just perfect.
thermometers are essential as you need to keep an eye on the temps throught the tank.. and the substrate temp too! you dont a substrate so hot that it scalds your snakes belly!

Ok you use a 40 watt lamp what kind is it? do you leave it on 24/7 ? if not does the tank get too cold when its off? do you any other heating implaments along with the 40 watt lamp?
my tank dimensions will be 30"l 12"w 18"h
would 40 watts be sufficiant ? i understand this would depend on the room temp but any idea would be helpful.

i use the lamp for daytime heat only
over night the temp drops to about 70 hot end.

i use a 7watt heatmat under the tank at the same end as the lamp - this maintains a pleasant substrate temp at all times.

ok what kinda ob substarte do u you use ?
i assume this effects what i'd use for heating?
i was considering using either paper towels or some type of litter

thermostatic control of the heatlamp is a good idea but not essential.

Click to expand...

IMHO a thermostat is not optional. Any heat source should be controlled to avoid extremes of temperature.

Digital thermometers are also essential as the temp gauges on thermostats cannot be trusted in my experience, limited as it is.
Jack

I use a digi thermometer that has a probe that I rest on the substrate on the hot end of the tank. The thermometer take two readings, one from the probe and one from an internal probe which *should* give you a rough idea as to the temp on the cool side. As Jack said, thermostatic control is pretty essential otherwise you could end up with way off temps (although I have a heat mat that claims you don't need a thermostat as it will never peak above 30*c but I've ordered a thermostat anyway just to be safe).

As for lights, if you want to leave one on 24/7 then you have to get a red bulb (or one of those night bulbs that Blito has) because, as I said before, this won't disturb the photoperiod. If you want a bright light for day, then you HAVE to switch it off at night and you will get a night time drop in temps (which would happen in nature). Or you could change bulbs at night but that's alot of hassle imo.

I only use a 15w bulb so it doesn't affect temps too much (but does provide a basking spot for my leos). I only use it because we are having about 7 hrs sunlight a day-sunrise at about 7-8ish and its dark by 3.45!! I leave a bright bulb on for 12 hours a day to prevent brumation effects.

rachel, the bulb i have is dafinately NOT a night bulb...
red is passable as a night bulb as red light is at the long end (or is it the short end? gah i forget) of the wavelength spectrum and is, i assume, not visible to snakes.
My lamp is blue however, which is at the opposite end of the spectrum and therefore very bright, mimicking harsh sunlight.
So my lamp gets turned off at 9pm every night.

Its only 40watts in strength and thats just enough to get a perfect 80-85 air temp in the day without needing a thermostat to keep control.
The heatmat is very low wattage and is used mainly to maintain the warmth in the substrate over night, and thus doesnt need a thermostat.

hope that clears any misunderstanding towards my snakes climate control arangements

Oh, sorry, for some reason I thought you had a night bulb. I wasn't questioning your climatic control, merely giving the guy advice on his future set up.

Hookfacedone, if you want a light you can leave on 24/7 you would need a red bulb (or any other 'night-time' bulb which you can buy at a reptile shop).