I thought the heating was the easy part...

but apparently we are not heating poor Bubblegum properly. I really did do research on corns but they supposed expert at the pet store told me a 50 watt day light (for day use) and the red night light (also 50 watt) would be more than sufficient for a corn.

However, after reading at this forum I am finding out just how ignorant I am on the care of corns.

Firstly, Bubblegum is not active at all. I work late nights and when I come in I check on my kids and animal babies as soon as I get home. Bubblegum seems to spend 99% of his time burrowed under his hide. I am now thinking that he is perhaps not warm enough.

He does eat(very well) and he has shed with seemingly no trouble but he is not active in his cage ( ten gallon fish tank with a very secure homemade lid..thanks hubby).

I keep reading about heating pads for under the tank...can I use a regular heating pad? One that I would use for say my back? or do I need to fork out for some specialized one from the pet store? I would really appreciate a list of what I really need to keep my son's corn happily warm.

Thank you all for any help.

Okay so I have gone back and read FAQ section at the top of this page. Very helpful info btw. I think I'm going to have to go and buy a UTH ( ha! now I know what that means too) ....personal opinions and which types and where to purchase would still be helpful too


....demanding little so and so...aren't I??

Most any UTH will do, just be sure to get one that covers 1/3 to 1/2 of the floorspace of the cage. Be sure that you keep it on a lamp dimmer or a thermostat. If left unregulated, they can easily go way too hot.

Also, try putting extra hides and ground cover in. They like to stay hidden and need to be able to hide away at both the warm and cool ends of the tank. If he feels more secure, he might move round a bit more (I know, I know - give them more hides to see them more often? I don't think it sounds logical either, but it can work!).

We have two hides right now...one in the warm zone and one in the cold zone...he never goes to the colder side. I don't even see him drink from his water container. I usually place him by it, then he drinks for a good minute straight so I wonder if he even gets out to hydrate himself.

Can he move between the hides without being seen at all if he wants to?

Young corns particularly take a while to get comfortable with the giant hairless monkeys watching them (not to mention the monkeys' weird and scary snake-eating pets) and if he can't move from side to side without being seen, he's more likely to stay hidden at the expense of other things.

Second the more hides idea. I have two corns. One is in a big 10g tank like yours, with a couple fewer hides and more floorspace (but a climbing tree) and the other is in a <10g sterilite with hides EVERYWHERE! Guess which one I see out and about more? Guess which one frequently comes out to observe me, and which one doesn't immediately jump into a hide if I come in at night?

I did get another hide, a driftwood type dealie and a fake plant (trailer type) for my son for xmas...will his corn be okay if I wait until he gets them for xmas or should I maybe gift him early? I hate to see him stressed if that is the case.

I will also be buying a UTH and a better thermometre in the next couple of days.

Toilet roll tubes and kitchen roll tubes make ideal disposable hides for small snakes!

^^^Yep. Helps to flatten them first, in case that isn't obvious.


Nothing wrong with using lights, if the room temps are consistent enough. They just aren't efficient at all or able to regulate like tape/pads. If yours is eating and shedding, you can't be too far from ideal. Hiding all the time is normal for most hatchlings. I have a few that cruise the cage more than most, but I wouldn't consider hiding to digest a reason to worry or abnormal.

Everything has to do with the temps outside the enclosure. Without a thermostat/rheostat it's difficult to keep everything where you need it in a room that has huge swings. Running a pet shop, I sell a lot of snakes to people who put them in individual caging; the hardest part is getting temps and gradients where they need to be. Every cage, home and room is another new variable to deal with. I swear, it's probably easier to get it right having ten snakes in a rack than one in a glass aquarium! But it isn't terribly hard to do, and I wouldn't get too mad at the guy who told you to get lights. Not the ideal way to do things, but certainly not impossible.

ten gallon tank - no light - just room lights - zoomed uth about$18 powered through a ten dollar lowes bought tabletop lamp dimmer - $6 digital t'mometer - room temp swings from 68-72 with heat unit in house and day and night - maintains nicely around 83-87 snake uses warm side hide after eating - then other 5 days of week cruises all over viv mostly at night or when lights are out - said it before and believe it more all the time - if we give them the elements they need - they'll figure it out

Yep. Helps to flatten them first, in case that isn't obvious.

Click to expand...

*Blushes* it wasn't till you mentioned it lol. I always have toilet paper rolls around. I'll strew them around the tank and hope he feels safer.

Robeyeshua....thank you for the picture. That definitely makes me feel better about getting rid of the lights eventually. Your corn is beautiful...what type is he? I'm guessing by your signature its the Candy Cane?

I really love all the brilliant colours...if it had been up to me we would have gotten a much brighter looking corn but my son wanted his snow corn....and I'm happy we have him..he is a sweetie of a snake. Great temperament and lovely to look at but now I want go and get one of my own...I'm sure that will thrill hubby.

I got a snake as a present to myself after getting my first official job. My parents knew about this.

Two weeks later I got another snake as a present to my parents for Thanksgiving. They did not know about this, but they found out eventually.

Always get presents you would like yourself, in case the person you're getting them for doesn't! What an exploitable rule.

LOL I just informed my husband that I wanted another corn. He looked at me like I was crazy and said "Yeah? Just wait til this one gets bigger and it bites you, you won't want another one then!"
I just laughed at him...what's a bite compared to the rest of the fun of being owned by a corn.

I'm going to wait until Bubblegum outgrows his current viv and then take it over for one of my own. I've already been looking around and plan on going either to a reptile store I found or find a local breeder with a decent reputation.

Just make sure your heat pad is regulated with a dimmer or thermostat. You can do a nice 10 gallon double tank set up with a double aquarium stand one one Zoo Med 500R thermostat. This is what my sister uses for her two snakes. We've moved beyond tanks at this point and have ours in racks. They seem happy regardless. Good luck to you!

Thanks Hypancistrus...I haven't had a chance to go shoppin gyet...I've been putting in double time at work...this was supposed to be my day off...yesterday too now I think of it but I worked...Xmas ya know...costs an arm and a leg.

All this UTH and thermostat talk has me getting a bit confused. I'll have to go the store and actually see these things to see how they work etc. I'm a visual person and learn by looking and doing.