I'm Going Crazy!!

[Colleen]

Okay all I'm about to go NUTS over the temps. in "Lightening Jacks" cage!! I have read all of the books and all of the threads posted here back till March something and I'm still confused!!!:confused: I have a small reptile ranch terr. w/ repi bark, lg. water bowl, 2 hides, temp.-humd. gage, and an under tank heat pad. Lightening is 14 in. long and couple months old.
We got him on 5/25,our 1st snake. We love him!!!
Now I have been checking temp 3X a day, the cool side is between 73-80 depending on the time of day, the other side is between 84-92 in hide directly over heat pad. And I have been checking down on the surface of cage on top of heat pad, it's 98-105.
My questions...
1) are these temps. okay?
2) I have read here that if your house is between 72-80 not to worry about heat!? But then it says in the Corn Manual that he needs 92 for proper digestion......SO :confused:
3)I live in a mobile home and on HOT days even with air on it gets above 80 and cool nights(like last 2) my furnace, set at 67, kicked on....so how do I reg. the COOL side??
4) Will He go to the warm side if the temps drop? The other day I got delayed and AC was on,got very cold and He was still incool hide?
Sorry this is soo long. I just want him to be as healthy and comfortable as I can make him.

Thank U for your advice......:D
Colleen

[kellyjones]

I am no expert but reading what you have said, I would have thought the range of temperatures that you have would alloow your snake to regulate his own body temperature to what suits him perfectly. I worried like mad at first when I got my first snake and constantly watched to see which end of the tank he prefered but then I thought that in the wild nobody regulates it perfectly so therefore as long as it was in the right area it should be ok. Since I stopped worrying about the world is a better place.:D

[Gregg]

I don't use any heat mats. I keep the heat in the house around 83 degrees F, since I like warmth, and since the California temperatures in the Bay Area are icy cold. If it does get hot, some of my snakes will usually go into their water and lay there.

My logic behind NOT using heat mats is this: They are too damned expensive for me to buy every snake I have it's own mat; so, they'll have to go without one. I don't worry about the snakes too much, since they are a species that has become adapted to temperate climate regions with seasonal variablity in temperatures which may, at times, be extreme out in the wild. Of course, captivity IS a different situation, so, with the ambient temperature of the house at 83, + or - a couple of degrees, they can look for a cool place, vis-a-vis a warm place. Again, my logic: It is easier--at least for me--to find a cool place in the heat, than it is for me to find a warm place in the cold.

On the other hand! The only problems I've encountered have been from people complaining about the heat in my house. :rolleyes:

[pinatamonkey]

Make sure the snake can't come in contact with the surface of the cage where the heat pad is. They love to burrow, so put a piece of carpet on top of that portion, with the substrate on top.

[Colleen]

I am still concerned, I mean in the wild, if their Hot they can go under ground or in rocks and if their Cold they can move to a hot rock or in the sun. In his cage he has no way of doing that unless I provide the temp. differences.
We are putting in some folded paper towels over the pad. He is so small I think he'll go under it, so do you think electric tape is ok to hold it down?

:) Thanks again

Colleen

[kellyjones]

Electric tape is fine. If you have something stronger you can be sure that it will not lift but it should be ok

[CornFreak]

Colleen,

As long as you keep one side at temps of 75-85 F and the other cooler the snake will take care of the rest. The snake will regulate it's own temp. I have noticed my corns hang out on the cool side for a quite long time and I thought it was too cool for them but they know best. As long as there is some heat for them to go to the will when they need it. I have also noticed at temps around 90F my one corn gets a little snippy. This is a little to hot for mine.

Temps can drop to about 65F over the night hours. If your furnace is kicking in at 67 this should be fine. It is more important that the temps don't go down to appr. 60 and stay there, this will put them into brumation (hibernation).

I use a conjuction of heat pads (ZooMed seems to make the best) and lights. Watch the cheap heat pads because they do not tend to spread the heat thoroughly and can crack your tank. Also, if you use a pad and a lamp the additional heat from the lamp may cause a crack in the tank if it is over top the heat pad. I use a piece of carpet and duct tape to cover the area where my heat pad is. This will prevent the snake from burrowing under the carpet and getting against the pad and burning itself. I also use Repti-bark as a substrate on top of the carpet. The carpet is just for protection against burns.

During the summer months I do not use heat at all for any of my snakes. Hope this helps. Happy Herping!!