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Husbandry and Basic Care General stuff about keeping and maintaining cornsnakes in captivity.

Under Tank Heat Pad or Heat Lamp- which is best
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Old 05-05-2011, 11:32 AM   #11
SnakeKiss247
Thanks Smallet for finally giving me some straight answers... This is what I was looking for. Our house is really cool, should we use both the UTH and the heat lamp together? We are up here in New Brunswick, so it's still cool here. I am thinking that maybe due to it being cool in the house I should be useing heating lamps too, just to warm up the tanks until the warmer weather gets here.

I would love some feedback on this issue as I just want to make sure all the snakes are warm enough. If anyone out there has some suggestions, please let me know...

Appreciate all the help in this issue of heat for the snakes. We have two Corns and a baby Ball Python.
 
Old 05-05-2011, 11:41 AM   #12
smallet
Remember your BP will need a temp between 85-90 being closer to 90. It is cooler in my house but the UTH still gets the surface temp to 85 with no issues and the air temp is around 80 on the hot side. The cool side will dip sometimes to 65, but usually stays around the 70 mark. But I use racks for mine so they hold the heat better than a tank. Also they hold humidity better as well. And as I live in Northern Alberta it does get quite dry here. So I mist my racks in the winter. It seems to work out as I don't have any problems with digestion or with shedding with boas, bps or corns. And my Uros love the dry temps.
 
Old 05-05-2011, 11:54 AM   #13
SnakeKiss247
Where in Alberta? We used to live in Cold Lake, the Air Force Base.

For Monica, the baby BP, I put her in a tub and made her small hides from plastic bowls I got at the dollar store, got 4 for $1. She is much happier in her tub. Thinking I may change all my snakes over to tubs. If I do, I will sell Ari's new viv I built for him. Do you have any pictures of your rack? We don't have that flexwire here, but I have seen heat wire at the pet store and I am using heating pads for the snakes. I think I could make it work. I have Monica on a wire rack I got when they were on sale at Canadian Tire a few yeas ago. It works great as the air can go underneath. I have a locking sterilite container for her and also use two bungy cords I got from the dollar store to make sure it's really secure. I could do the same for Buddy, but for Ari, these racks are too small for a tub for him. I will look around and see if I can find bigger wire racks or probably build my own... It would definitely take up less room for my snakes as Ari's cage is quite big as it's 4 ft by 2 feet by 18 inches high.



I am sure someone would be interested in buying it, if I decide to sell it....

What size of tub would I need for Ari as he's 4 1/2 feet long? I gather tubs hold the heat better than aquariums too don't they? Seems like a lot of people use them to house their snakes...
 
Old 05-05-2011, 12:28 PM   #14
Evol_girl
I use both.

I probably don't NEED the heat lamp - but it adds to my comfort level so I have it.

I live in MN. The air temp in my house is, on average, 65. Even in the middle of summer it doesn't get much higher than 70. So even though we have a UTH which keeps the undertank nice and warm for her belly - I just feel like the air is too chilly. PLUS I want to coax her out of hiding, so maybe if the air temp is a little warm too she'll be more likely?!?

I don't know - I'm not a snake expert. I DO know that for corns, the UTH is one of those "pretty much a necessity" items. The heat lamp is not considered ideal alone, but for those like me that either live in a cool air climate or just those, like me, who are flippin' paranoid - wont hurt providing you follow "heat lamp safety rules". I don't keep mine ON the top, its on a stand. I have a low wattage day light and a red night bulb, etc...

Did this answer any question or create a "Standard" answer?!? ha. Probably not. Just my 2 cents on why, even thought the UTH is considered enough and correct for corns - the heat lamp isn't always a No-No.
 
Old 05-05-2011, 12:35 PM   #15
Evol_girl
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeKiss247 View Post

I am sure someone would be interested in buying it, if I decide to sell it....
I'd be all over that if I lived by you. That's a super pretty tank.
 
Old 05-05-2011, 03:59 PM   #16
smallet
I live by Lac La Biche. But I work for an oil company in the Bombing range north of Cold Lake. I will get pictures of the racks I have and post them when I get home next. I sent you a pm as to where I got them, although in the pm it was for something else. But a 31 qt tub is large enough for an adult corn. Peekaboo (Ultramel Motley het diffused caramel stripe) is over 5 ft and she fits in those quite well. But I do handle all my snakes when they are available.
 
Old 05-05-2011, 04:13 PM   #17
MysticExotics
smallet's reply brings up another point, (which I think Eric mentioned in the other thread).
There are different types of heat lamps as well. When I say heat lamp, I am referring to the ceramic heat lamps, not the heat lamp/lights.
There is an old thread on here, that was recently brought back up, that shows burns to a snake (two actually) that are from the desert heat light/lamps.
I (personally) would not use a light style lamp, but I have used the ceramic heat lamps, which do not emit any light, only heat.

You asked which is best...well that depends on the situation, as many have told you. *In general* the UTH is the choice to go with (regulated with a thermostat, of course), but like I have (& other have said) it's not the only way to successfully house your Corns. I know a breeder who has only back heat...no UTH & he has been doing so for years.

Several people have stated that there is no *one* way to do it...gather all of the information, & figure out what works best for you.
 
Old 09-22-2018, 09:17 PM   #18
Maizi
To address SnakeKiss257's original question of why answers vary on this, if that's regarding snakes in general, I'd think it's simply because snake species don't all behave the same way. As I understand it, nocturnal or crepuscular snakes like corn snakes don't sun themselves for warmth as diurnal snakes do. Corn snakes seek warmth from the ground around them. So a heat mat more closely reproduces their preferred method, as long as the thermostat works right. . Not sure how accurate this is, but it seems to make sense.

That said, I'm a brand new corn snake owner with a 30 inch female freshly installed in a 40 gallon terrarium and I'm entirely unconvinced that the heat light over the tank is reaching the bottom of the tank with anything close to the temperatures I'm told corn snakes need. I just checked and it's maybe in the mid-70s in that end of the tank and that's before the house's night chill has set in. I can't see any radiant heat from the black light bulb reaching her in her resin boulder cave, either. Tomorrow I go buy a heat mat. I just hope she's not too uncomfortable tonight. I've draped the cage with towels to hold the heat in as much as possible.
 
Old 09-26-2018, 03:24 PM   #19
DeuceRon
I agree with Maizi and don't believe the heat lamp/ceramic heat will heat the bottom of the tank.
That said, I use a regulated heat mat year round underneath his hide. In the summer I use a ceramic heat bulb at night. In the winter, I add a red heat lamp during the day.
 
Old 09-27-2018, 08:52 AM   #20
Maizi
Thanks, DeuceRon! Just one question - the instructions for my heat mat said not to put the hide over it (in my case, a resin boulder) because heat could build up too much in there. Not a problem?

Also, the heat lamp seems to heat the boulder. I find her inside draped around the edge of the boulder as though pressing against it. Maybe I should just move the boulder over the mat?
 

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