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Temp sensor placement

B

Beninlux

New member
Hi everyone.
Sorry to bother you with a fairly basic question.
I just collected little Fluffy this afternoon, and he’s busy settling into his new forever home now.
He’s a 2 year old Anerythristic Striped (het. Sunkissed) corn, and he weighs 132g. I didn’t measure him yet but I suppose he’s around a meter - I don’t want to handle him for a few days so he can settle in with minimal stress. I’ve been reading the site! I suppose that those details don’t really matter, I’m just excited. Obviously our first snake...
Anyway, he has a heat mat plugged in to a Lucky Reptile Thermo Control 2 thermostat. The sensor for the thermostat is on the glass inside the tank, directly over the heat pad.
So my question is, is the temperature going to be ok? I understand why the sensor should be at the very bottom of the tank (in case he burrows he won’t get burned), but the temp inside the warm hide, on top of the aspen is about 4 degrees cooler than it is at the glass. Is he clever enough to burrow?
What’s more, he’s settled, coiled up, in the hide at the colder end and now and I don’t want him to get too cold. He did a quick lap around his new home but he didn’t find the “door” on the warm side hide I think. Probably he’s settled in the first safe spot he finds, right? So he’ll shift by himself when he needs to?
Do I just have noob jitters, or should I change something for him?
Thanks!
Ben
BTW, I didn’t post a photo of him - I suppose posts with photos should only go in the Photo Gallery and this is a care question.
 
1. your sensor placement is ok.

1A. Some of us, (myself included) don't like wires and such inside the cage, so we place our sensors outside the cage, taped directly to the heat pad underneath. Of course by doing this we have to increase our temperature a bit, to get the correct temp inside the cage, but once you dial it in, it's usually fine.

2. The temp on the bottom glass is what you want. Yes your snake knows how to burrow if it wants or needs to. A warm side temp of 82 to 88 F or (28 to 31 C). I opt for the middle and keep mine around 85. I use a "Point and Shoot" type Infrared Thermometer to measure the temp. Most of the folks here use Aspen or something similar for the snake to burrow in. I use reptile carpet, so I measure the temp directly on the surface of the carpet.

3. If your snake is hanging out on the cool side, he probably just wants to. If he constantly stays on the cool side, it could be an indication that the warm side is too warm.

3A. You don't have to worry about your snake getting too cold unless your "house is too cold." (The coldest the snake can be is whatever the room temperature is.) A room temp of about 70 to 74 F (21 to 23 C) is ok. Some people don't even use heaters and just keep the room fairly warm. If you provide the correct warm and cool temps, the snake will go where it feels most comfortable. My snake tends to hang out on the warm spot after a meal, and then spends time on the cool side between meals.

4. I was a little concerned over the fact you stated the snake is 2 years old, about a meter long but only 132 grams. I would think most 2 year old corn snakes of a meter in length should weigh about 250 grams or more. Does your snake appear skinny? Can you see its backbone or ribs? Is it eating properly?
 
Karl_Mcknight said:
4. I was a little concerned over the fact you stated the snake is 2 years old, about a meter long but only 132 grams. I would think most 2 year old corn snakes of a meter in length should weigh about 250 grams or more. Does your snake appear skinny? Can you see its backbone or ribs? Is it eating properly?
Click to expand...

:shrugs:
I don’t think he looks skinny - no ribs or backbone showing. The breeder told me about a meter, but as I said I haven’t measured him yet. He’s probably not far off it though.

Thanks for the reassurance on the temps, that really reassured me! I’d hate for him not to be as happy as I can make him.
 
Hey Ben, welcome! You can post pics wherever you want, or you can add a pic to your profile like Tonya and I have.

I also have a sunkissed!

Good luck with your new buddy!
 
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