Getting really worried my new corn isn't thermoregulating herself or drinking?

So This is my very first corn snake, she's a year old in August and female (probed)

She had a couple of days to settle in and she had two pinkies a few days ago (had to coax her quite a bit and brain them, but she ate both and hasn't regurgitated). She's still very nervous when I open the viv to change her water or spot clean but that's expected, what I am really concerned about is that the levels in her water bowl aren't changing at all throughout the day -- she doesn't appear to be drinking at all.

I noticed this after I noticed she was spending all her time in the cold hide. I checked her body temp with an IR thermometer and it was twenty degrees (C) so I panicked slightly and coaxed her gently to the hide at the heated side of the viv. I'm really worried that she didn't do this on her own, and that her stress is causing her to not thermoregulate herself normally.

The surface temperature of the substrate is 26 C (82 F) with it getting to 35 down at the bottom beside the protection against the heatmat (I'm using a towel)

Is this normal? Have I done something wrong? Please I really just want to make sure she's healthy and has a good life.

One thing I stress with new snakes in reducing stress I always recommend letting a newly acquired snake have a week to settle in. No handling or feeding. Also suggest to cover the sides of the habitat for a week or so.
Your temps are fine. She will self regulate her temps as needed.
As for not drinking, I can't recall ever actually seeing one of my snakes randomly drinking. Every time I clean and change the water I put the snake's head next to the water bowl and they usually drink like they haven't drank in years. BUT I know they are drinking on their own so I wouldn't worry about it.
I think you're good to go. Just keep in mind that the more YOU stress over the snake, the more YOU stress the snake out !!
NO WORRIES and enjoy your new pet .....

Oh, I suggest getting probed thermometers to monitor AIR temps. IR thermometer can only tell you the temp of an object. Not the air temp contacting that object (snake for instance).

I have a few snakes that I had for several *years* before I ever saw them drink. They don't drink all that much at any one time, so it makes sense the levels in the water bowl aren't going to change a significant amount.

Your temps are also too high. They should be 85 degrees for the warm spot, not 95. And that 85 should right over the heat mat, because that's the closes she can get to the heat.

Ah thank you so much guys! I've been quite worried.

We have probably been holding her too much. I'm ashamed to admit it but we only left her two days before temptation overcame us and we had to hold her. She seemed very explorative and I knew she was due a feed which was why I fed her. Probably too soon, wasn't it?

@Daddio207: thanks for the info. The sides of her viv are very open (it's one of the exoterra glass ones) and she can see people very well as her viv's in my room and I spend a lot of time on my bed studying or writing. I've covered the sides with paper. Do you think that'll work? Do I have to keep them on forever?

@Shiari: reduced the temp to 85 now. I also opened the curtain by her cage so the natural light can heat up the viv slightly. Thanks for the help!

On another note, I changed the water last night from tap to bottle (we had good filters on our taps, and Scotland has really soft natural water so I thought tap would be safe enough) but I changed it to bottle and the bowl has been emptied overnight so yay for that.

You can remove the paper as soon as you feel she has settled into her new habitat. Basically it is to let her get used to her new home first and then what surrounds her tank. Usually a week or two is sufficient. Most new snake owner issues arise because of stress to the animal. corn snakes settle in quickly though !
I only use bottled water mainly because it has been purified.
Keep in mind that the most important temp is in the warm hide. that's where the AIR temp should be 82-86 degrees F. Usually you have to have the UTH set higher to achieve that.
Be careful of sunlight into a glass tank. It can bake a snake quickly.

Your bowl should not have been emptied overnight if it is of sufficient size for your snake or sufficiently filled. It may have been tipped so I would check the substrate and remove anything that is wet.
Please close the curtains. The UTH is sufficient on its own as long as your house is above 68*F.
Daddio207- These are corn snakes, not ball pythons. Air temp isn't that important as long as you're not crazy cold. It's belly heat that is important. In order to get air temps that high (they are active in temps lower than that, being a crepescular species and all) from a UTH, it would have to be dangerously hot for the snake.

Shiari said:

The UTH is sufficient on its own as long as your house is above 68*F. :iagree:
Daddio207- These are corn snakes, not ball pythons. Air temp isn't that important as long as you're not crazy cold. It's belly heat that is important. In order to get air temps that high (they are active in temps lower than that, being a crepescular species and all) from a UTH, it would have to be dangerously hot for the snake.

Click to expand...

I don't have any clue why you would be thinking i am mistaking corn snakes for ball pythons :shrugs:
It's always the AIR temp that is what your measuring Not objects temps. I wasn't referring to room temps or tank temps but more importantly the warm side hides interior air temp. Meaning you have to measure it with a probed thermometer and not a IR gun inside the hide.
Ball pythons won't react to heat like a corn snake will. A corn will remove itself from a hot UTH where a BP will lay on it until burned.
It's ambient (air in direct contact with the body) temps that are important to corn snakes and most snakes in general. Not belly heat. It's just more efficient to heat from the bottom with most snakes. I don't have 1 snake on belly heat in my vast collection and over the past decades have kept very few on belly heat with NO issues.

My corns thrive even when the temps in my house are 70 degrees. They burrow down to their warm spot to the degree needed. Half of mine are on belly heat and ambient temperatures in their cages are my house temps.
And I *do* measure the warm spot with a heat gun, directly over the spot where the heater is. That is what I keep at 85 degrees.

Corn snakes are active in temperatures well below 82 degrees ambient, because objects heat up more/faster than air. Ambient temperatures are nowhere near as important for them as it is for a ball python (hence my comment). To reach 82 to 86*F in the hide, on top of substrate, a UTH is going to be WAY TOO HOT.

For example, in New Jersey, the average day time temp is only above 80*F for 3 months out of the year. Corns are active more of the year than that, and they are found in NJ. I have seen Cali Kings out an about on days in the low 70s... when the ground is nice and warm from the sun but the air is still cool.

Wow you guys know a lot about this kind of stuff...thank you for the information. Well, last night holding was mandatory because she managed to escape (I'd left part of the slots open for the cables for the thermostat to go through. The hole's invisible from the angle you see it from most). Thankfully, I saw her as soon as she came out and everything was fine.

She's seemed a lot calmer in my hands then, and has been moving to the warm hide today. The air temp seems to be about 70*C for the viv overall? I don't know how to increase or decrease that with my current set up...

Unfortunately, I'm worried it'll get lower if I try to open the windows in the room or do something like that.

* 70*F rather than C there. Sorry got confused.

J.Catherine said:

Wow you guys know a lot about this kind of stuff...thank you for the information. Well, last night holding was mandatory because she managed to escape (I'd left part of the slots open for the cables for the thermostat to go through. The hole's invisible from the angle you see it from most). Thankfully, I saw her as soon as she came out and everything was fine.

She's seemed a lot calmer in my hands then, and has been moving to the warm hide today. The air temp seems to be about 70*C for the viv overall? I don't know how to increase or decrease that with my current set up...

Unfortunately, I'm worried it'll get lower if I try to open the windows in the room or do something like that.

Click to expand...

You will be just a knowledgeable, by the time you have done your research and got into the hobby that much you feel your life depends on it (i couldnt live without mine there all my companions)

i find forums are the best way to get Trustworthy information im 24 i dont use facebook because its all full of "Know it alls" aka people who think they know it all, on here people are honest and upfrunt, thats the best way to learn in my opinion,

I have learnt alot through this forum and others, i wouldnt know much if it wasnt for the wide spread forums

Reptile Lover 23 said:

You will be just a knowledgeable, by the time you have done your research and got into the hobby that much you feel your life depends on it (i couldnt live without mine there all my companions)

i find forums are the best way to get Trustworthy information im 24 i dont use facebook because its all full of "Know it alls" aka people who think they know it all, on here people are honest and upfrunt, thats the best way to learn in my opinion,

I have learnt alot through this forum and others, i wouldnt know much if it wasnt for the wide spread forums

Click to expand...

Yeah that's why I decided to sign up and ask here. I know no one else who owns corns or even any snakes, so facebook is useless. This information has been really really helpful.